#And I still see those effects to this day.

[jherbogf]

2 you

summary y/n has been in a complicated relationship with joe burrow for months. as he grows more distant and conflicted, she’s forced to confront her feelings and the uncertainty of their connection.

pairing joe burrow x fem!reader

words around 6.7k

inspired by 2 you, mariah the scientist

you had always been a woman of focus. your days were a blur of work. late nights and early mornings. it wasn’t glamorous, but you loved it. having your own money, your own freedom.

you could say one of your favorite things to do was going out with your girlfriends. sometimes, in the highest cincinnati spots. spots those who obviously were packed with players from the city’s most famous team: the cincinnati bengals.

in one of those night outs, your eyes crossed icy blue ones, which naturally, made your world turn differently.

joe burrow had that effect on people—his eyes, calm yet intense, always made her second guess her emotions. he wasn’t the kind of guy who wore his feelings on his sleeve. his smile, reserved for those who really knew him, often made her feel like she was still trying to figure him out. and for a while, you didn’t mind.

but over time, something shifted.

you first saw it after the bengals’ rough stretch of games. they were struggling—0-4 at the start of the season. and it weighed heavily on joe. at first, you made excuses for him. “he’s under a lot of pressure” you told yourself. “he’s focused on the game”. but as the weeks went on, it wasn’t just the stress of the game; it was something else. he started becoming more distant, not in the physical sense, but emotionally.

you noticed it during one of your quiet dinners. you had tried to start a conversation, something that used to come so naturally. but now, his answers were short, distracted, as if his mind was somewhere else. “maybe he’s tired”, so you thought.

you noticed the tension grew in small moments, too. the texts that went unanswered for hours. the way he avoided eye contact when you asked about his day. you didn’t push him for answers, but you also couldn’t ignore it. and still, you told yourself: “it’s just the season, he’s got a lot on his plate. he’ll come around���.

but it wasn’t just the season. and you knew it, deep down.

one evening, after another loss, you waited for joe at his place, like you constantly did.

the door opened, and he didn’t even look at you. he simply passed by, heading straight to the couch, still in his post-game conference clothes. you stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of the distance between you, the invisible wall that had been built over the past few weeks.

“how are you?” you asked. trying to be as careful as possible.

he didn’t answer at first, eyes glued to the TV as highlights from the game played. so you tried again, desperate for some closure. “joe?”

he looked up at you then. gaze distant, as though he wasn’t really seeing you. like you weren’t even there. “i’m fine,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “i just want to forget about it.”

you couldn’t stop herself. you desperate for closure, for something. “this season’s been pretty tough. i’m sorry”.

“yeah,” he replied, tone flat. he glanced at you, for a split second. barely acknowledging you. barely acknowledging your countless tries to get him to just talk to you.

you understood him. how could you not? but it was like he didn’t see you. didn’t see you trying to just help.

it stung, more than you cared to admit. you had been there for him through the losses, his recovery, the endless scrutiny. but now, you felt like you were being shut out.

you wondered if this what it always felt like, doubting your own self. you had to ask yourself whether you were being too much. if you were clinging to him, forcing something when he just wanted to be alone. but, were you? it for sure didn’t feel like you were. you couldn’t help but feel like you were always the one trying to break through, but he never let you in.

so, later that night, after the game was over and the house was silent, you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. the uncertainty was eating away at you. “what is happening? you thought. joe had pulled back in a way that made you feel like you were chasing after something you could never quite reach.

and a few days later, as if on cue, it happened again.

you were sitting close to the sidelines at the bengals’ practice, waiting for joe to finish up. the tension in the air was thick—joe wasn’t just focused on the game, but on something else. as the team broke up, you waited for him in the same place, alongside mike gesicki’s and trey hendrickson’s wives, trying to catch his attention. he glanced at you, going back into the facility, probably to get washed up.

but you weren’t focusing on what he’d go after he went back there. you were focusing on how he he didn’t smile. didn’t forge any reaction at you. just one glance. and you could feel your heart slowly cracking, day by day.

you let it go, trying to enjoy the girls’ company until the players were out again. it worked, for about the 45 minutes time in between being happy, talking to them, and then feeling ashamed and like you didn’t belong in joe’s side, approaching his car in the parking lot.

“how’s the wrist?” you asked, trying to sound casual, but still with an edge of concern in your voice.

he shrugged, serious, emotionless. “it’s fine. just sore. nothing I can’t handle.”

“three empty phrases.” you thought. it was the same answer he’d given you every time, and every time it hurt more. he was shutting you out—shutting you out, just like he had done with everything else in his life. so you sighed, helpless and tired.

“i don’t know what’s going on with you,” you said, voice a little sharper than you had intended, moved by her feelings. “but i’ve been trying to be here for you, joe. don’t you get that?”— his eyes snapped to yours, hard and unyielding. it was the most emotion he had given you in months.

“i don’t need you to ‘be here for me,’ y/n,” he replied, his tone cutting. “i’m not your charity case. you’ve got your life. i’ve got mine. that’s it. don’t mix it up.”

you froze. the words stung like a slap. you felt the air leave your lungs. you didn’t know what was worse—the fact that he was pushing you away, or that he didn’t see how much you cared. you took a step back, heart pounding.

“maybe I’ve been too much,” you said, more to yourself than him. your voice trembled, but you didn’t let him see the hurt. you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction. “maybe I’ve asked for too much. but don’t you dare act like I’m not trying.” you told him, firmer.

joe didn’t respond. his face softened for a moment, but the distance between you only grew.

you knew that you were at a breaking point.

you had tried for so long to make things work, to be there for him, but it wasn’t enough. not when he couldn’t open up, not when he kept you at arm’s length. and you knew.

it didn’t surprise you that a few days later, after another devastating loss, joe was quiet. you sat beside him on the couch, your heart heavy with the weight of everything that had been left unsaid.

you needed to talk. you couldn’t just keep pretending.

“joe, we need to talk,” you said, voice gentle but firm. you were rightly putting yourself first this time. listening to yourself.

he didn’t even look at you. “i don’t feel like talking right now,” he muttered.

and your heart sank. “it’s always like this”, you thought. you had always been the one to initiate, the one to ask the hard questions. But he never answered. he never listened. he never gave you the time. he never even asked.

“you can’t just keep shutting me out,” you said, either way. “i’m not asking for much. but I need more than this. I need more than your silence. I need more than pretending everything’s fine.”

you knew. you knew you deserved more. you knew.

joe’s eyes finally met yours then, and there was something… cold in them. “you’re too much, y/n. always asking questions, always demanding more. I don’t have time for this. I don’t need someone breathing down my neck all the time.”

you couldn’t react. you were looking at the ground, blinking, eyes wide, mouth shut. it hit you like a tidal wave. you could hear your heart clinking. but it didn’t break like you thought you would. it was like someone had hit their nail on it, just to hear if it would make a sound.

you sat there for a moment, stunned. thinking, remembering all the times he shut you out. all the times he told you he didn’t need her concern. all the times he didn’t give even an ounce of the love you gave him back to you.

so you stood up. and you walked away. you weren’t sure what you were doing anymore, but you knew one thing for certain—you couldn’t keep being the one who tried to fix what was broken. you couldn’t be the one covered in dirt, couldn’t be the one whose heart clenched when a kid cudi song played.

you weren’t sure where things had gone wrong, but you knew you couldn’t keep pouring yourself into a relationship that drained you. the grief she felt, after her shock passed, wasn’t for joe and “what could’ve been”, but for herself. who almost lost her spark. who almost lost her own self, trying to fix him.

he was lost. he was unfocused. you were sure he hoped you wouldn’t notice, but you did. after all those times, you did. so you layed it in a grave. and you left.

left his apartment, physically, but his mess, emotionally. you didn’t know if he had called you, cause you weren’t really listening.

and as you drove away, you didn’t look back. focusing only on what was in front of you, reserved for you. not him.

[kaisentine]

݁ ִ  ۫ ⸺ ❝ 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔　.ᐟ　❞

⌗ ⸺ ❝ 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘰��𝘴𝘯’𝘵 . . ! ❞ the one thing you dread the most is your friends overanalyzing and hyping you up all because of a simple interaction with your crush—so annoying! ft. michael kaiser, itoshi sae, shidou ryusei, nagi seishiro, & oliver aiku general cw. just idiots in love, reader is so deep into denial it’s infuriating, highschool au, shidou, fem reader . . . ( MY BAD ) sticky-note i think i just yapped my brains out with this one ( what’s new! ). bomb idea, explosive writing! NAWT PROOFREAD

sticky note. BAEE 😁 thought of this cuz i was also doing snapstreaks

𐔌 . 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐋 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐑 is apparently so into you because . . . ❝ he snaps you in the morning ! ❞

your friend seems way more excited than you are. it’s way too early for her to already be geeked out at you opening kaiser’s snap for streaks. “i don’t get it,” you say as you open the image—he’s still at home even though most students are already in their respective classes, it’s the side of his face and really nothing special ( if you didn’t like him ). “he’s the epitome of ‘i don’t snap til i’m done with training.” she explains further yet you still don’t understand why she’s pointing it out. “does that quote even exist?” you ask, she’s off with your phone to observe the very thought out ( not really ) photo and shoves your phone into your face with her manicured finger pointing something out. “never mind that! look!” she has effectively made your brain’s circuit cut short because you don’t understand. you grab her wrist to control the distance so you can actually see. why is she pointing at his hair? “what am i looking at?” you voice your exact thoughts. “not tryna be mean to your crush or whatever, but it’s clear he has bed head!” she exclaims, attempting to remove your hand from her wrist, “there’s a reason he only snaps after training . . .” she ends in a murmur. “ha-ha, very funny. i still don’t get it.” you fake laugh at her sly comment and finally surrender her arm—letting it drop. “he hates people seeing him in the morning because of that,” she contemplates saying what she is just about to say—when has she ever done that? “maybe he wants to be the first man you see in the morning, that’s why!” she giggles, and your jaw drops; that is the biggest stretch she has ever came up with! “are you a lunatic?!? the last thing i’d want to do is show him me in the morning . . . he probably hates me!” this reaction of yours wasn’t what you friend wanted to get out from you. she was expecting to see a gleam of hope in your eyes but instead she’s met with a gloss of panic.

actually, your friend was spot on—he snaps you in the morning because he wants to be the first man you see in the morning. the strategy isn’t as effective as he would like it to be because despite the fact he has a pretty reasonable schedule like how he sleeps 7 hours every night, he only knocks out at about 2 am. he’s probably more effective at being late for school if anything. however, he’d rather you see him as at least one of the first males you see at such an ungodly time with ungodly bed head than you seeing him rush into the classroom because he’s late for the first time you glance at his ( glorious ) face that day. the man also decides he’s way too good for the stupidly cute filters you can find on the app so those are out of question—random wall photos are too. gets ness to hype him up and then chastises him if you don’t even look his way.

sticky note. i feel like this is a stupid reason but it’s such a funny concept

𐔌 . 𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐄 is apparently so interested in you because . . . ❝ he ate a fry . ❞

your friend is dead serious but you’re just looking at her like ‘oh you actually serious?’. “sorry, what?” you bring your ear closer to her mouth in hopes you probably just misheard what she said. “he. ate. a. fry.” she repeats—nope she is definitely not joking with you. “i don’t see how sae eating a fry relates to him liking me,” you start deadpanning at her attempt at convincing you itoshi sae likes you—she sucks at this! she cocks a brow and gives you a dirty look, “i have a theory you might not actually like him . . . God that man hates fries.” she shudders at the thought. “they were the fries you brought!” she adds on, quickly regaining her composure from pure terror. “okay . . . yeah but it was one singular—not plural—fry, are you okay?” yes, you have a point, it was one fry, and now you’re concerned for you friend. she raises her hands up in surrender while sighing like she was just defeated—have you finally tamed the hostile creature? nope. there’s a sudden stupid smirk on her face that looks straight-up devious, “and plural—not singular—reasons why he is sooo interested!” she elongates and dramatizes the ‘so’, and you mentally slap yourself to make up for the stupidness you can feel radiating off her words. “i can never win with you, can i?” you ask but the answer is already clear—you cannot.

yup, sae hates fries, dearly—that isn’t some kind of secret because he is pretty open about it. once even telling you friend to . . . “fuck off,” when she thought it was a good idea to offer him the stick of pure deliciousness ( hence why she gets shivers thinking about it ). he doesn’t care about a lot of things like how he doesn’t bother himself with keeping most things private or public because he simply just does not give a flying shit. neither does he really care if he makes his feelings clear or not—mixed signals king! sure, he likes you but that doesn’t stop him from being nonchalant. the only time he’ll make openings are in soccer and anything other than that—he just lets it happen. that means if he is given a chance to ‘make a move’ and it’s served on a silver platter without him needing to excerpt any more effort? he’ll take it. if he isn’t, he waits for the next time. but that man doesn’t know anything about feelings so he thinks eating something you brought is making a move.

sticky note. this man is a FREAK but he’s a simple guy promise

𐔌 . 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐘𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐈 is apparently so downbad for you because . . . ❝ he said ‘if i was a velociraptor, i’d eat y/n first’ ? ! ❞

your friend reads off her phone and accidentally pushes her desk towards your chair. “HUH?” you’re just as surprised as your friend is—shidou ryusei actually said that? “you have to look at this,” she states and smacks you in the face with her phone ( deja vu WHO ), it’s the school’s blog and the post is exactly what she just said. “that’s just . . . i mean—what?” you find it quite hard to comprehend what you were reading because what do you mean the weird guy you like posted that? “is that edited?” you ask for confirmation—you literally can’t believe it. she clicks the profile and it is him, you feel your face flush when you’re bombarded with images of him. “i get it! i get it!” you bark and swat her hand away, “whydoievenlikehim—“ you mutter before covering your eyes like you just saw something so distasteful. “girl, i don’t know . . . but he totally likes you,” she shrieks, turning off her phone so such madness is no longer seen. you aren’t entirely buying it, “i doubt it, if i was some kind of carnivorous animal, i wouldn’t eat the guy i like—at all!” you say with a frown on your face. she looks at you, looking even more horrified at what you just said to her. “his thinking process is probably out the window, y’know? he probably just means he wants you to be with him forever!” “in his stomach? no thanks.”

what makes you think shidou ryusei is okay in the head in the slightest? if he likes someone—he makes it so obvious! he doesn’t second guess his words, much less his online posts so as soon aas he was done typing out the words, he clicked post almost immediately. doesn’t regret it one bit. his eyes land anywhere but sae? that is truly a feat . . .

sticky note. does this even happen. also nagi really likes sleeping

𐔌 . 𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎 is apparently so desperate for you because . . . ❝ he sleeps on your shoulder . ❞

your friend is referring to the multiple times your crush has decided to accidentally fall asleep on your shoulder. “so . . .” you urge her to elaborate her point further than she already has. “and he only does it when he’s next to you,” she discerned, whipping out photo evidence in the form of a printed piece of paper. it’s really nothing too special—just the two of you sitting next to each other on the waiting lounge’s couch, waiting for your guys’ turn for the school’s mandatory medical check-up. he looks quite comfortable, arms crossed and manspreading ( 😭 ) but his head is rested on your shoulder—sleeping. “. . .why’d you print it,” you gasp at such an absurd action to prove a point and you quickly rip the paper out of her hands, “you’re insufferable.” you shake your head in disappointment. “a girl gotta do what she gotta do, y’know! how much more obvious does he need to be???” ugh, she’s being so dramatic—he’s just sleeping on your shoulder. “he probably realized i . . .didn’t mind so he doesn’t care,” you reject the idea. “you might be the insufferable one—why do you think he keeps doing it?” she says and you so want to side eye her but you aren’t going to turn sideways to do that because that is mad embarrassing. “i don’t know! he’s just some sleepy guy like,” you give her a pout before continuing, “. . .and people said that they feel sleepy around me.” you admit. “nah, they’re just saying you’re boring!” she giggles—did you not put that together? you playfully push her shoulder in annoyance. “but i’ll give you the answer—he wants to close to you, or in other words; he likes you!”

nagi is the type of lazy where he thinks it’s too much of a hassle to confess first but thinks making physical advancements don’t count. he can easily sleep anywhere, honestly. he likes his sleep but he loves good sleep and you just feel like a good person to sleep on so he decides to try it—and he’s right. he did do it accidentally the first time, it was on his mind but he really didn’t mean to! sleep just drenched his eyes and he was out cold—on your shoulder. there, he decides he likes you more than just a comfy pillow to doze off on.

sticky note. i feel like reader is very justified LMFAO. yk i have a friend who has more than a mu or a situationship but aren’t dating and she said he longest more than friends but not not dating was like 4 years

𐔌 . 𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐔 aiku is apparently so smitten for you because . . . ❝ girl, he confessed . . . ❞

your friend resists the overwhelming urge to bitch-slap you because you long-pressed your dms with him. the message wasn’t some kind of special confession just a simple ‘hey i know we just started talking but i think i’m inlove with you’ God reading that made you cringe. “yeah nope, not buying it.” you know he probably knows you saw it because of that stupid green dot on your profile but his message is still left on delivered. “why not?” she asks, “he knows you’ve read it, why edge him?” she pulls out her phone from her bag and faces her back towards you. “what are you doing . . ?” you’re honestly scared what she’s planning because even though you could also just stand up and look over her shoulder—she’d run out of the classroom and disappear. “texting someone,” she says while she’s rapidly typing out something, her shoulders shaking. “i don’t like the sound of that,” you refer to the hidden underlining of her tone, “you’re scaring me—ugh—whatever. i just started texting him, he barely knows me, he’s probably had 4 girlfriends in the span of 5 months—what makes me any different?” like—not trying to degrade yourself but you’re worried that he’s just going to play you too. “if he does, i’ll break his heart!” she says in resolve, doing the cliche moment of lifting up a fist and you giggle at her. there’s a quick buzz from your phone and it’s from the girl in-front of you, “what’s this?” you raise an eyebrow, clicking the notification pop-up. “just read it,” okay . . . if she insists. dot. dot. dot. there’s invisible crickets going off in your head. “is this from sendou?” “uh-huh.”

unbeknownst to you, your friend was actually texting her situationship ( of like 8 months LMFAO )—sendou shuto to ask him about oliver’s confession since they’re friends and all. ‘aiku n y/n? oh yeah he’s totally smitten man, i ain’t never seen aiku talk about a girl like he does w her’ is the message she forwarded to you that let the crickets rip! no but seriously, he normally has cycles like when he’s with one girl but then breaks up with her because he got eyes for another but now he promises that he only wants you!

bonus on why reo likes you because i might not be writing as much as i did this week because of school :p

mikage reo ⸺ ❝ he bought your entire christmas wishlist . . . ❞

[hyperfocusthusly]

Sweet things

@bucktommyfluffebruary - day two prompt ‘cooking together’

Notes: established relationship, domestic fluff, Tommy is too busy staring at his boyfriend to be an effective sous chef | Rating: G | Words: 700

[Read on A03]

——-

“Sorry I’m late!” Tommy calls through the house, “there was an accident, traffic was a nightmare.”

“That’s okay,” a familiar voice calls back. “I had to start without you.” Tommy comes into the kitchen to find Evan whisking a bowl of egg whites. “Need to keep on schedule so it has to bake and cool before we put it together.”

Tommy half remembers the 20 minute run down of why you have to let a meringue cool slowly, something to do with sudden temperature change causing cracks? In his defence he had been half asleep at the time, laid out on the sofa with Evan’s fingers carding through his hair.

Ever since Athena had assigned them the dessert portion of the menu for their barbecue this evening Evan had been spending every spare minute searching for the perfect thing to make. Several internet deep dives, three new recipe books and countless conversations later he had come to the conclusion that a pavlova would be perfect for the job.

“It’s the best of all things.” He had explained one evening, plastered against Tommy’s back while he did the washing up. “It’s crunchy and chewy, sweet but if you choose the right flavour crème, I was thinking passion fruit, then it’s not too sweet. Plus it’s light enough for after a big meal, perfect for a summer barbecue.”

Tommy comes around the kitchen island, rests his hand on Evan’s hip and presses a quick kiss to the back of his neck.

“Hope you didn’t do all of my jobs for me. I want to look Hen in the eye and tell her I helped make this thing, I’m pretty sure it’s high on her list of things she doesn’t believe are possible.”

Evan laughs,

“I need you to separate some more eggs, 3 yolks should do and then they need to go on a double boiler-” he shifts out of Tommy grasp, pulling the scales out of a nearby cupboard and measuring sugar into a bowl.

“I thought we were making meringue.”

“We’re making a pavlova, three key components; meringue, crème and fruit.”

“Oh yes of course, how could I forget the three key components.”

Evan pulls a face of mock shock at Tommy’s sarcastic tone.

“How indeed” he reaches up and taps the recipe card taped to the cupboard. “All the instructions are there if you need them.”

Tommy separates the eggs carefully, and puts them in a double boiler on the stove. He is stirring them gently when he feels Evan’s gaze boring into the side of him.

“Can I help you with something?”

Evan waggles his hand in the direction of the drawer Tommy is stood in front of.

“Can you pass me a spoon?”

“Sure.”

He digs one out and gives it to Evan, their fingers brushing over the handle. His gaze lingers on Evan for a moment too long.

“You know you have to stir those constantly right?”

“Mmm?” Truth be told, Tommy is a little less focused on the steaming bowl and more on his gorgeous boyfriend. He feels a bit lost with the way the afternoon sun is catching the lighter tones in Evan’s hair, lifting the golden tones of his skin.

Evan reaches over with the hand not currently occupied whisking egg whites and closes it over Tommy’s wrist, forcing him to stir the mixture.

“If you don’t they will scramble.”

“We can’t have that.” Tommy murmurs softly, still entranced by the way the light makes Evan’s eyes shine, picking up the different shades of blue in his eyes and making them sparkle.

Evan catches Tommy’s eyes and stops for a moment, his trademark frantic cooking energy slowing down as he looks at Tommy. He knows realistically that 24 hours is not a hugely long time to go without seeing someone but the way he feels immediately lighter under Tommy’s gaze makes him realise how much he misses him when he’s at work.

“Sorry,” he mumbles “I didn’t even say hello.”

“That’s okay baby, I know how important the structural integrity of meringues is to you.”

“You’re important to me too.”

Tommy smiles and Evan thinks he may never get tired of seeing it.

Tagging some beloveds (as always let me know if you want to be added/removed);

@leashybebes @livelaughlou @loucifersbitch @dark-alice-lilith @mmso-notlikethat @laundryandtaxesworld @bucksaiga @littlepaws9 @sad-girl-hours23 @evansbuck-ley @jamieroyjamieroy @typicalopposite

@moonydanny @teenmaximoff @bucksboobs @ohithankyou @bi-bi-buckleys @rubydaiquiri @hellion-child @aringofsalt @sweaters-and-silly @theotherbuckley @comfortingevanbuckley @epiphainie @wikiangela @bidisasterevankinard

@sunnywithachanceofbi @desert--moonchild @blitzynatural @actuallyitsellie @big-urchin-energy @fyrehose @buckleyskinards @owlgirl495 @honeyloulou @setmeatopthepyre @salty-autistic-writer @thecarrott

[raayllum]

Immortality & Longevity in TDP

Because season 7 brought up some very interesting Threads to contrast with the series' previous sentiments on immortality / ridiculously long lifespans. So let's go.

Those Who Naturally Live Forever(-ish)

There are three main camps of characters who experience longevity in TDP.

Those who experience it naturally, but can still die (the Archdragons, some elves)

Those who acquire it through dark magic means

Those who cannot permanently die (the First Elves, Aaravos)

I want to talk about the Group Number One first, because it includes the most characters and was the basis for this meta. Besides Lujanne and Akiyu, we don't know too many elves who have lived for hundreds of plus years, although it wouldn't surprise me if Aditi did. Lujanne and Akiyu are both mages as well, with Lujanne living at the most powerful concentration of Moon magic in the world, so that could be part of the reason why she's lived so long, and Tidebound elves (as Finnegrin had Sea Legs' sister for 40+ years) just naturally live much longer than other types of elves (Moonshadow, Sunfire) as far as we know.

The Archdragons themselves also don't talk much about the length of their lives, since it's a species-shared trait and so second nature to them. However, whenever they do talk about it, we get a very clear picture:

It's not exactly... positive. Now, some of this is because of their mental states. Sol Regem lost his beloved mate a thousand years ago, lost his position as the king of the dragons, and been effectively cut off from Xadia's political sphere / the other archdragons for a long time. Rex Igneous is similarly isolated (though it seems more self-inflicted) and we know he had a previous falling out with Avizandum (presumably over Zubeia). We also see Zubeia grow increasingly listless both times she falls ill / almost loses her family (S3, 5x09) so it seems that despite being very rare and accordingly isolationist, Archdragons don't tend to do well alone and without families (understandably).

But the verdict seemingly from at least 2/4ish known archdragons is that

In this way, the Archdragons' view of their quasi-immortality isn't that different from how Aaravos views his literal one:

The stars have never smiled upon their creations. This world was made by cruel, unfeeling hands. It is an instrument of pain, of torment. To exist within this world is to suffer. Even death is no reprieve.

So what about the characters who disagree to the point of doing terrible things so that they can exist forever?

Kpp'ar and Kim'Dael (Crafted Immortality)

Although there's only two characters in the "dark magic induced immortality" category, they paint two such completely different pictures that, in many ways, it shows the full spectrum of just how one can achieve an unnatural immortality.

On the one hand, we have Kim'Dael, who takes dark magic's canonically to its long believed natural conclusion of cannibalism. Kim'Dael takes parts (blood) from magical creatures (in this case, elves) and consumes it to enhance her own abilities and her livelihood. This doesn't always mean fully killing and draining someone, but often can (Bloodmoon Huntress) with multiple individuals / sometimes whole families at a time as she must experience semi-regular rejuvenation; it is unknown if she needs to eat or consume anything else in her day-to-day life.

Her magic use was also confirmed to be a form of dark magic in this interview:

the way that she does, is beyond primal magic. She’s found ways through dark magic to extend her primal moon powers. It’s very evil how she is able to do what she does and extend her life

Despite the dragons who don't have to work to be immortal being far more despondent about their long, long lives, it's not hard to think of reasons why Kim'Dael would want to be immortal. Death is a scary unknown, she (like Finnegrin) is out of tune with her primal knowingness on a fundamental level, and she can do so without harm to herself. Like most dark mages we've seen, her dark magic use requires using and taking from the people around her more, accordingly, than it's taking from her. She takes from others to give herself power: dark magic 101.

Kpp'Ar's search for immortality is way fucking weirder, IMO. It's not necessarily that dark mages, or dark magic, never uses the caster's body for spells. It inherently saps energy (hence the white streaks, nosebleeds, collapsing, etc) and drains life from the body; each spell harms the caster in at least a small way. It's also not like we've never seen a dark mage use their own body parts for a spell; Claudia uses and drinks her own blood mixed into the pentapus ink in 5x09, and Viren mutilates his own heart in 6x08 rather than use someone else's.

It's just, that if Kim'Dael has a way to chase immortality that does mean using somebody else's body... why on earth would you use your own?

It seems that before his change of heart, Kpp'Ar was experimenting with one of the darkest of all magics. A way of extending life. Indefinitely. A horrible and strange kind of immortality. The ancient and disturbing practice of self-eating.

Now, some of this may come down to access or skillset. Presumably Kim'Dael could drink human blood and use it for her spells, since the arcanum of the elf she's drinking from doesn't seem to matter. However, even if you can use human blood, Kpp'Ar at this point was older and used a cane (if we assume this was a later in life pursuit, and not over decades); he likely wasn't going to be able to kidnap and haul back anyone but children back to Puzzle House, and while we know he's willing to sacrifice children (6x06) it's not canonically clear if he's willing to use them.

Either way, we know Kpp'Ar was pursuing immortality as well as the location of the Garden of Innocents concurrently. We don't know if this was interrelated, but we do know that unicorns are connected to the Star arcanum, which is presumably what makes First Elves immortal-ish so... maybe? It's not clear why Kpp'Ar would want immortality in general, especially that type of immortality, for himself, but clearly there will be a reason. It could be that he wanted to transfer it to someone else (Soren) and gave up, but that's not fundamentally different than what Kim'Dael does, so... again: why himself?

(Arc 3 come home to me)

Cannot Die

Last but not least, we have Aaravos + the other First Elves in the 'cannot die' category, except when they can (Leola). I've written more before about how... odd the info surrounding what the Cosmic Council can and cannot do and what we may be missing, for lack of a better term. Quick rundown:

The Cosmic Council can execute Startouch elves. Aaravos did not have enough power to stop them. (*At the time of Leola's death, as things may have changed since then)

Aaravos seems to be utterly unconcerned that the Cosmic Council conceivably could, if they became aware of his actions, execute him in the same manner. Aaravos does not seem to care if they notice, given that he asks, "Are you watching?" in 7x08.

When Aaravos' mortal form (like the one Leola had/used on earth) is destroyed in 7x09, there are noticeable visual differences to the destruction of his daughter's.

Aaravos seems to want to bring the First Elves into "this world" as it is an instrument of pain that begets only suffering, and "I want them to suffer."

We also know that Aaravos believes the First Elves don't care about / love their creations at all, so destroying the earth can't be the endgame goal. We also know that something is keeping Aaravos from accessing/attacking them, otherwise he would've done so before being imprisoned.

Presumably, something in the interim has changed with either 1) Aaravos is no longer able to die or 2) He has found a way to be able to kill the other First Elves if they went after him, rather than the other way around. Potentially dark magic is the road to get there, or a form of ancient magic the First Elves tried to keep hidden that became the basis for dark magic.

Either way, we know that the First Elves are able to end an otherwise truly immortal being's existence permanently (at least so far) and that it's a power at one point Aaravos did/does not have. I'll be curious to see what we learn about all of this and self-eating in the future.

[accio-victuuri]

my thoughts on xz’s spring festival debut and loch 📝

“Every role leaves something in me or takes something away from me. The character of Guo Jing is very powerful. His perseverance and persistence subtly gave me a lot of support and faith later on.” - xiao zhan

just a few disclaimers before i start:

1. i’m a cpf. this is a cpf blog but i also identify as xz and wyb’s career fan. meaning i care about the impact of their works to the general public. i’m tagging this post with xiao zhan on it cause it’s mainly about him, but if you already hate cpfs, then save yourself the trouble and scroll along. if you still read this and wanna say something, do it on your own blog.

2. this is not the place to compare xz and wyb’s spring festival bo debuts. nor is this a place for conspiracies.

3. i haven’t watched loch. i am not well versed in the whole lore behind it.

okay, now i can start 😅😅😅

As soon as XZ was announced to play the role of Guo Jing in Tsui Hark’s new movie — we all knew that it’s a great opportunity and at the same time, a huge responsibility. Legend of The Condor Heroes is a beloved story/franchise with multiple remakes so this movie had to bring something fresh to the audience. Tsui Hark is a celebrated director, but it’s not a guarantee of excellent results. I’m personally not familiar with his works ( yep, cause i’m uncultured lol ) so at the time i was okay, cool. However, i trusted the people both fans and the public who had mostly good things to say.

It was also pretty obvious that this movie will be screened during Spring Festival. It’s a no brainer. A big IP and movie like this should be released during the biggest box office day in China.

You also have Xiao Zhan. The god of wealth. A traffic star who brings in the money and is a talented Actor. He also has a solid and dedicated fanbase.

However, to those of us who are familiar with how the SF box-office works, fans alone cannot sustain it. The key is to capture the General public’s favor to grow the numbers and to get more cinemas to screen your Movie during the SF holiday. They call it “word of mouth” — when people give good reviews, more people will be encouraged to give it a try. If you are someone on SF holiday, you can probably watch 1-2 ( 3 at most possibly ) movies from the lineup. So it’s critical that LOCH will come up as something you would wanna watch based on what you read online ( or offline ) even if it’s not your 1st choice. I was hoping LOCH fans will come in, but i was also afraid cause they will be the most critical. They know the source material, they possibly watched all the iterations, so they will be the toughest to please.

The showing came later than we anticipated but it was fine. Editing and all the special effects always take up most of the time anyway. ✨

Weeks before the holiday, Nezha 2 announced it was gonna join the Spring Festival line up. This alone was a sure bet that this movie was gonna dominate the Box Office. no question. It’s a popular character and a family-friendly film. A first choice kind of movie if you will. There’s also Fengshen Part II with it’s own set of fans and considering how big the first movie earned, you would think they were gonna come back for Part II.

LOCH still prevailed tho, The pre-sale numbers dominated 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

in reality, these are mostly fans. which is not a bad thing at all. having LOCH at the top of the pre sales creates a good buzz around it. if you are someone thinking of what to watch, and don’t know much about the line up, it would be good to pick the most anticipated film 🫶🏼

(this photo does not represent the final numbers before opening)

I wanna add too that this year’s promotion for SF movies is next level. They have really done well in making sure that the public knows what movies are out there for them to watch.

The first day for a movie like LOCH with a big pre-sale will show a small rise because people who wanna see it on Day 1 mostly have bought it already. It was still steady tho, It broke 14 box office records which is mostly for the martial arts genre ✨

There are also mostly positive reviews about XZ’s performance like this one ( i will share more on my blog as they come ) and critics. Which is fine. we know it’s not gonna be all praises anyway. One review that went high up on HS was from Nanfeng daily, which is more of a discussion on the story’s flaws. I won’t share it here anymore, but the article was talking about the weak plot and how the two leads having basically no chemistry. I also looked into this other blogger ( who is pretty consistent with reviews and not just one who popped up lately ) one which I think fairly described the shortcomings —-

The film adapted the content of chapters 34-40 of the original novel. It is a story about the integration of the martial arts world into the post-war world, involving the love line of Guo Jing and Huang Rong + the national war line + the martial arts line. The main part of the martial arts line is the previous situation before the 34th chapter, which is the foreshadowing of love and war. It can't be less, nor more. The question that needs to be considered here is how to explain so many martial arts stories before, flashbacks? Arrange information in the lines? Connect events and insert back? Or is there a more clever method?

As a result, The Legend of the Condor Heroes didn't think so much, and just went straight to the "PPT". The first hour was a long, fragmented and incomplete account of the story, and the two leading actors took turns to read the narration to tell the previous story. This is not called The Legend of the Condor Heroes, but "Reading most of The Legend of the Condor Heroes in x minutes".

This is not enough. I don't know if Tsui Hark is taking revenge on someone. It's already a PPT, and the two protagonists are reading letters to each other in the air, with narration superimposed on narration. The audience is like a class in the first half.

AGAIN. I haven’t watched the movie but I think, i get where this going. It seems to me that the screenwriter should have done better. Xiao Zhan can only do so much hard work and bring in talent, but if the story is all over the place, it’s gonna be hard to market to a random viewer.

As of writing, LOCH is on HS and the topic is about the supposed deleted scenes. Getting rid of those didn’t help the flow of the story obviously. There is a post going around that talks about that I will partly share below:

In the original script, Guo Jing's expedition to the west and return to the south are closely integrated. The complete character arcs of all the main characters in the movie, the Western Expedition is also in the film.

The film has spent a lot of effort and resources to visualize Wu Mu's will, war, and animals. The essence of the play, this entire section was taken away for review, and a lot of the plot needs to be reviewed later. The dubbing of the previous part continues, and some memories and inserts of the previous part are added. The broadcast becomes even more fragmented, resulting in incoherent plots.

Guo Jing experienced the suffering of all living beings in the war, and Huang Rong's role of leading the Beggars' Gang is gone, and the early adaptations make it even more miserable.

Some of the character arcs are incomplete.

Then it goes to talk about the cuts ( censorship ) caused by sensitive subjects that may cause diplomacy issues.

We still have a few more days for things to take a turn and I will update this blog for that. LOCH can also run even beyond this season and get more Box Office numbers. I have to admit this post i’m making is premature cause we are only days in, but by experience, the early days will usually tell you what’s gonna happen moving forward.

( as of writing, nezha leads with 1.5 billion and loch at 500 million )

A few more points:

• The film was promoted heavily around Tsui Hark being the director. It didn’t live up to expectations and this is why some negative reviews are coming. This is such a big production with lots of moving parts and it seems like it didn’t all fit. Some antis are saying that XZ fans are “blaming” again but this time i guess it’s valid. i’m not saying XZ was perfect either, i’m sure there is room for improvement but he can’t fix the story.

• 🍤🍤🍤 were too confident. it’s not a secret that I have no love for these sea creatures but they were boasting a lot. AND NOW HERE WE ARE.

this has always been my frustration. the karma is getting them. but is also directly affecting XZ who worked hard on this film. who didn’t tell them to do these nasty things. i also see people who wouldn’t even consider LOCH cause at some point 🍤🍤🍤 were rude to their bias before.

it’s like, people wanna see the 🍤 fandom fail. not xz. just the nasty 🍤🍤🍤 who offended a lot of people online at some point.

my god. they really don’t deserve XZ 😭😭😭😭

• the issue of unfair screening times and slots are also being brought up by fans. all i have to say is, welcome to the spring festival clownery. welcome to the movie world, you all must be new here. it doesn’t mean people can’t complain and be frustrated. what i’m saying is LOCH isn’t the first movie to experience this. it happens every year. it happens every big film holiday. this is not the land of dramas where streaming and rating works. Movies are different. if there is anything I learned, it’s more vicious.

• some are also complaining about cinemas refunding their tickets saying there is technical issues. only to find out that they are replacing the showing for a different movie. this is so shady 💀 but again, it’s all about the money. T___T

• the theme of the movie is also not popular at the moment. TH was saying it’s time to bring back films & stories like this again. I found this article that explains my point:

Jin Yong is an idol of previous generations. In their eyes, he has gradually become a tall but distant statue. Tsui Hark's embrace of Jin Yong's IP again is an outlet for the film market to seek a breakthrough in the predicament. He tried to add mainstreaming, genre innovation, traffic stars and other means to revitalize Jin Yong's IP. There is a logical component, but there is also the possibility of success and risk.

The younger generation of audiences who are not Jin Yong fans have not actually broken off their understanding of the martial arts spirit, but they have chosen new works as carriers. For example, the audio novel "Snow Sword" labeled as "martial arts novel" has been played 2.92 billion times on a certain platform, which is far more than the number of audio books of Jin Yong's works. To some extent, the "traditional chivalry" written by Jin Yong is quite different from the "cool martial arts" that the new audience likes, which combines magic, games, and VR.

In fact, from the pre-sale results to the current box office results, it can be seen that the market and the audience still have high expectations and sufficient space for martial arts themes. The altruistic spirit and noble character naturally carried by the martial arts spirit will still make young people curious and have a strong desire to follow and imitate. For the filmmakers, the difficulty of the creative challenge is far greater than the market opportunity-the care and empathy for individual growth, the assumption of social responsibility, etc., still need the work to provide a new interpretation.

After Jin Yong passed away, someone said, "It's not the end of an era, it's the beginning of an era." What this sentence means is that the spirit of martial arts will never become obsolete, but it needs to be updated from time to time. In addition to constantly exploring new forms of expression of martial arts, we must also strive to find new soil for the spirit of martial arts to land. Only in this way can the spirit of martial arts remain high and vigorous in the hearts of generations.

• the goal for xz ( and wyb ) is to be popular and liked by the general public. having a solid solo fandom definitely has it perks but situations like this — they should have a good reputation. the movie/drama must also be exceptional for it to “get out of the circle”. a movie they make should not be “a movie for fans” but for everyone to enjoy.

Let me wrap this up with some good news tho, because international fans can make a difference. To the countries that are going to have screenings, you can contribute by watching and sharing your reviews! 💕 it’s the essence of fandom, to enjoy the content and be happy with the experience. it’s too easy to get caught up with the competitive nature of the SF movie season cause it’s a favorite topic on weibo, but it’s better to celebrate Xiao Zhan’s Spring Festival Movie debut 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I have absolute faith in XZ’s strength as an actor and that time will tell us the truth. right now, the black propaganda is strong cause they have to manipulate public opinion really quick ( i’m not saying all negative reviews are antis but you know what i mean & viewers are expected to be extra critical of XZ cause of how famous he is! ). His talent will shine through. He will have more movies/dramas that are gonna be better than this and we are here to support him. Box-office numbers is not the measure of XZ’s success in playing Guo Jing. I haven’t seen it but knowing XZ’s care for the characters he plays, seeing the training he went through — he did him justice.

-END.

[ashleyrosereads]

Sun Shower - Ch. 1

a Ridoc x fem reader fanfiction

I know I'm not the only one obsessed with Ridoc after Onyx Storm so I putting all my passion into a Ridoc x reader fanfiction that I hope you enjoy! also eventually this will be 18+ just be patient

The chiming of the bell announces eight o'clock, it's time.

The ringing strikes my ears and throughout my entire body as I move toward the line forming for the riders quadrant, chancing a look at the northern turret. The direction I should be heading in.

I keep my hands from fidgeting, as I wait in the long line. Fidgeting shows nerves. Shows weakness. I will not be making myself a target on day one. Heather told me everything I needed to know for the impending day. Showing nerves on day one was an easy tell of a weak cadet, she said. I trusted every word of wisdom she gave me over the summer, she has been the only girl in our village who lived to tell the tale of the riders quadrant in many years. Even if I didn't trust the information she gave me, it was the only information I had. So I clung to it with every fiber of me being.

I kept my hands on the straps of my pack as I waited, watching the world around me continue to move. There was a breeze in the air, and it was sunny for now. The darkening clouds on the horizon didn't calm any of my nerves though. I could only hope I would get across the parapet before any kind of storm hit.

A strangled sob came from my left. A mother was crying in a man's arms as her child walked into the line. Other families were scattered around clinging to their candidates. Some are sending them off with smiles while others it’s with tears hugging their cheeks. Just like her.

I couldn't help but feel utterly alone in that moment.

Of my own fault though. My dad begged to be here and see me off. But he didn’t need to see me openly defying the lifelong legacy of our healer family to become a rider. It’s better he’s in the dark, then the stress of daily life won’t become harder wondering if his daughter could die at any moment.

He would understand why, but it would still kill him knowing what I’m doing every day. Even knowing I’m doing it for mom. After her death, we'd both been inconsolable. He buried himself in the farm. And the more I thought about Basgiath, the more I couldn’t stand being in the sidelines healing. I want revenge. And I plan on getting it. So I buried myself in training.

The line continues to move and I leave my hands on the straps of my pack to hold me steady. The weight of my backpack is light, but once I get to the front of the line it feels as if I filled it with boulders as I bend over and write my name on the blank sheet before being guided into the door of the turret.

The bright light from the outside dimmed automatically in the dark column of stone. There wasn't a window in sight in the spiraling stairwell leading to the parapet above. I continued forward until I reached the cadet in front of me, about ten steps up.

He seemed to be chatting away with the guy in front of him. He wasn't the only one as there was a muttered chatter that drowned out what anyone was actually saying. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but chatter wasn't it. I assumed it would be quiet, foreboding maybe? How could anyone have light conversation at a time like this. I can’t help but keep moving forward, breathing through the nerves and closely watching each step so I don’t have to fall to a deadly fate too early.

The lack of windows mixed in with the heavy breaths of those surrounding me made for a taxing climb. The walls felt as if they were closing in, not knowing if the staircase was actually getting thinner or the anxiety of what I was doing was catching up to me.

I went to take a step, looking too closely at the stair under my foot and not in front of me. I didn't realize the line had stopped moving and walked right into the candidate in front of me. Almost causing a domino effect of tripping, if he hadn’t so smoothly caught himself on the wall of stone. The man turned toward me, his dark eyebrow lifted hiding behind his curly black hair that hung over his bronze forehead. He crossed his arms, showing off his bulging muscles.

Did all riders look like... this?

“Well hello” his sure voice purrs. “Trying to get rid of the competition early?” He says with a lilting voice.

I froze for a moment. Not sure what to say to that...Joke? “No. Just not paying attention. Sorry about that” I answer. He shrugs it off.

“No harm, good last minute balance practice” his smile hasn’t faltered, as he waited for her to do something, say something. What was I supposed to say to that? “Ridoc” he adds, holding out a hand.

“I'm not interested in making friends” I try to snap. The last thing I need is to be getting attached to anyone on the first day of death camp.

“What about the benefits?” He asks, making me scoff. What is this guy on to make him so damn lighthearted walking into the most dangerous quadrant in existence.

The line moves and he takes a step up backwards, not glancing behind him. No hand on the wall, nothing.

My confidence that he will make it across seems more sure than my own.

“You setting up your conquests already?” I ask because, well honestly, maybe the other people have a point. As the light toward the top of the turret brightens a distraction is alleviating.

“Well I’m looking to celebrate tonight, this guy here’s not interested” he gestures his head toward the blonde guy in front of him who doesn’t acknowledge the exchange.

“How unfortunate for you.” If I had this guys confidence I’d rule the world.

“Well it doesn’t have to be.” He winks. I can’t help but laugh. In the eye of death this man is cracking jokes.

I can hear the front of the line now. People giving their names before crossing and shouting outside. Is that rain too? Oh shit.

“So my room or yours tonight?” He leans against the stone wall, crossing his legs.

“We don’t get rooms until after threshing” I correct him. Heather told me that. She also told me not to get distracted by advances until after threshing, not only because then I'll have my own room but also because if someone distracts me then they can easily stab me in the back. Literally.

“Right right.” He bites his lip, contemplating “we will just have to find a nice broom cupboard then. I’m sure there’s plenty.”

“You are-“

“I know, irresistible.” I’m struck silent. Something is what I was going to say but I don’t find it in me to continue as we’re only a few people from the front. He goes to turn around but peaks back over his shoulder.

“You want to skip me in line?” He asks pointing at the spot in front of him.

“Why so you can push me off as punishment for almost getting you killed before parapet?” I ask, feeling my brow raising in question. I didn't realize it was possible for his smile to widen.

“No, there was no almost killing. You’ll have to be more inventive than tripping me on a staircase if that's your goal. I was thinking that if I follow you to the other side I’ll have more motivation to get there so I can start scoping out those cupboards.”

I let out another scoffing laugh. “Your impending death isn’t enough?”

“Not when you’re the other option” he winks.

“Name” the cadet barks from the entrance. Ridoc turns his head to the cadet. There were two there one taking names and another brooding by the opening.

And my gods they do all look like him.

“Ridoc Gamlyn” he says and the cadet scribbles the name.

“Alright. Go on.” He jerks his head to the exit of the turret. Ridoc turns one more time.

"See you on the other side Beautiful" He says before strutting out onto the parapet. The weather had worsened, there was a small spot of sun light in the dark clouds but not enough. Luckily the rain was only a slight drizzle and the wind didn't sound too relentless but making it across was still going to be a feat.

"Name" Barked the cadet, this time to me.

"Y/N Y/L/N" He scribbles it, barely looking over the parchment before waving me off.

"You're next."

[sprunkimortality]

[Ciqu had been waiting at the Law Office for a while now. His synthetic eyes stared down at the floor, but he wasn't really looking at it. No, his mind was elsewhere, somewhere he didn't want it to be.

He raised his paws to his face. He moved his fingers. He noticed the slight whirrs that came with moving anything on his body. They were silent, but now he could hear them clear as day. And it wasn't a sound he liked to hear. Sprunkies aren't supposed to whirr. But he isn't a Sprunki, is he? He's already realized it. He's no organic being. He's accepted it, hasn't he?

But why, then, did it still feel so strange?]

"Howdy, Ciq!"

[The familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He perked up, turning towards the door. It was Sheriff Tunner. He always appeared much more relaxed, almost tired in the evenings.]

Ciqu: "Sheriff."

[He heard himself speak, his own voice leaving a strange feeling in his mouth. He had just realized how strange he really sounds, compared to Tunner, who spoke so normally. So realistically.]

Tunner: "So, y' wanted to talk 'bout somethin'?"

Ciqu: "...yes."

[Ciqu headed over to the front desk, facing Tunner with an expressionless face. Tunner looked back, a warm smile plastered on his.]

Ciqu: "...so. I got myself examined."

Tunner: "Examined?"

Ciqu: "I had my programming looked at. I figured that I should...learn more about myself."

Tunner: "Aw, that's real nice! Good on ya fer takin' that step."

[Ciqu's gaze turned downwards.]

Ciqu: "You don't think that's strange?"

Tunner: "Er, no. Not really. Ain't nothin' wrong with figurin' yerself out."

Ciqu: "But...I'm a robot, Sheriff."

Tunner: "And? What difference does it make, pardner? We all learn somethin' new 'bout ourselves."

Ciqu: "...not to this magnitude, however."

Tunner: "Well, yeah. Usually not. But y'know...life's like a journey on a road that's within ya. We all got different roads. Some're rocky, real rocky. Some're smooth. Some of us got dusty roads."

Ciqu: "...I don't follow."

[Tunner chuckles.]

Tunner: "That's awright. But m' point is...we all got our own struggles. But all of them are valid struggles. Big, small, whatever. Yer dealin' with 'em. We're all dealin' with 'em."

Ciqu: "...even you?"

Tunner: "Even me!"

Ciqu: "I find it hard to believe."

Tunner: "Hah, why so?"

Ciqu: "You're perfect."

[Upon hearing that, Tunner stiffened. He looked towards Ciqu, his eyes widened a little in surprise.]

Tunner: "...pardon-?"

Ciqu: "You're perfect, James. You are approachable. Friendly. You smile, and people smile back. You do things...strangely, yet, effectively. Perhaps more effectively than I do.

You fit the title Sheriff of Smalltowne. This town, with friendship as its foundation. You are...a great friend. I don't...like to think that someone like you has...unflattering moments."

[Tunner processed those words for a while, his mouth somewhat opened. Quickly, he then closed his jaw, shaking his head.]

Tunner: "A-Ah, well, I'm flattered ta' hear that! Really, I am. But I ain't perfect, Ciq. I have my own issues, my own flaws, my own moments o' sufferin'. I just...I guess it ain't very obvious when ya first look at me. But Ciq, remember. We are a team."

[He held out his paw, holding Ciqu's with a gentle squeeze.]

Tunner: "I can't do this job on my own, and I reckon y' can't, either. We balance each other, bounce offa each other. Runnin' this town's a two-Sprunki job. S-See, there are things I can't handle that you can, Ciqu. And there are things y' can't do that I can help with. And...and that's okay."

Ciqu: "...I still think you're perfect."

[Tunner's gills fluttered at that.]

Tunner: "Heh, I...I really ain't, Ciq."

Ciqu: "I don't lie when I say that, James. You are perfect. Perhaps you don't see it, but I see that you are...everything that anyone could ever need."

Tunner: "Ciq, ya flatterer. It's too late in th' evenin' fer this."

Ciqu: "I don't care. I will say it for as much as I need to. James Tunner, you are perfection."

Tunner: "Aw, stop it."

[Tunner squeezed Ciqu's paws one more time before pulling away, dusting at himself.]

Tunner: "Nobody's perfect. Not even me. But...thank you fer thinkin' that, I suppose."

Ciqu: "Can I take your picture?"

Tunner: "...eh?"

Ciqu: "In my evaluation, I discovered that my eyes are cameras. I can take photos and videos. But I don't wish to violate your right to privacy. So I am asking. Can I take your picture for documentation purposes?"

Tunner: "Camera eyes, eh? Well, ain't that nifty. Er...awright, then! I guess you can take a pic. Just...don't post it or anythin'. I ain't lookin' my best right now-"

[Click.

It happened so fast, Tunner barely had the time to process it.]

Ciqu: "Thank you."

Tunner: "...er- y' coulda given me the chance t' pose, pardner! Heheh!"

Ciqu: "I see no need for that. I understand that you must be on your way."

Tunner: "O-Oh, yeah. Well, uh, thank you fer remindin' me. Er...have a g'night."

[Tunner tipped his hat at him, before he promptly left the Office, hands folded behind him in contemplation.]

Ciqu: "Thank you for coming, friend."

[Tunner's steps halted.]

Tunner: "...no problem, pardner."

[And with that, he was gone.

Ciqu remained where he was for the time being. He turned to the shelves, eyeing the misaligned folders with a meticulous gaze. He reached his paws over and started organizing the folders, flipping through each group, sorting them chronologically.

All the while, the picture he took of Tunner remained in his mind.]

Ciqu: "...I really don't deserve to have him as a friend."

[steveseddie]

‘cause it’s you and me

rating: g | cw: none | wc: 1,9 k | tags: eddie lives, hospitals and injury recovery, steve has a crush, he also knows how to play guitar, fluff

written for @steddielovemonth day one | You and Me by Lifehouse & the quote “every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”

read on ao3

Steve doesn’t know how much time he’s spent on the chair that is next to Eddie’s hospital bed.

Too long probably, if the recurrent pain on his back means anything. But not even that is enough to prevent Steve from staying glued to that chair, neither are the doctor’s mean looks or Robin’s insistence about him getting proper sleep or meals for that matter. Steve only leaves the chair when he has a shift or when he wants Wayne to have time alone with his nephew or when the nurses wheel Eddie away for surgery or tests or physical therapy. That’s it.

It makes the months that Eddie spends recovering blur together. Sometimes, Steve even forgets what day it is, only managing to keep track of it by the nurse’s schedule or depending on who shows up to visit Eddie. The kids and Wayne and Robin all come on different days, effectively balancing keeping their friend company with their everyday lives.

All of them except Steve.

Ever since Spring Break, it’s been Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

Find Eddie. Get Eddie’s heart beating again. Drag Eddie out of the Upside Down. Pray that Eddie makes it out of surgery. Wait for Eddie to wake up. Comfort Eddie when he’s in pain. Take Eddie’s mind off of the murder charges that haven’t been dropped yet or the loss of their trailer or the long hours of physical therapy ahead of him. Listen to Eddie ramble on the days that he feels better about books and music and Dungeons and Dragons. Watch Eddie sleep and only then try to get a little sleep himself.

The last one might sound a little creepy but Steve thinks it’s justified considering he still can’t forget how Eddie looked when they found him– pale, bloody, dead. Watching him sleep, his chest rising and falling slowly but steadily is the only thing that calms Steve enough for him to doze off in that damn uncomfortable chair.

Only at some point it stops being entirely about making sure that Eddie is alive– the staring. Suddenly, Steve can’t keep his eyes off of Eddie at all times.

Steve stares at his face while Eddie reads a book to him out loud and forgets to pay attention to what he’s saying. He stares at Eddie’s hands while he explains something to the kids and completely miss a question from Henderson. He stares at his mouth while Eddie slurps the extra jello cup that Robin sneaked in past the nurses and blush when she catches him and smirks knowingly at him.

It takes Steve some time to figure out why he looks at Eddie so much, obvious as it is, and when he finally does he actually leaves his chair and heads to the bathroom for a proper floor freak out.

He just doesn’t know what to do with these feelings for Eddie or where to go from there so he just– doesn’t do anything.

And things stay the same.

Except for the way Eddie keeps getting better.

The doctors are so optimistic that they announce that Eddie might get to go home soon. They have him doing laps around the hospital and start slowly tapering off his pain meds and encouraging him to pick back up things he used to do like writing and playing guitar to work on his dexterity, they said.

It’s why Eddie starts writing down plans and ideas for future dork campaigns again and why Wayne brings his sweetheart to the hospital.

(Eddie almost cried when he saw it, making grabby hands and hugging it against his chest with a happy sigh.

“I swear you’re happier to see that thing more than you’ve ever been to see me,” Steve muttered through pursed lips.

“Steve, don’t call her a thing! She can hear you!” Eddie protested, appalled. Which wasn’t a no but at least later he tells Steve that there’s enough room in his heart for two sweethearts.)

It’s not like Eddie goes back to being a rock god on the guitar right away and his writing is intelligible more often than not, but none of that stops him. He keeps trying, keeps practicing, and Steve loves him more and more for it.

Yes. Love. The first time the word pops up in Steve’s head it leads to yet another bathroom floor freak out but once he realizes it, he has to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting it out several times a day.

He’s doing it right now while watching Eddie excitedly write down a D&D character sheet for him with his tongue poking out adorably between his lips, tempting Steve to lean in and kiss them. So when a nurse interrupts them to take Eddie away for some test, he appreciates the short break.

When he’s alone, Steve reaches for the notebook that Eddie left on the bed. It’s off limits for any of the kids, but Eddie has let Steve peek at it before. He doesn’t think he’ll mind.

He reads his character sheet, recognizing some of the nerdy words while others fly completely over his head. Then he leafs lazily through pages of notes and doodles until he pauses at what looks like an unfinished song, fragments of lyrics and melodies written messily over the page.

Steve sends a sidelong glance to Eddie’s guitar where it’s leaning against the wall.

He’s never told anyone but he took some guitar lessons back when he started high school, hoping that playing an instrument would help get him girls. He knows how to read music and can fumble his way through a few simple songs, but he never made it past that. It seemed useless when he already had Nancy, and then when he didn’t have her anymore, he had the kids and the Upside Down and playing guitar didn’t seem like a useful skill to have when fighting monsters.

He chuckles. “Guess I was wrong,” he mutters to himself, thinking about Eddie saving the world with a Metallica song of all things.

Without giving it much thought, Steve stands up and carefully grabs the guitar, bringing it back with him to the chair and resting it on his leg, Eddie’s notebook open on the bed in front of him.

He clumsily places his fingers on the fretboard and tries to play the melody that Eddie wrote down. He messes up a few notes, but for someone who hasn’t touched a guitar in years he thinks he plays it decently enough. Eddie would surely do a better job, but it still doesn’t sound half bad. Maybe he can ask Eddie for help to improve and–

“What are you doing?” Eddie’s voice breaks through the melody. His fingers slip and the guitar makes a loud, screechy sound that makes Steve wince.

He whirls around and finds Eddie staring at him from the door, his face unreadable.

Steve gulps, his cheeks pinking up at being caught. “Playing guitar?”

Eddie’s eyebrows knit together. “Since when do you know how?”

“I– uh, I took lessons years ago but I stopped,” he says, tripping on his words. “I– I found your– your song and I was trying to play it–”

Eddie’s eyes dart to the notebook on the bed. Steve winces again, worrying that Eddie will get mad because he went through his things or because he touched his sweetheart.

“That sounds nothing like what I wrote.”

Or because he butchered his song.

Steve blushes brighter, reaching for the notebook and fumbling to close it. “Sorry, I– it’s been a while and I was never that good to begin with.”

With three long strides –and a lot less limping than a month ago, Steve proudly notices– Eddie reaches his side and snatches the notebook from Steve’s hands.

“Give me that!” He says, flopping down on the bed and flicking furiously through the pages, his face pinched.

“Shit, Eddie, I’m sorry, I– I didn’t think you’d be mad–”

“You bet I’m mad!” Eddie says with a huff, patting the bed sheets, trying to find something.

Steve shrinks down on the chair. “I– I think I’m gonna go–” he says, pushing himself to his feet. Better to leave now before Eddie finds whatever he’s looking for and throws it at his head.

“Aha!” Eddie gasps, holding up his pen. Then he notices Steve standing awkwardly and frowns at him. “Wait, what? No, stay. Play it again.”

Steve blinks down at him. “What?”

“The song!” Eddie urges him but his voice is soft, gentle. “Play it again, Stevie, please.”

Stevie. Please. He’s not mad.

“What?”

Eddie heaves out a sigh, but it comes across as fond. “Dude, I’ve been trying to figure out the right melody for that song for like, half a year!” He says, shaking his notebook aggressively. A few pages fall off, but he pays them no mind. “But I just couldn’t get it fucking right, there was always something missing! And it was whatever you were doing when I walked in!”

“So you’re not mad at me?”

“Not at you, Stevie, no,” Eddie chuckles. “Just mad that it was you who figured it out with your secret magic guitar skills and not me.”

“Oh,” Steve says, and he can’t help but let out a chuckle himself. “So you want me to do it again?”

Eddie nods enthusiastically and that’s enough to make Steve flop back down on the chair, propping the guitar on his legs and doing his best to play the song like he did before.

He must get it right because Eddie lets out an adorable squeal before using his pen to cross out something and write down whatever Steve accidentally came up with.

“Goddamn, sweetheart, I’m gonna have to dedicate this song to you now as a thank you,” Eddie says, grinning so wide at his notebook that it shows off his dimples.

Steve hangs a hand from his neck. It feels hot to the touch, probably from the pet name. “Too bad it’s a love song,” he jokes weakly, even if he wants nothing more than for Eddie’s words to be about him.

Eddie glances up, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. “I know,” he says softly, his eyes flickering nervously over Steve’s face.

Oh. Oh.

Stomach fluttering with butterflies, Steve stands up, grabbing the guitar by its neck to prop it up against the wall.

“Uh, you– are you leaving?” Eddie asks, chewing anxiously on his pen as he watches Steve move around silently. Little does he know that his heart is currently screaming at him to gently tackle Eddie into the bed.

But first–

“Just making sure your guitar is safe before I go over there and kiss you, Eds,” he says, the corners of his mouth ticking up when Eddie squeaks again, his eyes widening.

“Oh, o–okay. That’s smart. Yup,” he stammers out, his voice an octave higher, his cheeks pinking up. “Does that mean you also–”

“Feel that way about you?” Steve asks, sitting on the bed next to Eddie, who nods expectantly. Steve reaches out and tucks a lock of hair behind his ear. “Yeah, Eddie, I do.”

When Steve leans in and finally, finally kisses him, Eddie lets his notebook fall to the floor so he can grab Steve’s shoulders. The urgency to write down that perfect melody now replaced by an urgency for Steve.

But it doesn’t matter, Steve thinks that melody is now seared into both of their memories forever, as is their first kiss. The first of many.

[megpricephotography]

For those who're following Flynn's health problems… update is below the cut. Not a great one, sadly.

We went back to the vets on Fri 31st Jan. Flynn had been on his new medicine - telmisartan - for 2 weeks. He's taking it in an effort to reduce the "leakiness" of his remaining kidney. I'd collected a sample for urinalysis a couple of days prior & we got blood taken on the day. Vet spoke to me Sat morning.

I'll start with the positives. Flynn's weight is still good. Actually, at any other time, I'd say he was actively too chubby but I've been intentionally stuffing his face with as much kidney-safe food as he'll eat & it's good he's heavy & good he's managed to gain a bit. As for blood work - Flynn's blood count is good, he isn't anaemic (a worry), electrolytes are normal.

However.

Urinalysis… unfortunately, Flynn's protein loss in his pee is sky high & still maxing out their machine. I wasn't shocked by this result, as telmisartan can take a bit of time to fully work & have an effect… & Flynn's only on a 1/2 dose for his weight. Still, I was obviously hoping for better news. I wish we could at least tell if we're heading in the right direction or not.

Blood work. Urgh. Sadly Flynn's now in Stage 2 of Chronic Kidney Disease. Technically, Stage 2 CKD is considered relatively "mild" & often manageable for a considerable length of time. The worry though, is that Flynn's kidney function seems to be deteriorating pretty fast. From what I've read, this isn't uncommon in dogs who've had high protein levels in their urine, plus, again: Flynn is down 1 kidney… Also, we're already doing what we can to support his kidney, & currently it doesn't seem to be helping much, if at all. Vet's previously said he fears Flynn's kidney has just sort of... reached the limit of what it can cope with.

For now, we're keeping Flynn on a 1/2 dose of telmisartan. Yes, we could increase it but telmisartan can cause side-effects (we're seeing some), including even kidney damage (tbh, I am worried it may be harming not helping… but then again, Flynn has seemed better able to keep weight on since taking meds so, who knows). Vet & I are concerned a full dose could be too much for Flynn to tolerate. We'll monitor, may increase the dose… may take him off it entirely. We are going to add a phosphate binder to his food, which can help maintain kidney function. Flynn's been on a renal diet for 18+ months. Some dogs with his symptoms are put on immunosuppressants, but my vet hasn't brought it up as an option & tbh, I'd be concerned about potential side-effects, although I may look into it more.

As for Flynn… eh, he's OK, for now… mostly, I think? He's sweet & wanting gentle pats, so I don't think he's hugely sore, or distressed. He's feeling sick at times (picky about food) but not sure if it's telmisartan or kidney disease. He's definitely tired & quiet & wanting to be home, warm. That's fine. We get out once or twice a day for a short walk, & he still seems interested in things. I've pulled old Barney's buggy out & started encouraging Flynn to hop in, for if/when he's at a point of wanting to go out but not walk far at all. Obviously, I am still very much trying to hold onto hope we can get him stabilised & keep him happy for some time to come but gosh it's hard & I am struggling to be overly optimistic. I guess all we can do is take each day as it comes.

Sorry for the long read, partly this is for me... I find it helps writing stuff down. Hug your dogs, guys & please think good thoughts for Flynnie.

[mwahbabe]

feed us more loser!chloe IM STARVING

☆ porn star ☆

pairing: chloe price x fem reader

warnings! : smut, drug use(r!&c!) masturbation, voyeurism (r!)exhibitionism(c!), squirting, sub! chloe, dom! reader, loser! chloe, confident! reader, you squirt on chloe’s face because you’re a bad bitch like that:P

a/n: need that. also this is set in 2013 bc why the hell not.

it was one of your usual date nights with your girlfriend, only this time you two had decided to chill down and not go out and cause havic. at least for now.

both of you were cuddled up in her bed watching one of her dvds, after showering together, chloe claiming it saved water. not because she wanted to see your pretty body all soapy and wet nooooot at all. the show that was playing was some weird 80s show with bad acting, though it was funny and entertaining to the two of you in your hazy minds.

chloes arms were wrapped around you, her chin resting on the top of your head as she made occasional snarky comments about the show you two were watching.

"can you believe this bullshit?" she said with a scoff, rolling her eyes at a particularly ridiculous plotline. “so bad.” you agreed as you sipped your gatorade she had bought you through a straw. she chuckled, shaking her head in agreement. “c’mon that’s clearly a green screen” she quipped, her eyes still glued to the screen.

as she spoke, her hand idly traced lazy circles across your bare skin, the contact casual but affectionate. she snuggled closer to you, her body fitting against yours effortlessly. you gave a small laugh at her commentary. “the 80s were a weird time.” she nodded in agreement again, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “you said it. so many weird fashion choices, even weirder music.”

she idly began to twirl a lock of your hair around her finger as she continued to watch the show. “not to mention the terrible special effects.” you nodded slowly as you watched before you got an idea in your little brain.

“oh my god. we need to watch these high.” you piped up. chloes eyebrow raised at your suggestion, a wide grin spreading across her face. “now that’s a good idea,” she said, her voice tinged with excitement.

she reached for the remote and hit pause on the show, turning to look at you with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “i’ll roll us a joint while you pick out something else to watch.” you half groaned dramatically as you now had to get up out of your cozy cocoon with her. “can you use those mango flavoured papers?” you asked as you went into her messy disarray of dvds by the tv. one of your favourite flavours of course.

“yeah yeah princess. .” she gave a playful jab as she reached down on the floor next to her side to grab yours and her stash. while you were sifting through her collection, she found your mango papers with the green gold and her trusty grinder.

after grinding the weed and rolling a joint, she focused her attention back on you.

“found anything babe?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

“didn’t expect you to have this.” you giggled holding up ‘keeping up with the kardashions season one and two’

her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she saw what you were holding, followed by a loud snort of laughter. “I forgot I even owned those!” she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. “damn, I can’t believe you want to watch that garbage.”

despite her words, her tone was amused and she was clearly not against watching it with you. you gave her a scoff as you opened the case “then why did you buy it?!”She chuckled again, looking a little sheepish as she fumbled for a response. “i don’t know, i think i was just really bored one day and wanted something to mock.”

she shifted a bit closer to you, the joint hanging loosely from her lips as she spoke. “but hey, if you want to watch it, I’m down. it’ll be hilarious when we’re stoned.” “hells yeah it will babe” you said as you wiped the dvd off on your shirt. chloe chuckled in agreement, taking a quick hit from the joint before passing it to you. “okay then, let’s do this.”

she took the dvd from your hands and put it in the player, then settled back against the pillows next to you. “ready to watch a bunch of rich assholes be ridiculous?” she smirked. “absolutely.” with the dvd playing and the joint being passed back and forth between you, the room began to fill with a hazy cloud of smoke.

chloe chuckled as the show began, rolling her eyes at the antics on the screen. “jesus christ, these people have no shame.” she commented, shaking her head. you took a deep inhale and then exhaled coughing a bit. “have you seen kim’s sex tape?” she snickered at your question, taking the joint to take a hit herself. “who hasn’t at this point?” she retorted with a smirk, shaking her head in disbelief.

“but yeah, it’s something I wish I could un-see, to be honest.” “eh.. it was pretty tame.” you shrugged. “i definitely noticed that molly jaw twitch kim had.” you chuckled. “tame or not, it was still cringey as hell.” she chuckled. “and yeah, I remember that too. chick was definitely high off something.”

she passed the joint back to you, her gaze returning to the tv where kim and her sisters were arguing about something or other. “when is straight porn not cringey?” you took the joint back and inhaled “good point.” she conceded with a smirk, watching as you took a hit. “i never understood the appeal of it, to be honest. give me a girl on girl scene any day over that crap.” you gave her a quick nod of agreement “oh yeah. or just solo content. it’s way better.” you shrugged. she chuckled, nodding her agreement as she reached forward to grab the tv remote and turn up the volume. “damn right. Nothing better than watching a girl get herself off.

“yeah?” you turn to look at her, a curious look on your face.

her gaze flicked over to you, a sly smirk on her face as she noticed the slight change in your tone. her eyes visibly switched as she replied, you had her attention now. her voice lowering just a fraction.

“yeah."

“is that a request?” you passed her back the joint. a low, rumbling chuckle left her lips as she took the joint from you and took another hit. "depends." she said, her tone deliberately baiting.

"are you offering?"

your eyes glanced down over her before coming back to her face. “for you? always.” you were always eager to please her yes, but you also liked to please you. something you and chloe had in common. her smirk grew even wider at your response, her blue eyes darkened with a mixture of lust and affection.

"good answer." she said, her voice a low, silky murmur. She passed the joint back to you, her other hand already straying to run over your thigh, squeezing it gently.

"prove it hotstuff."

“you’re on babe.” you playfully rolled your eyes grinning and sat up to remove what little clothes you had on and sat back with your thighs spread as the show played in the background. your pretty brown/pink pussy already slick just from being around her, plus the weed. her gaze slowly raked up and down the newly exposed flesh, her green eyes darkening further as they took in every inch of you. she bit her lip, clearly appreciating every curve of your body.

she moved even closer to you, her hands roaming freely over your skin as she watched you hungrily. "jesus babe… you’re a work of fucking art. could look at you all day." she murmured, her voice thick with desire. “i know.” you teased as you gently drew circles on your swollen clit and just felt yourself up gathering the wetness. “fuck.. look at that.” you laughed as you spread your middle and index finger seeing just how wet you were. her eyes darkened even further at the sight of you playing with yourself, her breaths coming just a little more ragged than before. “you’re killing me y/n.”

“good.” you giggled as you kept moving your fingers slowly. up, down, around circling. letting out little sounds here and there she couldn't tear her eyes away from watching you touch yourself, her breaths coming out in little pants as her own arousal grew.

"you can't just make those noises and expect me not to kiss you stupid." she breathed, leaning over to capture your lips in a hungry, messy kiss. you giggled against her lips and gave the same effort into the kiss before focusing back on yourself. chloe tried to follow you down as you refocused on yourself, a small whine leaving her lips as she nipped at your neck in search of more kisses.

"you’re so damn hot." she muttered, her hands still roaming over your body, lingering at various spots as if she couldn't decide where she wanted to touch most. “thankyou you have good taste.” you said before inhaling sharply as you put one, then two fingers in "damn right." she agreed, her eyes fixed on the action between your legs. she shifted closer again, her hand slipping along the inside of your thigh, making a small needy sound as she watched.

“want some help there, princess?" she murmured, her tone suggestive.

nuh uh. you said you wanna watch me get myself off.” i teased.

hearing your girlfriends huff you rolled your eyes. she was so greedy. so cute. “here.” you pulled your fingers out putting them to her mouth offering. her eyes darkened even further, a small shiver running through her at your words and the sight of your fingers coming to her mouth.

“you’re a goddamn tease, you know that?" she grumbled.

without further prompting, she parted her lips, wrapping them around your fingers with a little moan as she began to suck on them. “you wanted this. no take backsies.” you chuckled and once she got your fingers wet you took them out and put them back in your cunt. she let out a small whine of frustration as you took your fingers back from her mouth, her eyes following them as they returned to your cunt.

she watched you silently, her breathing coming in soft, ragged pants that told you how turned on she was.

“god damn, you're really just going for it, huh?" she said with an exhale of laughter, shifting a little closer to you once again."don’t think I'm gonna be able to keep myself from touching you for too long babe."

you grinned at her letting out another giggle. “well too bad.”

she mock-scowled at you, feigning annoyance with a small pout of her lips before giving up the act with a low rumble of a chuckle.

"you’re mean, you know that babe?" she muttered, shifting ever closer to you again. “uh huh.” chloe loved saying that when you didn’t give her what she wanted, when you were such a tease. you’re killing her. you let out a whimper as you moved your fingers inside you. your pretty pussy happily taking your own fingers. chloe took a shuddering breath as she continued to watch you, her hands now clenched into tight fists as she fought to keep herself from just pouncing on you.

"fuckin hell, you're like unreal." she swore softly, her blue puppy eyes pouty with need.

“please let me touch you." she tried again.

“no.” you playfully nudged her away with your knee. you were having so much fun. her expression twisted into one of mock-anguish, a small whine escaping her lips. "you’re goddamn cruel." she said, her voice filled with fake hurt. "you’re mean and cruel and I don't know why I put up with you."

“you love me- ah!” you cut your own self off as you found that spot.” “yeah yeah.” she grumbled, her tone sulky. she couldn’t help her sound at your little moan though, her hands still fisted tightly at her sides to keep from touching you.

"you're making my life so damn difficult right now, you know that hotstuff?"

“you’re the one who wanted this.” you took your fingers out holding them out to her. she huffed in feigned annoyance, but the way her eyes lit up and she licked her lips as you offered your fingers to her betrayed just how turned on she was.

she leaned forward, taking your fingers into her mouth once again, her tongue swirling around them to lick up your juices as if she was starving for it. “good girl.” you giggled. knowing what those two words did to her. both of you having raging praise kinks. she shot you a mock-scowl of annoyance at the tone of your voice, but her reaction was betrayed by the way a little shiver ran through her at your words.

she took your fingers from her mouth, releasing them with a lewd pop before mumbling under her breath.

"fuck you.”

“yeah you’re mad you’re not doing that right now.” you managed to be smug even as you were literally making yourself tremble right now. you loved chloe being your audience and fucking with her was fun.

"yeah. damn right i am." she conceded with a huff, leaning back against the pillows for a moment and folding her arms sullenly like a pouting child.

however, it didn’t take long for her expression to soften as she watched you again, the desire once more taking over, your moans getting more frequent, your breathing heavy as you moved your fingers faster, now with a mission. it was clear that watching you was affecting chloe a lot. her breaths came heavier than before, her hands clenching and unclenching. she bit her lip, her eyes pouty with need as she moved even closer to you again, nearly closing the distance.

"please.” she murmured, her voice a desperate plea. "let me touch you. i need to fuckin touch you."

you looked at her through your dazed eyes. “fine babe.” you decided to give her something and guided her hand to your tits with your free hand. your brown/pink nipples hardened and begging for some love. her breathing hitched as her hand met the soft flesh of your chest, her long, slender fingers immediately beginning to work their magic on your tits. "god, you're perfect." she breathed, her voice little more than a ragged whisper as she began to caress and squeeze your flesh. you whimpered at the praise, your pussy clenching around your fingers at both of the sensations combined.

chloe watched you keenly as she played with you. pinching your nipples between her fingers, drawing more pretty sounds from you, her gaze hungry and intense. she knew exactly what she was doing, her hands and fingers touching and caressing in all the right ways, as if she knew the map of your body better than anyone. “atta girl.” you kept moaning until you made a high pitched sound before you sat up suddenly “chloe.. i wanna cum on your face.” her eyes widened at your words, her breath catching in her throat as they sank in. Her face lit up in a mixture of surprise, lust, and eagerness as she nodded at your request.

"yeah, yeah, yes, please."

you wasted no time when she laid down and crawled over and put one leg over her neck so i was up on my knees with her face right under me hovering. you picked up where i left off continuing to fuck my own cunt above her. “fuckk yes.”She let out a little moan of excitement as you moved into the new position, her hands already coming to your hips to encourage you further. chloe looked up at you, her pupils dilated and gaze submissive.

"god, you're so pretty." she murmured, her voice low and husky. "hurry up and give it to me."

“shuttup and take it.”

you grinned as you rubbed your clit harder, “oh god.. oh fuck..” she looked as if she’d try to mutter a reply, perhaps to call you an asshole, but words seemed to die in her throat. Instead, she just nodded, her words coming in an exhale of anticipation.

"mm-hm."

her hands gave your hips an encouraging squeeze as she eagerly waited for you to keep going. your breathing came in short gasps as i was close, if chloe wasn’t helping me stay up img knees would be trembling. “mmmh… yeah. gonna cum all over your pretty face chlo.. you want that?” you said through gritted teeth. breaths grew faster and more ragged in anticipation as she listened to you speak, her eyes fixed on you with an intensity that was almost unnerving.

“yeah, yeah. I fu- i need it. c’mon babe.. give it to me.” her words were pleading, desperate. she was so pathetic for you. just how up liked her. "please, i’ve been so damn good for you, just give me this one thing."

“yeah. uh-huh.. ohh shit chloe-” you whined as you rubbed your clit harder as you kept myself right above her mouth. “fucking-” you cried out as that heavenly feeling took over you and chloe got a shower of you. your fluids squirting all over her mouth and face and some down her chin and neck as you kept rubbing your clit riding that high you had been craving. your moans filling the room. she let out a small gasp as your juices spraying all on her face, her eyes fluttering shut in pleasure at the sensation. her hands tightened on your hips, holding you in place as she eagerly continued to drink you in, her tongue darting out to lick up as much of you as she could,

“christ.. yeah..” chloe was in heaven right now. you had her wrapped around your finger and you knew it. you slowly rode it out, once you were truly done and spent you caught your breath before looking down at her. she looked completely ruined underneath you, her face glistening with your juices, her eyes half-lidded and hazy with pleasure as her breathing came heavy. her grip on your hips loosened, and a small shudder ran through her body. "fuck..." she gasped, her voice ragged and wrecked. "you’re fucking insane..” her tongue darted out to lick at her lips, as if to savor every bit of you that she could, before she spoke again, her voice still ragged, still desperate. “please get down here,” she gasped, her words more of a plea than a demand. “i need to kiss you. i need to hold you. now.” you let out a breathless chuckle. how could you deny her that? “you got it chlo.” you backed up off her face and laid down on top of her instead.

your lips collided, the taste of your cum all over her mouth. her arms immediately wrapped around you as you landed on top of her, her hands desperate as they pulled you close, as if she was afraid you would disappear if she didn't hold onto you tightly enough.

her lips were warm and soft against yours, her kiss insistent and hungry as her tongue slipped against your own, tasting every part of you. once the kiss slowly subsided, she pulled back just enough to speak, but she kept you close, her arms still wrapped firmly around you. "i think…" she said, her voice still breathless and slightly rough, "i think that was the first time I’ve actually been that close to death. just by how insanely good it felt." you smiled at her. “yeah?” you ran your fingers through her blue hair, she hummed, closing her eyes for a moment to relish the feel of your fingers in her hair, her expression almost like a cat being petted. “of course.” she agreed laughing. “you nearly killed me.”

she gave a mock pout, though the effect was completely ruined by the pleased, almost smug expression on her face. “mm. sorry i almost drowned you.” you joked. “that was so good..” you sighed. chloe chuckled, opening her eyes again to look at you with an affectionate smile, her hand coming up to brush a few strands of hair away from your face. “hella worth it.” she said with mock-sincerity. “what a way to go, y’know?”“jeez.” you sat up still grinning and let her sit up too. she followed you, sitting up and letting you get comfortable. She was still a mess, her face and hair completely disheveled and glistening with you but she didn’t seem to care.

chloe took a moment to admire you, her eyes taking in your bare chest, roaming over exposed skin. she was completely transfixed. “here babe.” you gave her a stray towel under the pillow to wipe her neck and chin. her gaze broke from yours for a moment when you handed her the towel, taking it gratefully and using it to dab and clean her neck and chin.

she mumbled a soft ‘thanks’ under her breath, seemingly too dazed to speak much. She looked like she still needed a moment to come down from her high. “you good?” she gave a somewhat shaky nod, using the towel to wipe her face down and neck once more before tossing it aside carelessly. "yeah, yeah. just.. wow." her eyes roamed over your body again. "you looked so damn good up there, i think i almost forgot how to breathe for a minute." “aw. thanks babe.” you smiled at her shrugging, as if you didn’t just blow her mind “no, thank you.” she replied, her voice still breathless full of amusement and awe.

“you’re welcome.” she shifted closer to you again, her hand coming up to gently cup your cheek as her eyes roamed over you, almost as if she was cataloguing every detail and feature of your body. the kardashians menu screen kept replaying as you two had damn sure forgot about it. who knew you bringing up kim’s sex tape lead to you squirting in chloe’s mouth? chloes eyes flicked over to the tv screen as the kardashions credits looped again, a little flicker of irritation running across her face at the reminder of the existence of those rich, self-obsessed nobodies. "ugh. can’t believe this is the crap i’ve been letting you watch." she muttered under her breath, before quickly shaking her head and returning her gaze to you. “whatever.” you giggled. “you want me to roll up again?” “you read my mind hotstuff.” she joked, looking very pleased.

“you deserve it.” you gave her a kiss before rolling over to put your clothes back on. chloe staring at you the entire time. “damn right i do.” both of you spent the rest of the night smoking another blunt, watching snobby reality tv talking about whatever bullshit came to your faded minds, munching out and falling asleep together in each others arms at 4am. these kind of date nights were definitely your favourite.

[skulkiee]

HELLO :D

Part eight of the siren au guyssss i am excited about this chapter!!

Quiet now, you're gonna wake the beast, hide your soul out of his reach

Odysseus stares up at the Ithacan palace from under his hood.

Home. He is home.

He shares a warm smile with Eurylochus, and listens to Elpenor's laughter behind him, to Perimedes' excited voice. A little owl perches over the main doorway to the palace and catches his gaze.

"Ready?" Odysseus asks the others, turning to his crew and the small group of sirens that had shifted their bodies so they could walk, and then followed them up to the palace.

•

"Ready?" Odysseus asks. Polites smiles, glad to be home despite the bloodbath he knows is ahead of them.

Epolenep had walked into the palace two days before, to see the situation and speak to Penelope, so they all knew about the violence of the almost seventy something suitors. Such a shame that sirens are built to kill, then, isn't it?

He and Hyacinthus part from the group, walking around the back of the palace, while the others pull cloaks around their shoulders, covering their weapons and identities and slip into the hall, mingling with the suitors.

Polites knows the paths here well, and he leads Hyacinthus to a small door that opens just next to the staircase leading to the queen's chambers. He reaches his mind out as he walks, letting the siren in him take over. Latching onto the suitors and letting his body change around him until it is Penelope that walks through that door, until it is his sister's face that he is wearing. Hyacinthus does the same so that when Polites turns and looks at him a boy stands there, who he assumes is supposed to be Telemachus.

Gods, Telemachus couldn't be any older than fourteen or so, and he had to live with those disgusting men in his home. Polites lets the anger bubble up in him.

•

Epolenep smiles when she sees Polites walking towards her, Hyacinthus just behind him, their disguises flawless, the only differences their slightly pointed ears. Which she knows the Ithacan queen has anyways because of her oceanid mother.

She places the bow in Polites' hands, and he meets her grin. He's come a long way since they first found him and he could barely hold himself together, let alone keep a disguise and song up long enough to do anything even slightly effective.

Epolenep can see Alope and Cleito slipping through the crowd in the next room when she looks. It's safe to say, though she would never admit it, that the queen of the creatures of the western seas is proud of these four sirens that she took in as if they were her own. (She is proud of Patroclus too, and though sad and angry that he is dead, she knows full well that he would rather be with his dear Achilles.)

If any of them get hurt-

Well. Whoever hurt them would die a very slow and very painful death.

•

Penelope cracks her door open slightly, watching the three figures in the hallway nod to each other and step into the hall. The tallest of the three, the one that's pretending to be her, begins to sing, and she can tell very clearly that the siren is not her since she is not the target and since they are wearing her face.

It is incredibly unnerving, to hear herself speaking just a room away.

It is incredibly exciting, to know that soon these men will be gone from her home, that soon her family will be home.

Penelope will shut her door when the slaughter begins, but she knows she will still hear their screams. And she will revel in them.

•

Antinuos looks up when the suitors around him fall silent, their heads turning to the doorway. Where Penelope, Telemachus and Ctimene stand. He could have sworn that Telemachus was off doing 'princely' stuff, one of the serving girls literally told him that she saw him leaving.

"Suitors!" Penelope says, and the hall falls fully silent, "I have decided at last that i will take one of you as my own." She flicks her hand and two serving girls walk out of the crowd and start setting up a row of axes.

A challenge, then? Antinuos smirks, he's the strongest of the suitors, this will be easy.

"Whoever can string my husband's old bow, and shoot through twelve axes cleanly," the queen says. Antinuos only half notices the melodic tune in her voice that isn't usually there, "Will be the new king, sit down at the throne and rule with me as his queen."

Muttering breaks out in the hall, surely this is too easy, surely lots of them will be able to do this? Simply string a bow and shoot it in a straight line? The person who goes first would be the one to win, surely?

Antinuos stands up, "Brothers! Let the nice lady speak." He laughs. They all know he's not saying it to be nice to the queen, merely to hope to win her hand. (To hear more about this 'challenge' of her's, so he could more easily win.)

Penelope smiles at him, and her eyes are sharp and dangerous, but the suitor doesn't notice that, too busy thinking himself better than everyone else.

•

Hyacinthus is terrified. He didn't realise there would be this many men, and they all look at him like they want him to meet a painful end.

Or rather, they want the young boy who he is pretending to be to meet a painful end. Hyacinthus instantly feels bad for the poor prince at that thought. How must it be growing up with these brutes around you?

The way they look at Polites, or the queen, as he speaks is even more scary. Maybe that's because of the horror stories Epolenep has told him, the tales Cleito has shared of how she had killed men who thought themselves deserving of her, Alope's nightmares.

So Hyacinthus feels scared. Scared of how the suitors look at him and his friend, and then remembers that they're not looking at Hyacinthus and Polites like that, but instead the prince and the queen. And then determinedness settles in his gut. Determinedness to help the innocent people who live in this palace.

He watches as Polites walks towards the man that seems to be the leader, the one that told the others to shut up, carrying the bow in his hands, "Let the arrow fly, once you know that your aim is true." Polites grins and places the bow in the man's hands.

•

Eurylochus watches from the shadows, the suitors' weapons safely hidden away in the armoury, as Polites grins at the seeming leader of the suitors, before swiftly turning away and throwing his arms wide, "Cause I'd rather die than grow old without the best of you!" He meets Eurylochus' eyes on that last sentence.

Eurylochus smiles. Polites is pulling off the act of pretending to be Penelope perfectly, using that old flair for the dramatic that both the siblings possess.

"Though i never thought," Polites continues, his voice quieter now, as the suitors start to chatter amongst themselves, walking swiftly down the row of axes that Alope and Cleito set up. Walking swiftly towards the throne, "That these would be the lengths we go for love,"

"What's he doing?" Eurylochus hisses to Odysseus as Polites sits down on the throne, and they both realise that at that angle, if one of the suitors did manage to string Odysseus' bow and shoot through the axes, then the arrow would almost definitely kill him.

"Playing the part." Odysseus whispers back, "My Penelope would definitely do that."

"But he is not Penelope." Eurylochus snaps.

Odysseus just shushes him.

"I would not have it any other way." Polites smiles down at the suitors. There is something dangerous in his voice.

•

Athena watches everything play out from the rafters, hidden away in her owl form, waiting for the actual Telemachus to return so she could warn him of the situation. Before he walks in and sees himself standing there.

These sirens are pretty smart, she'll give them that. Sure, that is clearly Penelope's little brother, not the queen herself, but the suitors are too dumb to realise that.

They're too dumb to realise five sirens, three survivors of a decade long war, and the king of Ithaca stand amongst them.

The vulture next to her leans forward slightly, "You promised me blood, Athena." His voice echoes in her mind, "The queen doesn't look like she's about to kill anyone."

Evidently, Ares is also too dumb to realise that that's a siren too.

"I didn't promise you anything, brother." Athena thinks back, "I just mentioned in passing that Odysseus might murder all the men in his home."

"Yeah yeah." Ares sighs.

"Well i think it's sweet." Aphrodite decides to join the conversation, her white dove's feathers stark against the shadows around her, "Sweet that the queen would sit there, so even if a suitor did win her challenge and get to marry her, she would be dead! Sweet that the king would cause so much death for her!"

"That is a siren, Aphrodite." Apollo sits on Athena's other side, "A siren i very much hate. He needs to stop changing destiny already. Odysseus is back seven years early."

"Oh shut up already, 'Pollo!" Hermes' laughter sounding in all their heads, "I wanna watch my great grandson kill some bad people now!"

Athena sighs.

Hermes starts speaking again after a moment, "And then i can laugh at their ghosts. It'll be funny watching their faces when they realise they won't be able to cross the Styx."

The Gods are interrupted from their discussion by a loud shout breaking through the voices of the suitors.

"Screw this competition!"

From the separate reactions of Odysseus and his new friends, Athena reckons that this was very much not a part of their plan.

Heheheh :D Sirens are fun to mess around with.

Also yes, Ody is back seven years early because he didn't end up on Calypso's this time because the universe hates him less.

@acpola01 @ghosthazard @corvisclouds

[postsforposting]

Had his hand been splayed nobody would be calling it a nazi gesture. Same as people don't call other such gestures a salute, even though there's been lots of "this angle makes you a nazi" type graphs. I have seen tons of people hail taxis with the "tight" as opposed to splayed hand, though, and no one in the USA gets huffy about it. I'm inclined to agree he did it to be a jackass, so he could mock everyone in the aftermath.

About two decades ago there was a "have you seen Kyle, he's about this tall" meme. It was a nazi gesture, not out of sincere belief but because people found the dark humor funny. Not particularly something you'd do in open public where people will reflexively insist it's nothing but criminal.

A gesture can be a heil, and the heil can be a joke. Whether anyone in particular finds that funny is their own business, but "it's not funny" doesn't make it anything other than a joke you don't like. Same as any other topic used for humor that people don't like. Doing it in public where you know you're going to offend people is not a nice thing to do, but again, that kind of behavior isn't diagnostic of nazism.

Musk strikes me as the kind who would do it in public. Which he did.

I was surprised to see people projecting the video on Tesla buildings in Germany, of all places, where it's highly illegal to do anything akin to the heil. If we're upset Musk did this in public, then surely the projectors are just as evilly Nazi? Regardless of if they wanted to "prove he's a bigot"? There's plenty of AfD people who would love him to come out as a full nazi, and there's plenty of people who would be disgusted by it. So who was behind the projector, and why? Does it matter what their intentions were, who's side they're on, when that's the same argument we're having here about Musk doing it?

I don't particularly care what Musk's intentions were. He's well aware of people's "determination to make everything Trump-related out to be Nazi-ish", and he's the kind of Edgy to deliberately set those people off. He's right that people are freakishly obsessed with symbology; doesn't make it acceptable for a quasi-government official to deliberately act like this though. We really gotta move away from trying to enshrine what's effectively linguistic astrology, valuing the euphemistic treadmill over actual meaning. "Tranny fags got the same freedoms you do, Earl" is a lot better than "We need to be careful about allowing non gender conforming people access to anything beyond the mental institutionalization they clearly need for self hatred and self harming uwu".

The other thing is that I haven't really seen any agreement about what a "nazi" is, other than "he did the signal". Does it mean ONLY hatred of Jewish people? How so, when the OG nazis started with queer and disabled people, and the west itself forced those people to continue their nazi-assigned sentences long after the war was over? When those policies are still present in many countries, if not all, to this day? Antisemitism is pretty prevalent worldwide, does that mean everyone globally is a nazi too? What about the other economic and cultural beliefs?

Laypeople use facism, nazism, and authoritarianism interchangeably, but they're really not. I don't think many people can actually articulate the differences at all, let alone to the satisfaction of basic academics. I think expanding people's vocabulary about what exactly these things entail would go a long way to being able to say what's actually wrong and why. Though given that people also generally dismiss anything that isn't Le Srs Enough To Matter, I think that's the real problem. Musk MUST be a nazi, or nothing he does matters, because only that matters enough to require concern, let alone action. Things that are only "slightly bad" should get fixed too. Even good things, if they can be improved, should get fixed. The limbo bar should not need to be set at The Worst Ever. Frankly it feels nice to improve things, even if only a little bit. But we teach people that "cleaning up", literally and metaphorically, is a shameful punishment because you are a Bad Person Responsible For This Mess, instead of the self and community care it actually is.

I wish people more easily were able to separate "this is horrifyingly insensitive/offensive/inappropriate and nobody should do it and I have a right to be angry that someone did/said the thing" from "this is a confirmation of the offender actually having the worst-case belief whose existence is the reason for the thing being considered so offensive, and so I should feel unsafe because they did/said the thing".

[tropicalcontinental]

More crossover stuff 💥💥💥 + that one "piss off bitch boy" joke is so funny to me (Elias tries to look into Gertrude's mind and receives said response) and I feel like Collin would do it to him too

[spywhitney]

How I sleep knowing I'll never trust anyone that hates Sydney but worships Richie:

[blue-eli]

Ink October day 3: Sophistry

An argument that seems plausible, but is fallacious or misleading, especially one devised deliberately to be so.

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...