#But progress is happening! I'm so excited to show it off when it's done!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The Yiling Band Tour!

[coff33andb00ks]

Hopeless - LN

Lando Norris x fem!reader (mentions of Charles Leclerc x fem!reader) Summary: and you know damn well that for you, I would ruin myself a million little times Word count: 2012 Themes: angst, forbidden love(?) Song: can i be him by james arthur Warnings: cheating, charles is a bad boyfriend, cursing, Oscar knows everything, barely proofread, not a happy ending Notes: I watched one too many she chose me/did she? tiktoks and this was born. Also please don't take this as me condoning cheating (unless you can cheat with Lando).

Lando isn't one hundred percent sure how it began, not really. He remembers the first move, the bit of shock when you didn't reject him, but he doesn't remember how – or when or why – he fell for you. He knows he didn't just wake up one day saying to himself right today's the day I fall in love.

It all started so innocently. Right? He found out you liked gaming and casually invited you to his place to try out his setup when you mentioned you were looking to upgrade. He'd expected Charles to come with you but had shrugged it off, too excited to share his love for gaming. You stayed most of the afternoon, laughing and he'd had the tiniest of crushes by the time you left. And when you upgraded you asked him to come over to help you set it up.

Crush: intensified.

He's pretty sure he liked you so much because you didn't talk about racing with him. He could be "normal" around you, just like any other guy in his 20s who loved video games and driving fancy cars and blasting music. Soon he was dropping by or inviting you over on off days. He didn't think anything of it. You were a friend, and Charles obviously didn't mind, so why deny himself the pleasure of your company?

Crush: die-hard. To the point Max and Oscar teased him about it.

He likes you most in his apartment. On race weekends at a track you were calm, cool, and collected in designer brands, the picture perfect girlfriend of everyone's favorite Ferrari driver. But at his place, you were… Y/n. Yapping nonstop and dancing in his living room, curled up under a blanket on his sofa watching the latest period drama, in his kitchen baking treats he isnt' supposed to eat.

It was, he thought after hugging you goodbye one night, kind of like having a girlfriend without the stress.

He still dated. Casually. Because he couldn't justify putting all the time and effort into finding a girlfriend. It was so much easier to sleep around and be friends with you. Fucked up, yeah, but easier.

Then on an off weekend you showed up unannounced, looking like you wanted to cry.

And he would have done anything to keep that from happening.

"I just needed to get away," you said, and Lando nodded, letting you in and pretending the smell of your perfume didn't affect him.

You didn't want to talk about it and he didn't pressure you. He gave you the remote and fixed you a drink and parked himself on the other end of the sofa with his laptop to edit some photos while you found some old movie to put on.

"Lan?" you asked after a while.

"Hmm?" He didn't look away from his laptop.

"If Charles…" You sighed. "If he cheated on me you'd tell me wouldn't you?"

"Immediately," he said without hesitation. Then, as your words registered, he saved his progress and closed the laptop, slowly turning to look at you. "Do you think he's cheating?"

You shrugged, eyes firmly on the TV.

"Y/n. C'mon, talk to me." Lando set the laptop aside and picked up the remote to mute the TV.

"I'm just being stupid."

He waited, and then listened while you listed off the reasons you were considering that Charles was cheating. How he'd stayed out late the night before, had left early this morning for a last minute trip to the Ferrari factory. Facing you, he moved closer, until he could hold your hand. Then, when you finished, he rattled off the usual signs of cheating to see if anything matched.

You looked at him oddly. "Got a lot of experience with cheating?"

Lando giggled, as he always did when asked a stressful question. "What? Me? Nah."

"Fucking liar," you muttered, rolling your eyes.

"No, no, I never lie when I'm fucking," he said, wondering why the words were coming out of his mouth before he finished saying them. Glancing upwards, he pinched his brows together. "Well, wait, maybe I have… Like when it's mediocre but you need to get off so you say it's good?"

You laughed, which was always his goal with you. He loved your laugh, adored the way you threw your head back, and always joined in as soon as the snort you despised escaped.

"Oh god Lan," you giggled, and moved to hug him.

And he knew he was a goner. Because you felt so good in his arms. He hugged you close. He knew the healing power of a good hug but also held onto you for more selfish reasons, committing the feel of you tucked so close to his memory, breathing in the scent of you. Easing his grip as you began to pull away, he felt his breath catch in his throat when you paused, looking into his eyes.

"Thank you," you whispered.

"You know I'm always here for you." He smiled. He liked that he could make you feel better. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he had to go and ruin everything. Reaching up, he lightly smoothed your cheek with his fingers. "If he is cheating, he's a fucking moron. You're not even my girl and I can't find anyone that compares."

He still can't remember how you'd initially reacted. Surprise, probably. Maybe a little shock. But he would forever remember the way you'd breathed his name, as though Lando were a prayer, and that you'd both leaned in at the same time.

And he was certain that until his last breath he would recall every detail of what had followed. The kiss, everything pure and perfect, your hands on his neck. Him pulling you closer, both of you moaning. It had been frantic, every shred of neediness and longing pouring from his mouth to yours, every late night dream running through his mind, each fantasy he'd allowed himself to think of coming true before he'd tasted your skin.

You stayed the night, and he'd discovered that you'd fantasized, too.

***

"You good mate?"

Lando blinks, seeing Oscar in the doorway. "Yeah," he lies, rolling his shoulders. "Just thinking of strats for tomorrow."

"You've been listening to the same song for almost an hour."

Fuck. "No I haven't." He pauses the song, rubbing the back of his neck and finally moving to finish dressing. "It's a good song."

"What's going on with you? You've been acting weird for a couple months now," Oscar says.

Lando swallows the shame. It's not that he feels guilty. He's content with the arrangement between you. Not that anything is set in stone, but it's an unspoken agreement. You're still with Charles – who, it turned out, was cheating but it was a minor fling – and he's single. Technically. In his heart, he's yours.

He almost laughs because it's so beyond fucked up now.

But he can't let anyone else find out. He's been around long enough to know that you'd be the one labeled as a whore. Even though everyone's aware of Charles' infidelity, it would be your fault. And Oscar…

For someone whose entire persona is I really don't give a fuck I'm here to race, the bastard knows everything. He's like a cat. He's always there, and even when he's not listening he soaks it all in like a sponge.

He spritzes a little more cologne on himself and pulls on his hoodie. "Dunno what you're talking about, mate."

"You haven't gone out to celebrate since Miami."

Of course he hasn't. Miami was the night he'd gotten just drunk enough to dance too close to you. The secretly snapped pictures of his face in your neck are still popping up on social media. "It gets old after a while, Osc."

Oscar folds his arms over his chest and leans in the doorway. "For me, yeah. For you? Not buying it."

Goddamn the sponge cat for being so observant. Lando shrugs, maintaining he façade of yep I'm good. "Osc—"

"Is it because of y/n?"

Ice water floods his veins. He can feel the blood draining from his face and his palms begin to sweat. You've both been so careful, Miami notwithstanding. He never takes you out, makes a point to not sit too close to you in a group setting, and is his so-called normal self anytime someone else is around. It's different alone, but – oh. "You mean in Miami?" he asks casually, fixing his necklace and lifting his foot to tie his shoe.

"You were weird about her before Miami."

Oh god. "It was just a stupid crush." He ties his other shoe and checks his pockets for his wallet and hotel key. "I'm over it now."

"Lando."

"What?" He practically snaps the word out and instantly regrets it, but he can't talk to Oscar about this. Oscar will never be able to understand. "Look, I gotta go, need to get rest for tomorrow."

"Oh. I thought… I guess you are over it." Oscar gives a tiny shrug.

Lando freezes. "Why are you talking in riddles?"

"You didn't see them fighting?"

He jerks his head to stare at his teammate. When he speaks, his voice nearly cracks. "Fighting?"

"Well, arguing. I don't know what about, I didn't catch any of it. I only saw him trying to talk to her and she shoved him and stormed off."

No wonder you haven't replied to his texts. His hand aches to pull out his phone and call you to check on you. To make sure you're okay. You and Charles don't fight often but Lando knows of your tendency to go and cry until you figure out a resolution. "What did they fight about?"

"I don't know."

Lando swallows anxiously, pulling out his phone and checking the time. "Where'd she go?"

"No clue."

"You're really no fucking help," Lando mutters, shoving his phone into his pocket and brushing past him to leave the room.

"Thought you were over it?" Oscar asks softly.

Lando freezes again, anguish twisting in his chest at the thought of ever being over you. "I… She's my friend. It's… Y/n… She's…"

"She's what?"

Everything but his. Real and true and more than he ever thought he could have. His daily sunshine and his nightly fantasy. The open ear when he's having a rough go, the tight embrace when he needs grounding. His source of peace and his greatest torment.

"Fucking hell, mate," Oscar whispers.

"I gotta go," Lando says.

And he leaves, not sure why he feels so anxious all of a sudden. Everything feels off. He tells himself it's because Oscar knows, or at least thinks he knows, and that's got to be the reason. He's fine. You're fine. Nothing's changing just because you had a fight with Charles. It'll blow over and by morning things will be as they have been.

The trip to the hotel seems to take forever and he's even more uneasy as he sits in traffic a few cars back from the valet. He should have gotten an Uber or caught a ride with someone. Despite the air conditioning going he's sweating, because you still haven't replied to his texts, and when he tries to call you it goes straight to voicemail.

Hey y/n, call me when you can?

But you don't.

He stays up late, hoping you'll at least send him a text letting him know you're okay. His sleep is restless, plagued with the worst possible scenarios. When his alarm goes off he hits snooze one too many times and so has to rush to the track, trying to push everything out of his mind as race time approaches. Checking social media so he can engage with the team posts hyping up his and Oscar's starting positions, he can only stare at the screen when Instagram loads.

You. And Charles. Cozied up like soulmates. There's candlelight and flowers.

But all he can stare at is the diamond on your finger. And, just beneath the photo, Charles' short caption.

She said yes.

*~end~*

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | three.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

—word count: 4.8k

—chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language/sexually implied content, general bioengineering project descriptions/terms, very vague mention of mice research work, mentions of a lil cut (nothing graphic), a lil more oc x san!!, oc x san being subtle with their actions - they're def feeling each other/checking each other out tho lol, suave sexy san!!, jongho is onto him oop 🤨, it builds up from here i prawwwmise!

When Sunwoo said he needed help, he truly meant it. A few weeks into the new quarter, you find yourself hustling in the lab in between your class schedule. You do enjoy it though, and you find that you still have time to carve out for your friends and nights out. But, you do feel your workload slowly increasing just because Sunwoo is trying to make significant progress with his project— a project that you hope to build off if you were to fully join Professor Choi's lab. A project that would hopefully get your name on another published paper, too. And, you weren't gonna lie, you wanted to do your best and work extra hard because you needed Professor Choi to see that you fit perfectly in his lab. You needed to show him that this wasn't any ordinary research work to you and that you weren't just winging your time here, especially after he gave you that friendly but stern pep talk during your kick-off meeting with him, Belle and Sunwoo.

—FLASHBACK

"Hey." Professor Choi says while sitting in his chair. The three of you walk in, with Sunwoo plopping himself down on his couch, and you and Belle sitting at the two seats in front of his desk. "How's everyone doing?" He asks while typing away, huge Mac screen taking up the corner of his desk with his laptop connected on a laptop stand.

"Good!" You all say in your own ways.

"How about you, Professor Choi?" Sunwoo leans back onto the couch.

"Mm." He hums. "Good as can be, I guess. Can't complain." He chuckles, now fully shifting his attention to you three. "So! How'd the talk go?"

"Well, I think Y/N would work well with my project. There's so many avenues she could piggyback off of if she joins the lab afterwards that'll help contribute to a lot of the dynamic foraging, brain-wide neural dynamics work we've been doing." You watch as Professor Choi nods in agreement, now looking at you and Belle.

"She could also help with the lab-wide project I've been heading and some other 2-photon and KCR work." 

"Sounds good with me. What about you, Y/N?" He leans onto his desk, eyes glued on you while his hands are clasped together. You lick your lips and nod, nervous that all the attention is on you especially from Professor Choi. You feel like he's burning holes into you, and you can't help but feel incredibly intimidated. 

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. I'm on board with Sunwoo and Belle's plans. I'm excited to dive in." He smiles at you.

"Cool. I think we'll get some great work done during your rotation." He turns to Sunwoo. "Sunwoo, can I trust you to take care of Y/N's badge access and getting her set up with everything she needs?"

"For sure!"

"Thanks." Professor Choi stands. "And just cause I have to lay this out there, there are some expectations I hold for the people in my lab— regardless if you're a rotation student, postdoc, undergrad, staff. It doesn't matter. I expect the highest performance out of everybody, and I want my people to succeed no matter how long it takes. I expect my people to do nothing but the best and I need that to show in everything you do. Presentations. Data. Papers. Everything. I don't want anyone to settle for less than that, and you have my support every step of the way."

"Of course, noted."

"We have lab meetings every Monday at 9am up on the third floor of the south wing. I'll get you on the schedule so you can do your rotation update towards the end of the quarter."

"Journal club!" Sunwoo says, making Professor Choi laugh. "One of us!"

"Yeah, we'll get you to do a journal club presentation too." He tucks his hands in his pockets.

"Professor Choi gets us free hot breakfast for lab meetings." Belle puts her hand on your arm as you all stand and start to get ready to leave. "It's so good." You giggle.

"So, all good? We're all onboard?" You three turn to Professor Choi and nod. "Nice. Welcome to the lab, Y/N." He flashes you a smile that only you catch, a look that only you see. Like it was meant to be that way.

Your time in Professor Choi's lab will be an interesting one.

—END

"Hey." You pull out a seat and plop onto the chair, sipping on the drink you just ordered.

"Hey pretty!" Eunchae giggles, while Felix, Jiung and Jurin wave.

"Where have you been?" Felix asks, poking at your bicep.

"Shuffling between class and lab." You let out a breath, bottom lip poking out into a pout.

"She's rotating in Professor Choi's lab." Jiung looks at Jurin.

"San?" You nod. "Damn, goodluck!" Jurin chimes in and you shake your head. "He's a hottie."

"Here we go." Felix snorts.

"I mean, are we wrong?" She looks at him and playfully nudges his side, causing him to groan in response. 

"I never said you were wrong!" Eunchae giggles at his pained response. "That's just the hot topic on campus. Him and his friends."

"So hot. They deserve to be the talk on campus." Eunchae rests her chin on the palm of her hand. "How has it been in his lab?"

"It's been good! Just really fucking busy. Sunwoo is like.. at the peak of his project. He'll probably try to submit his paper within the year or something if all goes well."

"Fun times." Jiung looks at you while sipping on his smoothie. "You going back to lab after?"

"Yup!"

"I gotta head back, too." Felix says. 

"Same. I gotta run my gels." Eunchae adds.

"What about you?"

"Not today." Jiung responds. "I have a paper I need to start already for one of my classes. I've just been trying to troubleshoot some of the lasers in the lab for the other Professor Choi so I'm not entirely busy yet." You nod, checking your apple watch to peep the time. "Are you guys gonna be able to catch dinner later?"

"I should be."

"Yeah, same."

"Mm. I dunno." You tilt your head. "You can probably go without me and I'll catch up if I can."

"Sheesh, really putting you to work already."

"Yup." You sigh, finishing up your drink and your snack box full of cheese, grapes and crackers. "Anyway, I gotta get going. I told Sunwoo I'd try and fix our behavior rig today so we can start utilizing it soon."

"Text us if you'll be able to join dinner and we'll wait!" Jurin yells before you wave them off and start making your way back to the Harvey Center to finish up your tasks in lab. Part of you really wanted to stay with your friends and hang out for the rest of the afternoon, but you had promised Sunwoo you'd take the time to fix the behavior rig he had been working on for the past month. He just hasn't had the bandwidth to focus on it lately, so having you is tremendous help for him. 

When you get to the lab, there's still quite a few people lingering around in the office area in the basement, surprisingly. You pop over to their desks for small talk, getting to know the people in the lab and the projects they're working on. Most are situated at their desks, analyzing their data and coding between two monitor screens. Everyone's equally nice and passionate about what they do, it makes the environment less stressful knowing it's collaborative and engaging instead of being in a competitive nature. Belle pulls you aside to get your help just as Sunwoo is packing up for the day and thanking you for your help with the behavior rig. She takes about an hour or so of your time, giving you a quick rundown of the procedures she's working on and what you could help with in the next few weeks. It's after your time with Belle that you finally get to sit down at your desk and focus on the rig sitting on top of it. You don't think it'll take much time, and you feel like you'll actually be able to catch dinner with your friends.

Until you realize how difficult it is get everything situated on the breadboard properly. 

San hums as he walks through the cold air, pacing towards the Harvey Center to get to his office. He's just had a good workout at the faculty lounge, and he doesn't expect too many people [if any] to be lingering around in the open office space of the lab. He knows people are cooped up in their own laser or behavior rooms right now, and it's not even the first time he'll be strolling in casual clothes. He tries to keep himself clean and pressed down, but he too, has his days where he just wants to head to work in some jeans. A tshirt. Hoodie.

Right now, the cold is pricking his skin because he's in a black Nike dry fit shirt and sweats. He's running to the office to finish up a few last minute things before heading home and relaxing. As expected, the hallway feels eerily quiet. He assumes there could be one or two people locked away in the rooms, but he won't bother. When he gets into the office space, he doesn't see anyone in particular until he turns the corner towards his office and finds you sitting at your desk in the corner. The computer screen is pretty bright, and you've got your hands tied with a rig. 

He definitely wasn't expecting you to be here.

"Fuuuck." He hears you slightly whine when the small allen wrench in your hand slips and tumbles to the floor, followed by a few screws sitting on your desk.

"Hey Y/N, you okay?" San asks, dropping his duffle bag right in front of his office door before slowly walking over to you. You look up in surprise, eyes quickly scanning Professor Choi in his casual outfit. You're stunned at how good he looks in something so simple, how big and defined his arms are in that tight shirt; he looks so good you almost forget to respond.

He sure as hell catches on though, a tiny smirk growing at the corner of his lips.

"Oh, yeah. I'm trying to unscrew this but Sunwoo's got it in there tightly. I'm afraid I'm weak." He laughs and shakes his head.

"Nah. You're not weak." He picks up the allen wrench from the floor. "Which one?"

"This." You point. "And this too, while you're at it." He chuckles.

"You got it, boss." San angles himself closer to you, face only inches away from yours when he dips to get a better look. You watch as his arm muscles flex when he gets the wrench in there and starts undoing the screw, loosening it in a matter of seconds. "I'll let you do the rest." He moves onto the next and loosens it shortly after. When he finishes, his face is only inches away from yours and he keeps a hold there. He's looking at you again, really looking at you, and you feel the heat rise to your cheeks. You're not sure what else to do besides nibble on your bottom lip.

"Thank you." You manage to choke out. He gives you a soft smile before handing you the allen wrench and standing fully upright.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" 

"Um, no. I didn't." San looks at your hand a little further and notices the fresh scratch near your pinky— probably due to your hand slipping from the force, scratching it against one of the mounts sitting on the board. 

"I didn't expect you to lie to me so quickly." He teases, slight whine in his tone while he clicks his teeth. "Can I see?" You show him your hand. "Come to my office, got some ointment for it." He nods towards his door and leads the way. San could damn well show you to the lab's first aid kit down the hall, but his office is much closer and he'd feel a bit better than just sending you off to fend for yourself. 

"Professor Choi, I can just find the—" Before you can finish your sentence, he's already swinging his door open and holding it open for you.

"It's much quicker than heading down the hall to the first aid kit." He laughs a bit. You give him a tiny smile as you brush past and walk into his office, feeling a bit awkward being in his private space for something as little as a cut. You fiddle with your fingers as he places his duffle bag down onto the couch before grabbing the first aid kit in one of the drawers near his desk. He grabs a small pack of ointment and a bandaid, approaching you in the middle of the room. "Mind if I..?"

"Not at all." You leave out your hand for Professor Choi to take and he gently tugs it closer. He applies the ointment on your scab, dabbing it lightly across the surface before grabbing the bandaid and placing it on top. 

"There."

"Thank you, Professor Choi."

"You're welcome. Be careful next time. Make sure Sunwoo does the heavy lifting."

"I know. He's good help. I just figured I'd help him get a head start." San gives you a small smile. "Mind if I ask? What're you doing here later in the evening?"

"Sometimes, I just stay to get my work done. Can't always rely on my home office to keep me productive." He chuckles. "Plus, I get my workouts in at the faculty lounge." You nod.

"I see."

"How long have you been in the lab today?"

"I've been in and out in between classes."

"You haven't eaten dinner?"

"Nope. Dining hall doesn't close until 9pm, though." San looks at the time on his computer.

"Which is getting pretty close. You should wrap it up." You look at him with a small pout and it feels too difficult having to keep his composure while you keep looking at him like that. His eyes quickly dip to the low cut shirt you're wearing before he manages to divert his attention back up to your eyes. The tension is palpable, but you don't say anything. Even if you caught it, even if you wanna tease him a little. You try to stick to your own lane in case all of this is pure delusion. 

You're so fucking pretty, though. It's bad for San. 

Unhealthy.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. It's nice knowing you're working hard in the lab." He follows up with a laugh. "But, you should also get some time in for yourself. Rest and eat well. You can always come back to the work tomorrow."

"What if I fall behind?"

"There's no such thing on falling behind if you're constantly working on so many different aspects, Y/N. Plus, it's not gonna be perfect. You'll have days that're slow, that'll feel like you aren't getting much out of your project. But, I promise it picks up again and things will come out of it regardless."

"Noted." You smile at him. "I appreciate that."

"How about I finish up in there and we head out together? I'd really hate to leave you here in the office alone, especially if I don't have to." You look at him and even though everything inside of you is fighting, pleading, to say no, you end up with—

"Okay." You softly respond. "I'm gonna go clean up."

"Sounds good. I'll be out in a minute." He gives you that look again and you hate that you don't know if he looks at everyone else like this or just you. You eye him once more even as he's turned towards his desk checking his phone before you head out of his office and to your desk. You did make good progress on the rig, which you know Sunwoo would be grateful about. The only thing he needs to do is add the part he created the other day, a tube where the mouse would be situated for lick behavior tests.

Meanwhile, San plops onto his computer chair and pulls up his emails, looping in the appropriate people to help fix certain issues. He's got a few emails regarding just-in-time information needed for the grants he's been re-applying for, making a mental note to hop on a quick meeting with the people involved so they can get their reports and data together and send it off in a timely manner.

It never ends, he thinks. 

All is his life consists of now is work. The lab. Collaborating in various projects across departments. Working out. Sometimes, San wishes there was something else he could look forward to. Something else that could take time out of his day, something that he could put his attention to. Something like—

jongho: still on campus?

He turns to his phone when the text tone goes off, seeing the message from Jongho. San quickly checks the time and finishes up the last email he was working on before he got distracted.

san: yeah, gonna head out tho. just working on some last min urgent emails that came in.

jongho: wanna grab something to eat? i'll meet you at your car

san: alright, give me like 10 mins. 

San sends off his last few emails before checking his calendar for tomorrow's meetings. He has a virtual talk after class that he needs to prep for, which he'll do later tonight. Plus, he'll need to gather that information for the grants. Just thinking about it makes San breathe out a heavy sigh, slightly feeling overwhelmed at his never-ending to-do list.

Yeah, a new hobby or distraction would be nice.

"Ready?" You turn to see Professor Choi locking up his office, duffle bag slung on his shoulder. When he's done, he turns and gives you a small smile; patiently waiting for you to be ready. You nod, locking your computer and grabbing your things before walking out behind him.

"So, do you always work out in the evenings?"

"I try to, yeah." You look up at him while he walks alongside of you. "Helps me release steam from all the stuff going on."

"I can only imagine." You tug on your bag strap. "I don't know how you do it with your busy schedule."

"I'm not too busy." He says in a playful tone. "Just enough."

"Sure." You laugh. "Everyone knows how busy and occupied you are, Professor Choi."

"What if everyone just hypes me up too much and has the wrong idea about me?"

"I doubt that."

"How would you know, hm?" He smiles when he presses the elevator door. 

"Oh, please. I never not see you in a meeting or talking to someone, or doing a talk somewhere." You slip into the elevator with him. He rests against the rail on the opposite side from where you stand, fully facing you. "You even did that episode not too long ago for Professor Young's podcast."

"Wow, you really keep up, don't you?"

"How could I not?" He chuckles.

"That's nice to know that you do." He means it. As much as he loves when people treat him like a regular person, he also loves it when people keep up with his projects. His papers. His talks. He's not gonna lie; it is an ego boost, and he likes knowing that people take time out of their day because they're interested in hearing what he has to say or what he's working on now.

It's definitely nice coming from you.

You quietly stand off to the side, watching as the elevator takes you from the basement to floor 1 of the building. San is subtly eyeing you from where he stands, noticing how you keep to yourself and shift your weight between your feet in some kind of anxious move to get off of the elevator. You can barely look him in the eye and he thinks it's cute.

"What're your plans after you get dinner, Y/N?" He breaks the silence as you step out of the elevator and out of the building. The night isn't too chilly— the stars are dotting the sky beautifully, crickets are beginning to chirp. There aren't too many people moving across campus anymore, which is the usual at this time. Most are huddled up in lab if they're the working night-owl type, or resting at their dorms or apartments to get ready for the next day.

"Finish my loads of homework and try to hang out with my friends for a bit if we all aren't too tired."

"That's nice, minus the homework part." You giggle.

"What about you? If you don't mind me asking." He smiles.

"I don't. I'm just gonna meet up with the other Professor Choi and grab dinner with him."

"You two are close, yeah?" He nods.

"Yup."

"That's cute." 

"Is it?" He asks in a playful, sing-song way that has you shifting your attention to your feet to bite back a huge smile.

"It is. Very." You finally look up at him and meet his eyes. "By the way, I hope I'm not making you walk extra steps tonight." You point at the dining hall just down the path. "I can take it from here if you need to get to your car or meet him somewhere else."

"It's alright, I parked right over here." He nods towards the parking garage coming up on the left. "Easiest garage to find parking at."

"Works out then." You give him a tiny, toothless smile.

"Your friends are able to join you for dinner, right?"

"Should be. I'll call them in a few." You pause in your steps when the garage is directly to the left now. "Thanks for walking me, Professor Choi."

"You sure you don't need me to walk you towards the end of the path?"

"All good. I'm a big girl." He laughs.

"Yeah." He's doing that thing again. That thing where he just looks at you with a certain glint in his eye— a certain glint that makes you overthink, makes you wonder if he does this with everyone he comes across, or if it's just you. 

"Goodnight, I hope you have a good dinner."

"You too." You give him one last smile and wave before you start walking towards the dining hall, creating more distance between you two. You don't catch the way he continues to watch you until you've managed to cross the street and approach the dining hall— phone pressed against your ear because he assumes you're calling up your friends to meet you.

When he feels comfortable to take his eyes off of you, he crosses the way to the garage and starts walking towards his car that's sitting on the current ground level, Jongho patiently leaning against the tail end of it.

"Uh." Jongho laughs. "The hell was that?"

"What was what?"

"I saw you from here, don't try and be slick on me now." 

"It was nothing?" San pops open his trunk and tosses his duffle bag in.

"Didn't look like it." Jongho snorts.

"Y/N was just in lab and I didn't want her to leave alone."

"Your rotation student?"

"Mhm."

"Okay. I'm all for being a gentleman but be careful." He gives him a look.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I've known you for years, bro. There's a certain look in your eyes and it doesn't exactly scream 'nothing.'" 

"Well, it is." Is all San says. He doesn't really have anything else to say because he doesn't wanna sound like he's defending himself way too much when he doesn't need to. He knows better. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Aye." Jongho shrugs. "Want you to be happy but just keep it safe, yeah? You've worked really hard for everything you have."

"I know." San lets out a breath. "Anyway, where do you wanna go for dinner?"

"Happy hour at the bar nearby? I can be passenger princess, or if you really want, we can drive separately to make it easier. I guess." He playfully huffs, making San chuckle.

"Just get in." 

On the way to the bar, Jongho gives San more details about the collaboration and that the group is incredibly interested in moving forward. San nods, agreeing that it would be good for them and everyone involved both funding-wise and opportunity-wise. Jongho then tells San about his recent grants that were finally accepted and re-awarded, giving him a little more leeway to purchase new equipment he's been having his eyes on for Jiung and a few other of his lab members to toy around with. There's a certain idea that's been floating in his head for awhile now, one that San honestly doesn't understand much about because electrical engineering is a whole other beast to him. He gets the gist, and he knows Jongho has only done incredibly work, continuing to one-up himself every single time he comes back around with a new idea.

"So, there's another thing I've been thinking about." Jongho says, as they finally arrive to the sports bar and follow the host to a table on the back patio. 

"Should I be scared?" San asks as they sit and immediately order their go-to beers and the karaage they love so much. 

"I was thinking of asking the dean for some real estate at the new campus building."

"Bartlett Hall? The one that just finished construction?" Jongho nods.

"Mhmmm." He responds in a sing-song tone. "I briefly mentioned it to him in passing and he told me we'd talk more, but was hoping to get you onboard, too."

"Why me?" San laughs, picking at a piece of karaage with a toothpick before popping it into his mouth. Before San can hear Jongho's reasoning, the server comes back to take their orders. They both order different burgers, planning to exchange a half for the other. 

"Was thinking we could open the joint department together, finally have a space for us to combine our work in electrical engineering and bioengineering." San pokes out his bottom lip and nods.

"Sooo, we'd have to write a whole pitch and sell it to the dean?"

"Yeah basically, but we can run it by Namjoon first and see what he says."

"I'm down. I dunno if the dean will budge without implementing certain requirements from our end, but, I'm down to try."

"Yeah?" Jongho laughs. "Glad to hear you're down. It'll be good! I've been thinking about it for awhile but I was always hesitant. Think it's probably just best to take the leap. Worst thing they can say is no."

"That's true. Yeah, I'm down. It'll be good for the students and the postdocs. They'll have a space for them to collaborate together. Pretty exciting to think about, actually."

"Thought so." Jongho sips his beer. "I'll start working on a proposal and send it to you for edits."

"Sounds good with me."

"How was that meeting with Zara, by the way? I never got around to asking."

"Oh, it was good." He shrugs. "We talked a lot about getting her lab situated and getting on more grants ASAP."

"Sounded like a productive talk. Have you met again afterwards?"

"Yeah, it was." San clears his throat. "We met a few more times just to talk a bit more on some finer details for her lab and plans. Hope it was helpful at least. I turned her to Namjoon most of the time cause who else would know more?" Jongho laughs.

"Yeah."

"She's cool, though. Really sweet." Jongho snorts. "What?"

"I see Mingi's plan isn't really working well." San rolls his eyes, stuffing a few fries into his mouth before taking a bite. 

"Yeah, no. It's not." San shakes his head. "Don't even think about instigating, either."

"It's kinda fun. Plus, she's obviously attracted to you."

"No." San shuts it down.

"Why not? Why don't you just continue seeing where it goes?"

"I am, and I'm still in the same position I was when I first met her."

"Which is?"

"I respect her as a colleague and a colleague only." San glares at him. "I'm not going to force anything that isn't meant to happen." 

"Okay, fine. You're right. I'll get behind that." Jongho dips his last fry into the ketchup before looking back up at his bestfriend. "But at least promise me you won't be entirely closed off to it if it does naturally develop into something?"

"Uh." San pauses. He pauses not because of Zara or whatever Jongho's saying right now; he meant to agree, but he finds his thoughts suddenly roaming to.. you.

His curiosity, the need to learn more about you.

"Hello?"

"Sorry." San shakes the thoughts from his head in case Jongho can hear it or something. "Yeah."

"Definitely not genuine. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"I can hear you thinking."

"Can you? That's an invasion of privacy."

"It's her, isn't it?"

"I literally have no idea what you're talking about." Jongho stares and gives him a certain look, causing San to divert his attention away. Away from him, onto anything, anyone nearby.

"Yeah, okay. That's all I needed to know." Jongho quietly sips on the rest of his beer before pushing his plate aside and sitting back into the seat. "San, make your decisions wisely."

"I already told you it was nothing."

"Okay." Jongho says in defeat, leaving the topic alone. All he wants is for San to be genuinely happy, just like their other friends do. But, he's also hoping San is smart enough to make the right [and wise] decisions.

Not be blinded by anything, causing him to make irrational and impulsive decisions based on his feelings.

"Anyway, are you good to go?" San crumples the napkin and tosses it onto his plate before standing up and grabbing his keys, phone.

"Yeah, I am."

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom @barbielibra @brown88 @choisansplushie @yunhoswrldddd @hyukssunflower @vickykazuya @lucid-galaxys-world @jaytheatiny @pommelex @thespiffynerd

[angel-of-the-moons]

The Arm of a God (And Other Things)

Khonshu x Fem!Reader

Summary:

You take a week-long hiking trip alone, despite the warnings at the lodge from experienced hikers.

But were you truly alone?

No. Never.

The bears and mountain lions were the least of your concerns. In fact...

They never were to begin with.

TW/CW: NSFW, Smut, PiV sex, unprotected sex, size difference, reader is a size queen, needy(?)Khonshu, creampie, ngl it's a lot like the dude's a god and like 9 feet tall I refuse to believe every part of his anatomy isn't proportionate to the rest of him, like he has a breeding kink?? God of fertility hellooooooo

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

Taglist: @drinkingwithkhonshu @gingersforeverbox @manque-damour @nikkivenomized

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"Look, kid, no offense but..." The older man replied to you, his thick, bushy eyebrows pinched with concern for your well-being, "It's dangerous out there if you're alone. And compared to a bear, you're a small snack."

You smile at the old man, briefly taking in his far more rugged appearance. He looked every part of a human grizzly bear; large, imposing, muscular. He could probably take an actual grizzly bear in a bare-knuckle fight and come out even. He was an experienced hiker, a man born for the wilderness.

His concern for you was sweet. Compared to him, you were a tiny porcelain teacup; clean, and fragile. Sure you looked that way, but you trusted yourself and your abilities.

You looked small... but you weren't helpless. And you never had to worry in any of your travels.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm covered." You chuckle sweetly, tapping the pendant around your neck. It was a small stone, scribbled with some sort of symbols, a crescent moon featured most prominently.

He squinted his green eyes at the necklace. He obviously couldn't understand what they said, but he understood it was some sort of religious object.

"Look kid, god can only do so much if a brown bear raids your camp in the middle o' the night." He says, clicking his teeth.

"Trust me. I got my bear spray, a good taser, a machete..." You begin listing off your protective items, some of which were bullshit. Most of your items in your pack were food and other important supplies.

He seemed impressed once you were done, stroking his thick beard approvingly. "All right, I s'pose. But since you've checked in here, there's a policy you tune into the lodge's frequency so if anything happens, we can come get ya."

To show how serious you took his advice--even if it wasn't needed--you pulled out your radio. It had about a 30 kilometer radius. An expensive purchase, to be sure, but a nice one. You tune it to the frequency he tells you and look at him as you clip it back to your pack securely.

"Anything else?" You chirp.

"Nope... Just... Be careful. The weather can get kinda crazy further up the mountain." He grunts.

You turn, giving a playful salute as you do, dragging deep into your lungs the air of the mountains after a fresh morning rain.

You weren't afraid for what the night brought. Not at all. But you knew that you've never had to be afraid when the moon rose.

Not when you had faith.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

You'd made good progress, only having to stop and rest a few times throughout the day, free-climbing a few boulders here and there, and to check your map. Your destination was an old burnt-down mansion that was destroyed in a bad storm sometime in the 1920s. So, over a hundred years ago.

Nobody really knew about them or bothered to find them because they were so far off the beaten path, but you marked your trail to find your way back. If you even got lost in the first place.

The first time you found out about this place was a small article written by a backpacker who explored forgotten ruins on YouTube. Yeah, they aren't as exciting as climbing a pyramid down in South America, but to you they were. You adored finding them and exploring them, touching pieces of recent history that were forgotten far quicker than ruins from thousands of years ago.

And when you found them, you tossed your pack down and did a happy little dance; they were amazing! The walls were made of river stone, joined by concrete and held up merely by their own sturdy construction. Some of the walls had fallen due to time, but you could easily make out a few old windows and doorways. Every inch of the ruins was covered in moss, shrubbery, and old and young trees embracing what was left.

You'd even climbed an old stairway you found in the back for fun; it may have led to the worker's lodgings, or.... hell maybe just another entrance to the second floor.

But now, the sun was gone, and you'd set up camp in the middle of the ruins, where a small pond had formed thanks to a depression in the ground. Perhaps the remains of a basement or cellar that had caved in due to the fire and passage of time.

Your fire crackled as you let your water purifier do it's job, your clean water dripping into your canteen with a steady "drip, drip, drip".

You finished off your pre-packaged meal--a nice packet of spaghetti and meatballs with some extra protein powder thrown in--and was now letting it settle, laying on your plush sleeping bag as you stared at the night sky, the moon fat as it hung from the stars; your fingers brushing and caressing the small pendant around your neck.

"I am not surprised to find you in a place like this." A heavy voice echoed off the stone walls.

You sat up on your elbows and lifted your gaze, smiling as you spot him--a large, lithe figure perched casually on the ruins, the light of the moon illuminating the eerie bird skull in place of his head.

"You know how much I love doing this." You remind him.

"Yes, I know." His voice said softly, his body moving in a blur. In a moment, he was standing above you.

You crossed your arms behind your head and grinned up at him. "It's been a month... Having fun with your Moon Guy?"

"My Moon Knight." He corrects, moving to sit next to you, laying his staff down on the remnants of the stone floor, little bits of grass and foliage peeking through the crags.

"Yeah, yeah." You snort, turning to roll on your side to grin at him again, resting your head in the palm of your hand.

"So... Read on the internet about some crazy shit going down in Egypt. And... It felt like you were gone. What happened with that?"

"Ammit and her cult. My Moon Knight and Taweret's Avatar stopped her. My Fist killed her Avatar." He said slowly. "And for meddling with the heavens... The Ennead imprisoned me, briefly."

You sat up fully, shocked by this news. "What? H-how... Why did--"

His fingers brush your lips to silence you, the touch feather light but enough to cease your speaking.

"It is settled, now. Don't worry." He says to you gently, his hand moving to cup your cheek, his warm palm heating your skin while his thumb brushes your cheek.

You close your eyes and sigh, frowning at him. "Damn you, old man... Don't worry me like that again, or I'll kill you."

"Of course. I wouldn't dare incur your wrath." He chuckled.

"Damn straight you won't." You sigh; his hand moved down your throat to encircle you, flattening on your upper back to pull you against him so you were astride in his lap.

You slowly slide your hands up his bandaged chest, feeling his heat bleed through your skin and warm you to your core. Your fingers toy with the large crescent moon fixed to his chest, brushing his flowing robes off to the sides.

"You are a force of nature," He hums, his other hand sliding down to completely encapsulate your ass and pull you tighter against him.

"One I have come to appreciate far more after my imprisonment."

You chuckle and watch as the strips of linen as soft as a moth's wing fall away into wisps of mist, leaving his almost searing hot skin bare to your touch.

His skin was a lifeless monochrome, ashen color, but it wasn't lacking in life at all, far from it. You could feel his godly heart thump in his chest, feel his muscles twitch as you touched him.

And already, you could feel the hard length of him pressing against you, swelling and twitching as it came to life as well.

It felt like his arousal flooded into you, spreading through your core and riling you up. You could already feel yourself soaking through your underwear, a dark stain soaking through your pants.

Sometimes you wished he could come to you at home; or in a motel room at least, so you can wear something nice for him, some lingerie or...

His fingers brushed your lips once again and he tapped them twice, signaling for you to open.

You obey silently, letting the soft pads of his index and middle finger part your jaws, caressing the muscle of your tongue, your eyes locking with his own eyeless gaze.

A rumble comes from him, and he groans as you roll your hips against his erection, the want and heat almost burning you inside and out.

One of your hands shoves down to undo your belt and unbutton your pants, and Khonshu withdraws his fingers from your mouth and almost dizzingly fast, his hand was shoved into your underwear, toying with your swollen clit.

You moan softly, your own small hands gripping at the gold collar on him for stability as one of his large fingers dips into your tight hole.

He grinds his palm into your clit as his finger curled and pressed against that overly sensitive spot on the walls of your cunt.

"Tight..." Khonshu growled, his other hand rolling your hips in time with his other hand. "You need to relax for me, love."

"T-Trying..." You pant, feeling the cool texture of his smooth dry beak caress against the blazing heat of your cheek.

"Hmmmh." He sighed and retracted his hands from you. "Get undressed. I need you to lie back."

You scramble off of his lap, watching his throbbing length bob eagerly as you peel your clothes off of you, lying back on your sleeping bag, spreading your legs for him to see every inch of you that was ready and waiting for him.

He had been gone for a month, and you knew on some nights, even when he wasn't there with you physically, you knew he would watch as you'd touch yourself to thoughts of him. No mortal man could ever compare to the love and carnal touch of a god, and he always felt a pang of guilt when he had to leave you for whatever duties he had.

But your reunions always ended this way, heat, lust and sheer want for companionship. You had started praying to him when you felt other religions didn't do it for you, finding that you being the wanderer that you were, would find more solace in prayer to a god who protected those like you.

And you certainly didn't expect to catch his eye, let alone capture his heart the way that you had.

His hand rests on your knee, thumb caressing the bones beneath the skin as he leans over you. He couldn't kiss you, but you always made sure that was never a problem, even now, as you tipped your head to place a soft kiss to the smooth side of his beak.

"Fuck--" You groaned, dropping your head back onto your travel pillow when his other hand rediscovered its place against your weeping sex, his thumb rolling small circles over your engorged clit while his other two fingers glide over your entrance; the muscles fluttering in anticipation of what was to come.

You squirm with impatience as each swipe of his fingers only serves to ignite a hotter flame burning low in your loins.

"Khonshu." You breathed.

When you said his name like that, it was always sweeter than any offering or prayer he has received. More uplifting than knowing his works uproots evil to protect the innocent, more delicious than watching Ammit and Harrow die at the end of Jake's gun.

"Just a bit more." He tightly reprimands, his other hand squeezing your knee to remind you to relax.

"You're such a damn tease." You whine, wiping one of your hands down your face, biting your lip and gripping your hair as his fingers inch slowly into your tight, hot hole.

Another deep, rumbling groan comes from him as he feels your body grip him like he was your reason for breathing; dragging, squeezing, pleading for him to just take you already....

But he wouldn't--couldn't--until your body had adjusted enough for this to be pleasurable for you as much as him. He was larger than a human man, and he knew your body was fragile compared to his.

Of course, he always felt smug and prideful when he acknowledged the fact he probably ruined you for any mortal man you may decide to bed one day. Because, honestly, now.

What mortal man can compare to a god in both love and in the bedroom?

You arched your hips up off the ground with a moan, whimpering out his name when his fingers curled upwards. But by bit he could feel your muscles ease up around him, your sweet body becoming slick and welcoming.

Sometimes he would get so mesmerized in how your body reacted just to his fingers that he neglected his cock entirely in focus on you.

He could feel your gummy walls press down on his fingers, fluttering around him as he pumped and curled them inside of you, fingering you open so you could take him fully.

He said your name so softly that it crackled like dry leaves on the wind, and you had to lazily drag your eyes open to look at him, the moon and stars shining above and behind him.

He was beautiful, in his own macabre sort of way...

Oh, if the Ennead knew he was fucking you, you both would probably be in heaps of trouble. But you always figured "bring it on" because you had some choice words for those bastards if you ever had the chance to meet them.

But those were thoughts for later, right now you were focused on your impending orgasm as his fingers scissored inside of you, pushing you closer and closer to that peak so when he pushed inside of you with his cock you wouldn't hurt (or bleed, as that has happened before when the two of you got overzealous).

And of course, right as you were about to cum, your whole body electrified to the point you actually thought you saw sparks in your peripheral vision... Khonshu pulled his fingers free of your wanting body.

You practically sobbed in frustration as your climax was taken from you so abruptly. It was a favorite thing of his to do to you; edging you like he does. But you knew it was for more selfish reasons than anything else.

He leaned over you, bracing his body on his forearms as he gently brushed your head with his beak--his closest approximation of a kiss--and you felt something warm and wet drip onto your belly.

Sparing a glance down, you pant softly as you watch the faintly glowing fluid drip from the tip of his cock; the very tip of it flushed the tiniest shade of pink on his otherwise colorless body. Maybe once upon a time his skin was a different color, but in his exile, it has become so dull.

"Are you ready." He grits out. More a statement than a question, really, as he knew your answer beforehand. But it was important to him that you never had any reservations.

He would not take without first receiving consent from you, without giving.

He was not Set, after all.

"Please." You breathe, reaching out to touch his cock, fingers brushing along the silky soft skin, smearing the precum over the tip with your thumb; earning a delicious groan from him.

He grunts softly, nodding as he lets you guide his weeping cock through your slick folds and to your hole.

It was always breath-stealing, the moment he pushed into you, his thick girth spearing you open and filling you so full you swore he was buried in your guts.

You kept your hand low, feeling him as he slowly slid further inside of you, a hiss coming from him. You were relaxed now, yes... but still so tight because of your comparative sizes that it knocked him off kilter; your heat enveloping him so welcomingly as though he was coming home again.

"K-Khonshu!" You hiccuped, your eyes rolling back into your head as you felt him fill you.

Khonshu's leg moves, pushing your thigh and nudging your legs open for him further; the both of you making low breathy sounds as your body squeezed him instinctively at the action.

"I'm... going to move, now." He snarls, reaching down to caress your thigh as he pulls back, your body desperately clinging to him, begging him to stay inside.

Your nails claw at his arms as you grit your teeth, sweat beading your brow as you feel him slide out inch by torturous inch before rolling his hips back into yours, filling you up almost as quickly as he pulled away.

"Oh--oh--" You whine, barely able to speak or form coherent thoughts as Khonshu starts arching his back and rolling his hips at the right angle to make your brain turn to mush.

The first time he had you, you thought you actually died. He had you ride his fingers until you couldn't move, and then he had you pinned, still thrusting his hand inside of you, coaxing and caressing your muscles to allow him entrance.

You did bleed, of course, because of his size. You'd had human bed partners, yes, but none compared to him in any way. You'd probably never be able to look at a human cock again and get as excited as you did when Khonshu teased you.

Oh, how strange it was... Gods often looked down at mortals because of their fallacies, not unlike their own in some ways... But lifetimes ago, the Old Gods of Egypt kept close relationships with their mortal followers. Of course... None had gone so far as to lay with them like Khonshu had done with you.

You'd tried to tease him, the first time you got intimate, that you were his first.

That's when he proved to you that just because you were his first human, didn't mean you were his first bedroom partner.

The way he made love to you was ethereal, almost entirely unreal. It was so good that sometimes you thought you'd dreamt it.

"Khonshu, I'm..." You moan, lifting your hips off of the ground to meet his thrusts as they picked up speed.

Khonshu watched you, his eyeless gaze boring holes into you as he studied your face, as beautiful as the most detailed works of art in human history as you came undone around him, soaking his skin as your body pushes every wave of your climax out.

His pace faltered, and he collapsed back onto his forearms as your legs locked around him, digging into the taut muscles of his glutes as your orgasm nearly knocked him senseless for a moment.

He gripped your sleeping bag tight in one hand as his pace quickened, desperate to taste his own release that threatened to swell up inside of him.

"Almost." He says, his voice wavering.

"Do it." You moan loudly, dragging your nails down his back desperately.

"Hrr--you--" He moaned back, his other hand moving back to grip your thigh so tightly you'd be feeling the bruises for days onward, even in his absence.

"Please."

"You... are... always... so... greedy." He snaps out with each thrust of his hips, the sinful sound of skin slapping skin and your cries filling the ruins.

"Is--Is it really being greedy if you--you want to--want--" Your voice breaks apart as he angles his hips up, his cock throbbing and twitching inside of you as he pumps you full, the sensation of being so utterly stuffed enough to push you into your second orgasm, forcing out globs of his glowing seed around his cock as he fucks you through both your orgasms, riding our your highs together in a blissful, mind-numbing spiral.

You were vaguely aware when he pulled his cock free of your body, barely grasping at the threads of consciousness as he looked down at you, his thumb pressing into your lower belly as he watched his divine seed drip from you.

He half wondered, if maybe you would get pregnant. Wondered what kind of child you would bear. A demi-god, surely, but what kind? In his pantheon, the children of their parents rarely shared the same aspects. Save for some overlapping connectivities, that is...

He could almost see your belly swell, nice and round... And felt something tug deep within his chest, a drive to see if this little thought bubble could burst--to see if his imagination would be a reality and bear fruit.

But, of course... His mind was dragged to the forefront of reality when your shaky little hand caressed the skull that was his head, your eyes drowsy and satiated as you smiled up at him, your god, your protector.

Your lover.

As he laid next to you, he curled your body with his and watched as the last embers of your fire burned away, leaving you only haloed in the soft, silver rays of his moon.

He couldn't believe he ever found you

[dominiquelucalover]

I saw the playlist idea and I'm intrigued, 400 for Luca or Tan, I don't know if you write for Tan. I'm really excited to see what your idea is.

Stay In My Memories | Victor Tan x Reader

Summary: Being a detective in the LAPD was hard enough as is, what with the ghosts of cases haunting you for years. However, you didn't expect to be haunted by the living as well.

Song: Memories - Conan Gray | Game Link

CW: angst, detective!reader, drug dealing, theft, mentioned murder, violence, guns, blood, illusions to sex, MDNI.

Not proofread. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this but I hope it's okay.

Your job came first and foremost no matter what. It didn't matter what your family said to you about settling down or your coworkers telling you to take it easy, that wasn't the life you led. No amount of pressure was going to break you, not from the job, the criminals you put away, or the mountains of paperwork. You got into police work for a reason and you would be damned if anything or anyone was going to take you away from that.

Though, there was one time when it could have happened. You could have settled down, could've had someone to go home to every night, could have taken fewer hours on the job to have what everyone else did - a family.

He was a part of the LAPD's Hollywood Division when you first met. Victor Tan. Your investigations bled into each other while you were hunting down a jewel thief and he a drug dealer selling to elite socialites. Somewhere in the mix, your jewels were replaced with his drugs. It was a wild ride, one that led to the two of you working together for several weeks, which ultimately led to you growing closer.

He was the only man you'd let into your life in a long time. It started with jokes and laughs, then progressed into getting drinks together, which led to you laying in bed together. As your naked bodies met and took each inch of one another in, you swore to yourself to not fall for him. A promise you couldn't keep.

It ended just before he made it into S.W.A.T. and you didn't cry about it. It was an amicable split, at least that was what you told yourself. You went home feeling a little more empty every day, so you threw yourself into your work. You took on more case loads, stayed late hours to finish paperwork, and even dipped your toe into cold cases. Anything to keep your mind off of Victor.

He was nothing more than a memory. Or at least that was what it was supposed to be.

Your paths crossed again, years later, when you led an investigation to a warehouse that was laced with traps. You called in S.W.A.T. having forgotten about your ex-lover until he showed up in the suped up truck with his teammates.

When he saw you, his name left his lips with surprise. "I thought this was a homicide case."

You looked at him, arms crossed over your chest, "I've moved my way up. You're not the only one that was destined for greater things."

His team could feel the awkward tension between the two of you, but you brushed it off a lot faster than he did. You explained the situation to the team, telling them who you were dealing with and what the suspect had done to lend him in this much trouble. Inside was an artillery turret set off by motion sensors. Needless to say, this guy was smart and you needed the big guns to breach his hideout for you.

Once a plan was set up, everything happened so fast. S.W.A.T. entered the warehouse, covering all the exits, and making a break o shut off the turret. The capture of your suspect was a little trickier though and once you heard more gunfire, you rushed in without a second thought. You had brought Victor and his team here, you'd be damned if you were the reason he or any one of them left in a body bag.

The team was separated and your suspect was on the run. You cut him off down a narrow hallway and followed him upstairs to the overhead catwalk. You heard a voice behind you call out your name, but you ignore him. You had your eyes set on one person. Unfortunately, he was expecting you.

He turned back and knocked your gun from your hand, prompting you to fight for his. You struggled with him and eventually got yhe gun out of his hand; it slid across the catwalk a few feet. He punched you in the face, trying to get you to let go of him, only to grab you and knee you in the stomach, but your bulletproof vest helped to protect you. He managed to push you off of him and you stumbled over the railing, catching yourself before you could fall. He made his way for his gun and you could only watch.

He was cornered with two S.W.A.T. officers on eother side of the catwalk, and like the caged animal he was, he fought back. He lifted the gun to shoot and got shot in the chest. He dropped his gun and it fell over the edge as he bled.

Once he was down, Victor ran to you. He pulled you up to safety and you threw your arms around him, trembling. Your face hurt, your vision was beginning to blur, and you needed an anchor. He held you, got you up onto your feet, and walked you off of the catwalk. "You're okay," he kept repeating. "We got him."

After getting patched up by the EMTs, you were released to your Sargent, who was unhappy with your actions. You were in no mood to argue and said you were gone a go home soon, and started for your squad car. Except your eye was swollen and you couldn't see very well, so when you pulled out the keys, they were promptly swiped from your hand.

You turned to yell at whoever was policing your ability to drive, but the words caught in your throat as you came face to face with Victor. You stared at each other for a moment before he said, "Let me drive you home."

There was no questions in his tone. His sincerity was clear but you were apprehensive to accept. However, wordlessly, you did.

It hurt you when he sat you down to talk about the future, about S.W.A.T., about what the two of you were and weren't. A part of you didn't want to remember that night but as you sat in the passenger seat, it was all you could think of. You had spent the better half of your days without him trying to forget he existed. That hurt too, but you never admitted it. You never showed him that.

When you got to your place, he walked you to the door. It was qiluiet, getting late, and you should have been tired. After the day you had, it was expected, but your heart was still thumping rapidly in your chest. You turned to Victor, wondering why you couldn't just talk to each other like normal people, and you nodded to him gently.

"Thanks," you said and unlocked the door.

As you walked over the threshold, he said your name and your turned to him. You stared at each other for a while and you knew it was a bad idea, but you did it anyway.

You kissed him and pulled him into your house. He led your through the rooms he remembered like the back of his hand, kicking the door shut behind him. He pressed you against the wall and pulled your legs up onto his hips, devouring your lips on a needy way that you could only give right back to him.

As his hands pulled your clothes off and your hands raked through his hair, the memories of your romance flooded your system and reignited your heart. It burned through your veins as you hooked your legs behind him. He carried you to your bedroom and laid you down, hands roaming your body like an expert. It was exactly as you remembered him and more, and all you hoped was that in the morning, perhaps, this wouldn't be just a memory.

[dreamescapeswriting]

Stray Kids Reaction || Your Have Another Band Tattoo

PAIRING: Skz x GN!Reader

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - March 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

CHAN:

Chan was working on his laptop when you nervously walked into the living room and paced in front of him, pacing so much it was starting to make him a little dizzy from seeing you.

"What's going on? You only pace when there's something wrong?" He chuckled a little, shutting his laptop and putting his work to the side for a bit. You froze in place and stared at him, nervously playing with the sleeves of your shirt as you tried to think of how you were supposed to start this.

"I have something to show you," You swallowed the lump in your throat. You had a tattoo to show him, one that was going to get increasingly harder to hide from him as your relationship progressed. 

"So show me," He chuckled a little and you slowly rolled up the sleeve of your hoodie,

"I got this a long time ago," You told him before he watched you closely, revealing the tattoo of a guitar as well as some lyrics to a song he knew was your absolute favourite.

"Whoa! When did you get that?!" He runs his hands over the tattoo, admiring it as a giant smile beamed on his face.

"When I turned old enough for my first tattoo, I just remember really wanting it but I just...I-I didn't want you to see it and think I was hiding it." You admit before Chan chuckles once again.

"It's unexpected but you're so freaking cute," He gushes before kissing your cheek softly.

"You think so?!" You'd been so worried that he would be upset about it you never thought about him actually liking it,

"Yeah! This tattoo is a piece of your musical journey," He smirks, still running his fingers over your tattoo as you begin to tell him the story of when you first got it.

MINHO:

As Minho got ready for dance practice with you he stared at you, watching as you beamed at the guys talking about something you seemed excited about but there was something that Minho could see wasn't right about you. There was a huge plaster on your bicep,

"What happened, baby?" He cooed, walking up to you and rubbing your lower back a little. Instantly he felt the mood shift as you stared at him, your eyes watering a little.

"You have to promise not to freak out." You'd done everything to hide this tattoo ever since you'd gotten together with Minho but as the summer days grew closer it was becoming clearer that you didn't have much of a choice anymore.

"Why would I freak out?" He chuckles nervously until you slowly pull off the plaster,  his mouth falling open a little as he sees the logo of another kpop band that wasn't his. 

"I-I'm sorry, I got it before we met, they were my favourite band back then." Tears welled up in your eyes and Minho stared at you, 

"Why would I freak out?" He chuckled softly, he was hurt, sure but he wasn't going to get upset with you for getting a tattoo of a band you loved.

"I thought you'd be...mad?" He stares at you before kissing your forehead softly, 

"I could never be mad at you." He told you with a soft smile, kissing your cheek softly as you felt your body heating up.

"Even if they got a tattoo of my name across their ass?" Felix teased earning a glare from the older member and a giggle from you as you hugged Minho tightly.

CHANGBIN:

Changbin had been nervous ever since he'd seen you in the shower that morning, it had been an accident when he walked in on you but now he was more worried about the tattoo he'd spotted.

"Hey, what's going on in that pretty head?" You giggled walking over to Changbin and gently touching his arm. Changbin hesitated, nervously biting his bottom lip as he stared at you.

"I saw your tattoo," He admits. He remembered the small logo that was on your collarbone, your heart dropped a little. You'd been covering it up with a heavy foundation whenever you were intimate with Changbin and you completely forgot about it in the shower.

"I got it a while ago before we were together..." You admit to him, staring at him as you tried to read him for any signs that he was pissed off at you or not.

"They were my favourite band, I loved their music and it really spoke to me." You whispered as you stared at him. Changbin was a mess of emotions, he was jealous more than anything that someone else was on your body other than him.

"It's cute," He whispered, smiling at you as you felt a weight lift off your shoulders.

"You're not mad?"

"At you? Never...But are you planning on getting more?" He arched a brow at you making you laugh a little and kiss his cheek softly.

"Maybe, you wanna draw one for me?"You teased, kissing him softly as he pulled you close to him.

HYUNJIN:

It had been an accident when Hyunjin saw it, he hadn't even meant to see you today but he'd walked into a shop you just happened to be inside of.

"Are you sure you don't want to get it covered? I mean, you could replace the tattoo with something for his band," Your best friend said as you stared down at your hands, you'd confided in her about the tattoo you had on your thigh from another band.

"I don't want to, their music is a part of me but I don't want Hyunjin to hate me for it." He stilled as he stared at the back of your head, your friend freezing as she saw him standing there.

"I could never hate you," Hyunjin whispered as he sat down beside you, your friend quickly went into the changing rooms and gave you both some time alone.

"I'm upset that you felt that you had to hide something from me but I'd never hate you for getting a tattoo of something you like." He reassured you, rubbing your back softly as you sniffled a little, turning and hiding your head in his neck.

"I love you, okay? A tattoo of some other band is never going to change that," He promised before kissing the top of your head softly.

JISUNG:

Trying on outfits for your friend's upcoming wedding was supposed to be fun but Jisung had ended up walking away from you when you'd shown him the last outfit so you'd quickly rushed to get dressed and chased after him.

"What's going on?" You panted when you finally caught up to him,

"I saw it,"

"It?" You frowned, your heart racing from the running you had just been doing but Jisung sighed at you, shaking his head.

"Your tattoo," As soon as he said it your heart raced for a different reason and you felt your mouth run dry.

"I-"

"When did you get it?" He was hurt and with good reason, it wasn't easy when he found out his partner had another man tattooed on their body and he was starting to overthink it.

"A few years ago, before we got together. He was my bias and I just- I was drunk and decided I needed him on my body," You were anxious about the tattoo, it was always something you'd regretted.

"Oh...S-So it's not recent?" He looked at you, the shine gone from his eyes was enough to make your heart sink as you stared at him and whimpered.

"No, baby, no it was from years ago..."You reached out to touch his hand and he sighed a little.

"I'm sorry I freaked out," He mumbled before you bought him into a tight hug,

"Don't worry about it." You whispered, pulling him toward the food court so you could grab something to eat before you continued shopping.

FELIX:

When Felix had spotted your tattoo over a week ago he instantly began to overthink it all, he didn't want to but the idea of you having someone else's lyrics on your body hurt more than he thought it was going to.

"Have you talked to them about it? Maybe it was a mistake?" Jisung offered some advice but Felix shook his head, his head in his hands as he groaned a little.

"Why didn't they just tell me about it? What if it's because they really like the singer?"

"Lix-" Jisung tried to warn him that you were in the room but Felix shook his head, continuing to list off all the things he'd been overthinking for the last week.

"Is that why you've been avoiding me?" You breathed out, dropping down onto the sofa and rubbing his back softly. You'd been trying to get him to talk to you for days but he'd been skillfully avoiding you until tonight.

"A-Avoiding? No." He stutters a little before you kiss his cheek softly.

"The tattoo is from years ago, it was my first ever tattoo," You explained before kissing his cheek softly yet again and earning a blush from him.

"I shouldn't have been freaked out but-"

"I get it, I'd freak out a little too," You reassured him, kissing him softly as he relaxed a little.

SEUNGMIN:

"Hey, I have something to show you," You told Seungmin as you walked into his place, your smile unable to contain as you practically jumped up and down on the spot.

"Okay...." He chuckled watching you closely, you relaxed a little and slowly rolled the leg of your pants up to reveal your thigh.

"Whoa!" His jaw dropped as he saw his Skzoo tattooed on your leg, he gently ran his fingers over the tattoo and you smirked at him.

"It's fresh! You like it?" You wiggled your brows at him and he nodded at you, before looking at another tattoo on your thigh.

"Is that one from your favourite band?" You looked at where his eyes were going and giggled, nodding your head at him.

"When did you get that? I've never seen it!" He chuckled, completely surprised but amazed by you.

"A few years ago, you like that one?" You smile, sitting beside him as he nods, asking you if you have anymore he didn't know about.

JEONGIN:

You'd fallen asleep on the sofa while you and Jeongin were watching a film and he'd seen the tattoo by accident, his eyes staring down at the logo in amazement. It was etched upon your skin and it looked pretty.

"Is the movie over?" You groaned, rolling toward Jeongin who hummed softly.

"Is that a tattoo of your old favourite band?" He arched a brow and you smirked at him.

"Old favourite?"

"Well obviously we're your favourite now," He smirked at you before you smirked, kissing him softly and nodding.

"It might seem strange, but back then...that band really spoke to me, they were so different from anything else...I just-"

"Baby, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Your love for them is yours and I just love seeing your tattoo," He chuckled holding you tightly in his arms.

@chiisaiblog @sw33tnight @kaitieskidmore97 @laylasbunbunny @stayconnecteed @saymyspringrain @toplinehyunjin @katnisspeetaprim @acciocriativity��@just-aelia @choisoorin @straykids5star @midnightfrog625 @beccaskz @scarletemeterio @halesandy @junhannies @gothic4under4lord @lixie-phoria @soulphoenix1618 @aerastus @jin-from-the-block @lensfilm @elizaschuyler18 @piratequeen-impact @kpopsstuffs @chaeyoungs @delulu18 @xyahrinx @katsukis1wife @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan @blairscott @4-chan-inpadella @niktwazny303 @moonlight-the-writer @armystay89 @hadassahchan @yxngbxkkie @myyouthdonut @extrhotjne @ca11me3mily @elissasimp @xakx @sleepb @kittymaryam-thebrowniefairy @kpopmenace143 @minhosify @loveforred @b1nn1e-1s-cut3 

[lovelywritinglady]

Idea: ones of muzan's lower moons, reader, finds the blue spider lily he wants so bad. Thing is, reader likes him and decides to propose a date with him with it as 1. a gift and 2, for his progress he desires.

fluff?

Sounds great!

Date With Muzan

Muzan Kibutsuji x GN!reader

One of Muzans lower moon demons finds the blue spider lily and will only give it to him on one condition.

Major fluff. Muzan is out of character. Mentions of blood. Reader is a demon. Slight angst. Reader is down bad for Muzan.

Your Pov

Its been two hundreds years now, but I've finally found it! I finally found the blue spider lily for the man that I love and admire. I wonder now if my Lord Muzan will finally know my worth and see me as the truly loyal demon that I know I am. And that none of the upper moons even managed the feat that I have.

Many moons later I finally managed to get an audience with the man of whom I desire. It took a while of convincing him to meet me some where other than the castle that he loves to reside in. I proposed meeting in a quiet little town to which he finally agreed. And now there he was standing before me with all of his fantastic and beautiful glory. Muzan was in his male form this time wearing a suit as his curly hair framed his face perfectly. I bowed showing my respect as his piercing red eyes bore into my frame.

"What is it that you want y/n?" he asked as I kept my head down.

"My Lord, I have found the one thing that you desire most. It is yours my Lord." I told him with a happy smile on your face.

"What is it then?" He asked rather impatiently

"My Lord, first I must admit something serious and please don't take this a sign of disrespect. " You said as you reached into your pocket feeling the blue spider lily in between your fingers. You then continued. "My lord I have admired you for a many many moons. I could go so far as to say I love you, my lord. Would you do me the biggest honor and go on a date with me?" I finally managed admit as I pulled the blue spider lily out of my pocket handing it to Muzan.

Muzan then took the spider lily out of my hand looking at it with awe and then to me with the same wonderous look on his beautiful face. He then carefully put the blue spider lily in his pocket as he grabbed by face with both hands looking at me with a rare but sweet smile adorning his face. He then kissed my head softly which caused and unfamiliar feeling to creep into my body.

"How brilliant you are to have achieved such a feat. Not even my upper moons managed to complete such a task. Therefore, you shall have your date y/n." He told me which left me smiling like a love sick human.

"You honor me, My Lord, thank you. And may the flower further your successes in your plans." I told him putting my hands on his and leaning into his hands.

"You have done well. Where and when you you like our date to happen?" Muzan asked taking his hands off of my face, which made me miss the feeling already.

"There is a festival of fireworks in this town next month. Is that alright with you, My Lord." I asked with hope lacing my tone.

"It's a date then." Muzan teased winking at me playfully. This made me chuckle in response. And as I was about to speak, he was gone. I honestly wasn't surprised knowing how unpredictable that man can be.

One Moon Later...

I stood in the same small town where I admitted my feeling for Muzan. I gave him the thing he wanted most to show him how much I desire him. I'm dressed in a traditional kimono, trying to blend in with the humans. I heard them whisper how attractive I was and how they've never seen someone like me. It was funny really, having these humans fawn over me. Excitement for my date filled my body giving me a smile that I truly haven't had since I was human, which was well over two hundred years ago. I now just hoped that Muzan would be a man of his word. With a sudden flash, the man is question appeared before me also wearing a traditional kimono that fit him perfectly. I was absolutely in awe by how handsome he looked, but before I could comment on his appearance, he beat me to it.

"My My y/n, you look stunning." Muzan complimented making my cheeks feel hot.

"Thank you my Lord Muzan, you look quite handsome yourself." I thanked him as I bowed showing respect.

"I hope this date of ours satisfies you. You have earned it." Muzan told me as he stood by my side taking my hand in his.

"It already has, My Lord Muzan." I smiled turning my head to look at him only to find him looking at me with that same smile that he graced me with one moon ago.

"Very well then. The fireworks are starting soon I also have a surprise for you so be a good little demon and pay attention to the show." Muzan stated as I did my best to contain my excitement. However, my efforts failed as he took my hand that he was holding and placed a kiss on the top. As he did so, he kept eye contact with me and I felt like i was going to loose it.

"Thank you." I whispered just as the sound of the first firework boomed in the sky.

The show was beautiful and spending it with Muzan made it even more special. The show lasted longer than I initially thought it would. Ever so often I would look at him, admiring his features. The luck I felt and the honor of his hand once more brought me a sense of warmth that I've never felt before as a strange liquid poured from my eyes.

"Pay attention now, y/n, your surprise is about to happen." Muzan spoke which made me pay attention to the fireworks once more.

To my absolute amazement, the show was even more colorful and vibrant than before. I wondered if the surprise was simply that Muzan asked them (or forced them) to make the show longer. However, after a few moments, the sweetest gesture was written up in the sky: my name. It was written in my favorite color with beautiful vibrant fireworks in the back ground illuminating my name in the dark sky. I turned to Muzan and before I could think, I hugged him tightly. I could tell that he was shocked that I hugged him, but I simply didn't care. For this gesture was so kind and thoughtful, especially from someone so dear to my heart.

"Thank you, My Lord." I said with glee as I quickly bowed at him.

"You are very welcome, y/n. I hope you have enjoyed our little date, my little demon." He cooed wrapping one of his arms around my waist as the other stroked my head. I snuggled into him as he held me grateful that I was able to manage something impossible for him. And now I finally get to relish in the fact that I am in the arms of the demon I love. I will be forever grateful that I was able to go on a date with Muzan.

Thank you for reading!💜 Many thanks to the person that requested this fic.

Please feel free to like, comment, request, and reblog.

Click here to see what I’ll write for and HERE for my master list.

•I do NOT own any characters except y/n•

L.W.L

[shadowkoo]

I just needed to come here and vent for a moment. As a writer, I put a lot of time and thought into curating my ideas and outlining fics before I even begin writing. So, you can imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to a tumblr notification that someone had tagged me in a post titled “[My Fic Title] Part 2.”

Naturally, I was a bit shocked. After scrolling through it, I realized that this user had written a second part to one of my fanfics, and they tagged me to credit me for the original story.

While I won’t name the specific fic or the user (they did remove it per my request), I feel the need to address this publicly with a quick PSA.

My characters, storylines, cliffhangers, and everything in between are my intellectual property. Yes, the characters are inspired by real idols, and yes, some of my plots exist within established TV/film/book universes. But the ideas, twists, and execution are mine, and I’m the one who will decide how they unfold. (For clarity, the fic in question isn’t set in another media universe, but I wanted include this line since it is relevant for a couple of my other works).

I appreciate that this person enjoyed my fic enough to be inspired to write something themselves, but to be completely honest, I don’t think what they did was okay. I have some serious issues with this, and I want to share them to hopefully prevent this from happening to me—or anyone else—again.

First off, I find it incredibly rude that they didn’t reach out to ask my permission beforehand. Had they done so, I would’ve immediately told them not to go forward with it. Instead, I found out through a tag after the fic had already been posted, which felt like a slap in the face. To make matters worse, because of time zone differences, the post was live for hours while I was asleep, gaining traction.

I know that in the fanfic community, it’s somewhat common to write alternate endings or continuations for larger works from big-name authors or shows, but that’s not what’s happening here. I’m a hobby kpop fanfic writer. Writing a fanfic of my fanfic just feels out of line.

To be blunt, it felt like they were piggybacking off the success of my story, trying to steal some of the excitement I’d built for an upcoming second part. It also seemed like an attempt to siphon engagement, followers, and interactions from my readers—people who were already invested in the original work.

What bothers me even more is that I’ve publicly mentioned I’m already working on a second part. It left me with a bad taste, like this person was trying to rush out their version before I could post mine. That kind of move creates confusion for readers and, from where I stand, feels calculated and disrespectful.

So let me make this crystal clear: No one has my consent to rewrite my work, create additional parts to my fics whether they’re complete, on hiatus, or in-progress, whether or not i have mentioned that i'm writing another part, or to publish alternate endings, etc.

Thank you for understanding. - Raven

[bronx-bomber87]

First off thank you much for the lovely response to my last thoughts. I was very nervous about posting and got a lot of good replies, notes and reblogs. This fandom is the best. I think it's important to see both sides and I wanted Tim's to be represented in a way that gave insight without condoning what he'd done. (Cause our boy done messed up.) So giving a little of myself achieved that I believe.

I didn't know a ton about this ep cause I’m a square who stays away from spoilers haha So let’s get started.

6x08 Punch Card

Ugh my heart Tim got a reminder for Lucy’s Bday. Instant heart stomping already….I love that he had a reminder set up though. Making sure he would't forget. I’m crying already. Even though I'm so very sad. I love that he had this setup. When the elevator opens the amount of tension is palpable. Something felt very wrong. Good thing Tim was lost in his Lucy moment or he would've picked up on this sooner.

Poor Tim just wants to explain himself to Mad Dog. To explain what happened. The man is not in a place to receive it and we see later why. That look said it all though when Mad Dog departs. When Dr. London said she just took the wrong elevator my red flag gut was going off.

Now that I've see the episode as a whole I can see Dr. London's play here. She seems to use flirting as a defense mechanism all her own. To protect herself and manipulate those around her. I mean they brought her flirt fest with Aaron in the recap back for a reason I think. She's worried Tim read into something about her interaction with Mad Dog. I mean Tim is clearly upset about seeing him and she uses that to deflect attention off herself. My off meter definitely was kicking on with her. Especially with how flirty she was being I didn't like it.

Now some may see Tim's response as him flirting back but I think he's investigating her. Also he's being a little sassy because he's not comfortable with her doing therapy outside the office. I mean his face when he leaves that elevator is not of a man who just flirted. It's one who is one still hurting and two his cop gut is going off but he isn't sure why....He seems conflicted by what just went down in that elevator. Just like us he was feeling off about her.

This scene was very cute with Grey. I loved him anointing her to be a T.O. LOL Also once again showing the faith he has in Lucy. To train Celina and know she would do a good job. I was excited for this opportunity for her. For her to tap into leadership. Honestly it shouldn't have taken this long for Lucy to get to show her chops with this.

Tim is so busy trying to delete his Lucy reminder he runs into the physical version of it without realizing. Andddddd it’s still awkward af between them. How could It not be? No communication between them so naturally it is. Stilted awkwardness. Lucy got out of there so fast. Even with Tim making the all powerful joke. Trying to make it less awkward. Ow. Couldn't get away fast enough. The way he watches her go. *sigh* Like he's watching his entire heart depart the room.

This hurts you guys. No matter how much I know it’ll be ok at some point this hurts to watch. Grey not pulling any punches noting how very awkward that was. Tim telling him that's actually better than it's been....Makes me wonder how much time has passed between 6x07 and now. Wade not caring that's progress to Tim. He is not messing around....

Just wants Tim to fix is ASAP cause of the team dynamic. He's not wrong. Man isn't wrong. Rarely if ever is. Saying if Tim can't there’s gonna be a transfer and it won’t be Lucy….I mean I LOVE Grey siding with Lucy on this one. Not a doubt in his mind if it shakes out that way it'll be Tim. That being said just hearing that. Ugh. Deep anxiety pit of my stomach. And of course it would be friggin North Hollywood. That damn station been haunting them since S2. Looming over them ready to take one of them away.

Lucy being Celina’s T.O .for the day I love it. She is so excited to be her leader even if it's just for this shift. Just wants to 'Invest in her success.' You know Lucy's leadership is pretty damn identical to how I am with my team. While I am mostly Tim there are pieces of Lucy in me as well. I related to her style of leadership quite a bit.

Aaron and Tim in the surveillance van is hilarious. Their dynamic has always entertained me. I truly adore these two goobers together. Tim is trying so hard to keep his shit together. Aaron dying of ask him if he finds it hard to surveil his old team for an OP? Tim of course gives him the company line. Doing what he is told without complaint. Pulling out some S1 Tim with that reply my love.

Tim then telling him he needs a stronger deodorant LOL It's too funny. What a boring assignment for them both. Tim went from running that entire team. Doing ops and making decisions on the fly to this….Also Aaron being too distracted by his deodorant comment to pay attention is the most Aaron thing ever haha

What I love the most about Lucy with Celina is her correcting without crushing her confidence. Once again reminding me of myself when I'm correcting my work kids on stuff. She is kind but confident in her assessment of what she did wrong in this moment. Celina receiving it well because she handles it this way. Lucy out here crushing it already with zero T.O. training. Just going off instinct and what she would want if she was a newbie still. Once again her and I very alike.

Oh Tim getting that reminder again. *heart clutch.* Sigh my boy. Aaron offering to turn it off for him. I love that he was gonna have it remind him through out the day. Pre-breakup Tim clearly didn't want to forget. Wanted to make sure he not only knew it was but to make sure to make a big deal of it. That's just an assumption on my part but man would've wanted to do that. it's the way he has 'TOMORROW.' Wanting to make sure he didn't forget such an important day. *screams into a pillow.* Aaron asking if he’s gonna get her anything? I’m sure he had stuff in mind. But yeah bad form indeed…

Tim’s sweet smile when he finds out what Aaron got her. Knowing how perfect of a gift that would be for her. That sweet knowing smile makes me wanna weep a bit. He knows his girl so well. Lot of sadness attached to the smile though. 'Can I ask why ya’ll split up?' 'No.' LMAO Took it too far Aaron....You're lucky you got that much good sir.

This scene with Mad Dog hurt my heart for Tim. No matter how wrong he was for what he did I still hate seeing this. This was what I was worried about with him working with Metro. Picking at the wounds he hasn’t even begun to heal about how he left. I knew him making notes on the OP was going to come back and bite him in the ass. Watching all his repercussions is painful to see I have to say. Knowing what we know about Mad Dog later I think that's part of why he goes off on Tim. Doesn't make it any easier to watch though...

Friggin Love Lucy being a BAMF in this episode. Especially in this moment. When she once again corrects but doesn't crush Celina about her gun. It's the way she guides Celina and has control over every situation they encounter in this ep. Proving herself a worthy teacher and leader. Also she was a better teacher to Celina in one episode than Nolan has been her entire career. Dude is a stinker of a T.O. It shows in how Celina makes basic mistakes Lucy had down pat long before this time in her rookie year.

Too bad Lucy can't finish out her training and Nolan is booted. But that'll never happen nothing sticks to that man. Not since S3 premiere. The rules and repercussions are rubber and he's glue. What doesn't stick to him does to everyone else... Grey should really evaluate his teaching skills. But that'll never happen. But she deserves a better teacher than him.

From the minute Tim entered the room something seemed very wrong. From the way Mad Dog was just expecting Tim to flog him. Like he wanted Tim to ream him out for how the OP went down. Also how Mad Dog seemed nervous af to see Dr London. I mean look at that man above. He is scared shitless she is there to see him. The way he watches her though out the scene. Especially when she leaves.

Tim's cop gut is going off like crazy when she enters the room. Wondering how the hell she even know about this? He seems to take her answer at face value because honestly its pretty good considering it's a bold faced lie. Tim once again feeling like something is very off but isn't sure why.

First let me say once again I feel personally attacked by the choice in song once again. lol I couldn't find the song to save my life. The lyrics are *chef kiss.* They're painfully accurate for them both. Think they've been very intentional with their ending music and just in general this season. These lyrics filled me with some hope as well. Jotted down the lyrics since couldn't find the song.

‘When the sun won’t shine and the words don’t rhyme. And there’s mountains you can’t move. Somethings on your mind and it’s been some time-since you felt like you were you. When it all caves in feeling paper thin. And the pain might cut right through.

Oh child, Lift up your head. All this trouble's only gonna last for awhile.’ Yeah we’re gonna be all right oh child. Lift up your head. And the light's gonna find you. When you feel like you ain’t got a friend. And you’re wondering if you ever gonna smile again. Every little thing gonna be ok. I know that you gonna see better days.’ *heart clutch.*

Damn smart of Tim saying happy birthday from Kojo and not him. I’m not crying you are. This was so so sweet. Lucy's reaction to Kojo got me all in my feels. She's so excited to see him. Then that excitement melts into sadness. Because he's an extension of Tim. The way she pet's him and says how much she misses him ugh.

Seems there is a double meaning going on there. We all know despite the hurt how much she misses her person. Tim just standing there only imagining her reaction when Kojo makes his way back. What a way to bring that sweet boy back in. I'm so happy about it. Tim is respecting her space but couldn’t let her bday go without doing something. Had to let her know her was thinking of her still. The fact that it’s happening in the hallway where so many seminal moments have played out for them.... I wanna cry.

I LOVE that Tim got Kojo to put his little paw in ink for the card. It is so sweet. Their fur baby. He put serious thought and effort into this. This was so well done. Only Melissa and Eric could have chemistry without even seeing each other. This is the first time we've really seen Lucy cry about them. 6x06 she was in complete shock. 6x07 was her processing her thoughts/emotions. She was on the verge of tears but we didn't see her cry. This was first time we've seen her shed tears on screen at least since the break up. Wanna hug her so much. She deserved this card and more. Like a real conversation with him but this is a good start.

She knows this is Tim reaching out without physically doing so. Showing her he still cares. I mean he clearly very much does. You don't put thought and effort in like this if you don't. It's a huge thing for him to do right now. Lucy recognizes the effort in this adorable act. Tim's face after she reads the card. Ripping my damn heart out. The absolute regret splayed all over it. Like it’s finally hitting him what he’s done to her. What he’s lost in the process. He gave up his favorite person. His happy place and just it’s hitting him square in his chest.

Like a freight train that’s run him over. It's the way he shakes his head. Kicking himself. Knowing he hastily threw them away. What a mistake he’s made in his irrational decision making. It’s written all over his beautiful face. He may not fully understand yet why he did it but the regret is evident. Eric be killing me. His face screams all that. Knowing he should’ve been with Lucy for her birthday. Hell probably sharing that bath bomb she brought up with her. Killing me softly. Hurts so good. Damnit writers... This is being handled so well though. So hats off to them. They both needed this moment more than either of them knew.

Mad dog killing himself....jesus H Christ. Poor Tim the last thing he needs is this. It explains why he was extra nasty to Tim though. Tim saw the flaw in his play and freaked the hell out. Also for Tim to see someone he once trusted with his life compromise themselves. Compromise the safety of their own men. Gut punch. And for what? Money? Power? We won't know till more of this unravels. Whatever it is won't be for a good reason. I know Tim hates himself for his mistakes. But those mistakes always had some form of honor attached to them.

He may not see that but I do. Now the op where he got his men killed no but what he did after was honorable. What he did for Mitch came from a honorable place. I just wonder how seeing Mad Dog doing something so very un-honorable is gonna affect him moving forward...Oh my lord I’m so mad about Dr London not because I liked her. But because I didn’t want it to derail Tim’s therapy in any way. The man needs it. Here’s hoping he continues in s7 with someone better.

Everyone was right she’s a dirty birdy. I was just hoping she wouldn’t be. But my ick and uncomfortable factor went WAY up in this ep with her. I knew it was inevitable. It's not that I didn't want to be wrong about her. It's the fact I didn't want this to hurt Aaron and I definitely I didn’t want her to be dirty for Tim that was it. For his therapy and the progress he's made. I hope this doesn’t affect his therapy journey and he can find someone not compromised in S7.

That promo for next week oh my lord….the hug! The hug! "This doesn't change anything." Then pulls him right in like nothing's changed. I will be living there from now on. Or until next week lol Love the Finale being a 2 parter as well. Phew this is gonna be an intense ending to this season. Gonna be chomping at the bit for S7 once it's done I know it. Like the song stated we're gonna see better days. I truly believe that. We got this my lovely fandom. Thank you for always being so wonderfully receptive of these reviews. Appreciate any likes, comments or reblogs that come my way.

~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

Angela shooting Monica down with Wesley. She's an Epic Queen and I adore her.

Dr London is in alliance with Monica. That's super great….cool cool cool……I have a feeling and D and I discussed this earlier. Reminds us of Armstrong. This feels more like a she's been forced into it a situation. Because its obvious she's good at her job.

But the way she freaked out about the cops being hurt clearly shook her. She looked on the verge of tears in Mad Dog's room. So do I think she's a bad person? Unsure at the moment. Do I think she was once a good person who was manipulated into whatever this alliance is? I do. Be interesting to see how her SL unfolds.

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Ruby: I feel like I need a can opener with you. It's like - ugh - aren't you frustrated?

Jaune: No I am.

Ruby: Well why aren't you showing it? And your semblance. You never get excited when it activates while we're training.

Jaune: It doesn't do anything. Doesn't last long. And only makes me glow.

Jaune: *internally* Fitting. If I would have had this power at Beacon I would have been just as useless for Pyrrha.

Ruby: *jabs him in the ribs past a gap in his armor she casually exploited*

Jaune: *hisses in pain*

Ruby: I heard that. You were thinking you were useless again. Weren't you Jaune.

Jaune: Fuck.

Ruby: I'm sure it does more than make you look good.

Jaune: *experiencing emotional whiplash*

Ruby: Well?

Jaune: Well to what in all of that?

Ruby: All of it!

Jaune: I'm just trying to stay on track and get you to Haven.

Ruby: Ugh.

Jaune: Huh. Is it something I said.

Ruby: *distinctly doesn't look impressed by that* Then what's it like? I forced you out here. To come with me to Haven and trek all the way across the world with me. Even though I had no idea how far that was.

Jaune: Ruby I did know how far it was. And I know if you hadn't...

If she hadn't what, exactly? He was trying to fight but it was hard. It was a little like Weiss had rubbed off on Ruby, in some of her best ways. He'd found that confidence and authority attractive before but when it was directed at me it was hard to fight.

What could he possibly tell her? That he needed her to tell him what to do and give his life direction?

She just told him how stressed she was. He couldn't add to that. He clicked my jaw in thought.

His teeth clacked together audibly.

Ruby: *looked from my eyes to his jaw. Like he just bit her hard* You shouldn't do that to yourself.

Jaune: That's what I mean. What would I do if I didn't have you right now? If you hadn't taken me in, I don't know where I would have gone.

Ruby: You would have found something.

No. His family. He stole this from them. He couldn't go back. And Nora and Ren they got in with like a scholarship for orphan hunters-to-be or something. They were homeless again. He thought they thought he'd abandon them.

Jaune: No. So, when you asked me to come it was just-it was a no-brainer. What would I have done? What alternatives would I have had? And if I hadn't gone with you, would I have found Pyrrha’s armor, even? Would I know for sure what happened? It was like destiny. And this is too.

Ruby: You really think so? *her hands fidget through her hair, somehow plucking at the red tips even out of the corner of her eye*

Jaune: Well no, it’s more like I need to make this the timeline where I succeed, but we can. You know?

Ruby: You think if we're smart and hardworking enough, it'll be enough? That's not like you.

Jaune: Ruby, this is just a setback. Even if it takes months. We have no timetable for getting to Haven. No tournament. No obvious target beyond the school and city which should be in a state of high alert.

Ruby: But what about your semblance? You and me. Are we making progress there?”

Jaune: We’ll have time to figure out how to use it.

Jaune: *internally* If it had a use.

Jaune: Tss. *He clutched a rib. She jabbed him again.*

Ruby: You and me. You butt.

Jaune: Us?

Ruby: What are we, Jaune? What am I to you?

Good question.

He thought about it. It wasn't like he could just say she was his partner because that had connotations to huntsmen. If he just blurted out, she was his new partner it would hurt everyone.

Besides, she had made it clear that Weiss was her best friend. Whatever that meant to her.

Jaune: You're my oldest friend for sure. Things are rough for me right now but it wasn't like I didn't think about you before, too.

Ruby: That's not fair. Pyrrha was…She made it clear she liked you a lot.

Ouch. But…

Jaune: You were so nice and sweet to me when I didn't deserve it. I could always count on you for advice and it was always good.

Ruby: I don't know…

Jaune: Even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear. So, it sounds dumb to say something like boyfriend, but you can if you want.

Ruby: We're a couple. You make things so complicated.

Jaune: The thing about that is-

Ruby: Do you love me?

Jaune: Uh, yeah.

She smiled, flushing, but she managed to roll her eyes and look right at him. For a moment he could hear nothing but the rain against the tent.

Ruby: Jaune I need you to better than 'uh yeah.' *she smiled adorably. It took him a second to realize she was teasing him. By the time he did so, his eyes flicked down to her lips and back up to her eyes. It was too late. Her smile roared across her face*

Ruby: You really want to kiss me, don't you? You can. You know. Maybe not all the time but you can kiss me.

Does so. He pushed her back against her thin mattress. He could feel her hip bone against my abdomen and the smooth curve of her sides. He put his hands around her back and pulled her in close to me and she let out a tiny sigh.

[mister-qi]

Mr. Qi Friendship and Romance Mod Devlog 5/9/2024

Previous update

For those curious about the mod progress, read on!

Since the previous update, most of my efforts have been spent on Art and Implementation. While I've made some progress on Writing, that hasn't been my main focus.

Writing

Heart Events: no major progress, besides a bit of writing/blocking for the 4 heart cutscene.

Daily Dialogues: Generic dailies are 64% done. Unique dailies are currently on the back-burner. Marriage dailies are also on the back-burner, but I have quite a few written regardless.

Misc dialogues: A new section! This includes so many little details, which even get as hyper-specific as what happens if you divorce him and then attempt to invite him to a movie. What does he say if you give him a bouquet at low hearts? What does he say if you're married to him and there are slimes in the house? Stuff like that! There are 49 of these written so far, and it's hard to estimate my progress because as I continue looking through both the documentation and existing files I get more and more ideas.

Gift Dialogues: Not a ton of progress since the previous update, though I've written his birthday gift reactions.

Art

Portraits: 2 new portraits finished: blush and shocked.

Sprites: You may have seen me posting about this, but Mr. Qi does not have a walk cycle in the vanilla game, so I had to make custom animations for him. I've also changed his color scheme to better match his sprites.

Besides that, I've also made a walk cycle for the Bouncer, who will show up in at least one cutscene, maybe two.

look at him go!

Maps: I'm really excited to announce that I've recruited someone to help with maps! Their name is wovensong, and they're currently working on the Casino VIP Room, which features in the 10 heart cutscene. They're helping with both the sprites and .tmx files, which is a huge help.

Misc sprites: none yet

Implementation

I have a functional version of Mr. Qi that can be befriended in my files now. He doesn't have a ton of dialogue in game yet, but you can give him stuff, raise his friendship, and trigger some placeholder heart events. But getting to that point has been kind of a hassle, in ways that the average modder doesn't have to deal with!

You see... the vanilla "Mister Qi" has a space in his internal name. If you know anything about coding, this should be setting off alarm bells.

Here's an example of where that's an issue: say you want to trigger a cutscene at two hearts with an NPC. You'd write something like:

f Jodi 500

which the game reads as "trigger this cutscene when you have 500 amount of friendship with the NPC named Jodi"

But if you were to write:

f Mister Qi 500

the game would go "you want me to trigger this cutscene when you have Qi amount of friendship with the NPC named Mister?? WTF?" and then SMAPI throws you a big red error and the cutscene would never trigger. Yippee!

It took me... a while to figure out how to get around this. Luckily the 1.6 update now allows for parsing for quotes in certain scenarios, so what actually works is:

f \"Mister Qi\" 500

So I'm glad that I started this mod now instead of pre-1.6!

However, it's definitely possible that the space in the internal name will cause issues down the line, so I have some (rough) code for what to do in that scenario. This involves hiding the vanilla Mister Qi, and adding a new, identical NPC with an internal name that doesn't have a space. Other mods, such as Morris Redeemed and some NPCs like Marlon and Gunther in SVE, do this as well.

And, if you're thinking that I could just change the internal name itself: maybe?? But probably not. There's some hardcoded stuff surrounding Mister Qi, and I worry about breaking it. Additionally, if any future official Stardew updates added new content revolving around Mister Qi, there's a risk that the mod would break in more serious ways.

Final Notes

Overall, I feel like I'm making pretty good progress! There's still a lot to get done, but I'm proud of the work I've done so far. Thanks for reading!

[thefirstknife]

Ok now with context, Crow going through actually makes a lot of sense:

Because Crow has a connection to Mara, she can keep track of where he goes and Osiris can use that connection to make the bridge for the rest of us. From Osiris:

I love Mara's reaction too. She's obviously distraught, but she eventually relents:

Mara's days of thinking she alone can save everyone are long over. And her days of thinking that she can control and direct her brother are over too. Their radio message also destroyed me:

Mara: Are you sure you want this? Crow: Osiris thinks it's the best shot we've got. Mara: You didn't answer my question. Crow: I don't know... I've been trying to find what I want my whole life, even as Uldren. I used to think the Traveler gave me purpose. Uldren thought his came from you... Hmph. Mara: I never meant to twist you so - only to keep you safe. My protection turned malignant. For that... I am sorry. Crow: It wasn't just you. Uldren heard your heartbeat and chose to make that his core. He mistook impulse for meaning. I won't! So... I guess it's not that I want this. I need it. I believe in it. Even if I don't make it, everyone else just might. Mara: I sacrificed you before to preserve a chance for a future - I can't do that again. Crow: I'll be fine, as long as you and I stick together... Remember, Rega? Mara: Still subsisting off stories of hope and bravery. I have missed you. Crow: [chuckles] I guess I always have been the one to fill my head with nonsense, right? Mara: Your hope is not nonsense. It is a vital line of sustenance. One I have learned through our people. Fill your heart with it, and I will keep you in mine until you return to me. Crow: I will. Mara: Go, then. Find purpose of your own, and not one of mine or anyone else's making. Crow: Thank you, sister... You'll see me again. And this time, I'll remember you.

This is basically the culmination of their entire story ever since they were human. Mara always wanted to protect him because she felt responsible for him because their mother refused to be a parent to them. And since she was young at the time, she messed up her protective impulse and turned it into something awful. And over the years she's had time to think about it, especially in the last two years since she's been back in seasons. She went from being confused about Crow to being protective again to being rejected by him and learning that she needs to do things differently and now she fully apologised and realised what he needs: his own purpose, not anyone elses.

I'm really glad this got resolved before the saga ends and I'm actually really glad that Crow will be the one to do this for us (I have no doubts he'll be perfectly fine; he has to be, we know he makes it through and that a bridge is formed for us to go through), giving him a role that he always wanted to fulfil: a hero in a fantastic story.

It's also really good closure for Mara. She relinquished her control, especially over someone she always felt possessive and protective of and she is finalising her role as just a part of the bomb. We've been looking at her progress for years now and she's been through a lot of change and I think this is a really good way to show her formally and fully changed.

We still have a week to go, which is when we'll get the final lore page. Not sure if we're getting the final week next week or if they'll make us wait, given the extended season. Also no clue when Crow will actually be going through; right away or some end-of-season event or something. We'll have to wait and see! Really excited to find out what will happen for the last week. There's also two more radio messages, so one extra after the story is done.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Idk if you already discussed this but how do you feel about Adrinette being canon when there wasn‘t a reveal yet? Because I think the show just took all the exciting aspects of the love square away by making one side canon and the others strictly platonic.

Sure, they‘re cute and whatnot, but I don‘t think they‘re exactly interesting without the identity shenanigans and stuff? Especially because (to me at least) Adrinette always felt like the weakest side. It‘s a school crush romcom type of love, which is great and all, but like…. You have superheroes in your show?? Hello??? Why not combine the two elements more effectively???The others are either badass superhero couple (I loved the Ladynoir dynamic in the movie for example) or one superhero hangs out with the civilian and they bond. That‘s literally all of fanon Marichat, and I personally think it works with Ladrien too. There‘s different aspects of those relationships that can be explored and create problems that they have to overcome (like the power imbalance with the civilian x hero ships, how do you handle that while dating?)

I wish the writers would use the square more effectively

I'm not against pre-reveal dating, but I agree that Adrienette is the worst side to chose from a story telling perspective because - as you so rightly pointed out - it's arguably the side with the least identity shenanigans and the side that has the least ties to the superhero stuff that's supposed to be the show's main focus. Adrienette is the side you chose if you're focusing on civilian drama which, to be fair, was season five's main focus even though Gabriel had stolen the miraculous and we were all expecting that complication to be the focus of the season five plot.

Instead the focus was "will Marinette ever have the courage to say a kind word to Adrien's face instead of just telling others how much she loves him even though she knows that he explicitly returns her feelings, making this plot kind painful on every level" which was... a choice.... Five seasons and we're still doing this shit? Really?

This may mean that the writer's plan in season six is to continue to focus on civilian drama or it could mean that they didn't think further than season five and we're about to get a lot of awkward writing. Who knows? I have no idea how they're going to handle civilian dating plus secret identities for long since the writers chose the only side of the square where running off to fight akumas isn't a given thing that the couple-in-question knows will happen. My best guess is that the writers will probably just avoid putting Adrienette in the type of situations Adrigami and Lukanette were put in, I guess?

No matter how they handle it, I don't expect major identity shenanigans because the show has never done much with identity shenanigans probably because quality identity shenanigans require you to be able to draw out plots over multiple episodes and then resolve those plots. This show cannot have that kind of plot progression given it's formulaic nature and the "there must always be a secret between Adrien and Marinette" rule, thus the identity shenanigans being so limited.

This means that the side best suited to the show's writing is probably Ladynoir. Still room for the minor identity shenanigans that the show limits itself to, baked-in-yet-low-stakes tension from having to keep the relationship a complete secret, and a much more logical result of the writing in the first four seasons. While Adrien is far from perfect and has issues to rival Marinette's, his crush always felt like the stronger one given that he actually spent time with Ladybug and had a true relationship with her.

Marinette, on the other hand, barely talked to Adrien because the show literally has a rule that she can never successfully confess her crush, so they needed to keep her and Adrien from becoming close to make those continued failed confessions somewhat plausible. Given all that, it's hard for me to buy that Adrien's crush flipped to this girl that he barely knows. Meanwhile Ladybug's crush flipping had a pretty strong setup given that Chat Noir has been her loyal support in her darkest hours.

But that's not what they went with! Instead of having the secret be the low-stakes identities secret, the secret between them is, "Your father was a super villain whose minions killed you on multiple occasions and whose death you were arguably involved with. While were on the topic of your messed up family, you're an artificial being whose creation killed you mother. Oh, and we're also hero partners, which feels like a minor thing compared to all of that, but we might as well mention that, too."

...choice were made folks. Choices were made. This is so not how you write a formula show! You never go this serious!

Since you mentioned the Civilian/hero pairings, let's talk about those both to end on a lighter note and because that's where my personal favorite lies as I am here for identity shenanigans. That's right, folks, I am once again here to sell you on my Ladrien supremacy agenda.

While I have nothing against Marichat, it is not a good fit for canon. It's simply too limiting because Marinette is not a celebrity. There's a reason that of Marinette's canon hangouts with Chat Noir (and almost all Marichat fics) start on her balcony. That's really the only place they can meet up without drawing attention, which should be a major concern for them.

I physically cringed when the show had them go to the movies and on an ice cream date because Chat Noir was being so irresponsible! He cannot be shown to have a close relationship with a civilian, which is the excuse he should have given at the end Elation since that the episode included Gabriel discovering their relationship. The excuse Chat Noir actually gave feels pretty dismissive of his canon relationship with Marinette. She has canonically spent more time talking to Chat Noir then she's spent talking to Adrien and the same actually goes for the amount of time Ladynoir spends talking about non-hero things, so this feels off:

Cat Noir: I’m sorry about what happened, Marinette. You’re right, you have the right to love anyone you want. Even a superhero. But it’s easy for a person to mistake idolization of a superhero for love. So, even if I like this person very much, I could be taking advantage of the situation, and I just can’t do that. It would be wrong.

Evil Illustrator, their heartfelt talk in Glaciator, the movie date in Glaciator 2, and a bunch of other little moments add up to somehow make Marichat the deepest side of the square, which is painfully bad writing given how little screen time this side gets, but it's still what canon gave us. Marinette is not just a fan who only knows him from a distance. They are friends and even occasional teammates. The only reason this pairing doesn't work in canon is because there's nowhere for the relationship to go until a partial or total reveal happens.

Prior to that, it's just these two hanging out on her balcony or maybe going on secret dates around the city. Cute, but not suited to a silly superhero romcom aimed at kids where every story needs to be told in about 20 minutes. It's best left to long form fan content that is allowed to be more about drama and romance than the actual show and also a little more spicy than the actual show because - let's be real here - those rooftop dates would not just be talking. I don't know how you'd write this pairing in a way that's both genuine and well suited to the intended audience. It's simply way more suited to a teen drama than a kid's show.

Ladrien, on the other hand, could work if canon wanted to go there. I don't think it would be a good fit for more than a season*, so Ladynoir is still the better pick for canon's format, but Ladrien could be a nice bit of pre-reveal padding to draw out the reveal and add some fun comedy if the show were allowed to have a reveal.

Because Ladybug and Adrien are both celebrities, you can have them interact in diverse settings without anyone thinking twice. This allows for a good amount of hijinks where Ladybug is trying to protect her boyfriend at public events without revealing their relationship while Adrien is trying to get her to let him run off and transform.

You can also do things like the public seeing them together, thinking they're a couple, and having them both deny it because they aren't, leading to Ladynoir comedy where Ladybug cries because she wishes they were and Chat Noir is like, "Wait, what? You what? ...My Lady, as your loyal partner who is here to support you in all things, I will get you your man even if it kills me!" The thinking-they're-a-couple thing could also be solved via Ladynoir by Ladynoir going public while Adrien remains "single". There's just a lot of potential for the show's style of absurdist humor here.

*Ladrien does eventually fall into the same issues as Marichat where it feels like the reveal needs to happen otherwise you're just repeating the same plots or going too spicy for a kids show via bedroom-based meetups, thus me saying that it's only good for about a season. There's also the problem that Akuma fights and supervillains are endless fodder for Ladynoir issues, but the only issue Ladrien could possibly address is Gabriel and Marichat's got nothing save for maybe Lila? So if you don't want to let a reveal happen, Ladynoir really is the best pick by far. Adrienette can work, but it's way less fun since they have to keep all these secrets while Ladynoir really only has one major secret or, at least, Ladynoir should only have one major secret (the identities). Canon has really dropped the ball on this one.

Now that I've written all this out, maybe the spicy issue is why canon went Adrienette? It's a lot easier to limit their alone time than it is to limit the alone time of any other side. I maintain that you could get away with it in pre-reveal Ladynoir by just ignoring the issue and giving them things to fight any time they try to have a date. You could also end episodes on them starting their date, leaving everything to the imagination but also keeping the setting relatively public (rooftops and the like) unlike the civilian/hero sides whose dates are going to be way more private. I fully understand why a show aimed at 5-to-12-year-olds wouldn't want to go there. That is far more suited to the teen drama Miraculous so desperately wants to be based on the ill-suited plots the writers keep going with.

[lightan117]

May I cut in?

**We all know that only the best Crows know how to dance. I'm also rearranging the romance progression. I felt like something like this should have happened before the first kiss, and then we got to the good stuff, like killing Zara and then the pantry scene! Also, I hate how Neve and Lucanis flirt with each other while I'm trying to romance this damn Crow, like pay attention to Rook! She's standing right there!

Warnings: None, but cute fluffy dancing. Rook can't flirt with a brick wall, and neither can I.

Pairings: Lucanis X (F) Mourn Watcher Rook

~oOo~

"Daisy, I have a slightly weird question if you're willing to humor me." Daisy looked up to find Bellara standing in front of her nervously.

"Sure, Bel, what can I help with?" Daisy set her mug aside and closed the book she was reading. Emmrich's room became her quiet little haven where she could read up on all the books she planned on reading before her banishment from the Necropolis. Thankfully, Emmrich brought more than enough to fill her free time while keeping her updated on all the latest news from home.

"You know how I'm writing my...story, right?" Bellara whispered the last past as if Emmrich couldn't hear her from where he was perched at the top of his winding staircase. Ever since Neve and she found Bellara's serials, the Veil jumper has expressed her desire to write her own. Daisy was very much in support of the idea, wishing that she and Harding were the first to read it once she was done.

"Is this a trick question?" Daisy giggled and leaned forward. "Bel, what's the matter?"

"I need some help writing a certain part, but I need...to kinda see it firsthand," Bellara said, pulling at her fingers and looking anywhere but the necromancer. The words came out without a second thought, and Daisy couldn't help but cover her ever-growing smile.

"Bellara Lutare, how shameful!" Daisy teased, causing Bellara's face to brighten a shade of pink. "I didn't know you needed to witness the act in person."

"No, that! Ugh, that's not what I meant!" Bellara stomped her foot, causing Daisy to chuckle even harder.

Daisy tried to collect herself. "I'm sorry, Bel. You walked right into that one, I'm afraid." Daisy stood and put her hands behind her. What do you need to witness firsthand?"

"Dancing."

"Dancing?"

"You know, fancy dancing!" Bellara said, pulling out her notebook to show some sketches of ballroom dancers. "I know you and Emmrich are probably the only ones who know how to fancy dance, so I was wondering if I could watch you guys dance—to take notes!"

"Who told you I know how to dance?" Daisy's eyes narrowed.

"Emmrich." There was a thump from above them, and they both lifted their heads to see Emmrich disappearing out of view.

"Grandpa, are you giving away mourn watcher secrets now?!" Daisy called up.

"Was it supposed to be a secret?! I didn't know! Wait, is it some secret-order ritual dance?! Do you dance with the dead?!" Bellara's voice got higher as the questions rattled off. Daisy couldn't help but watch as the Viel jumper got more and more excited as Emmrich descended the stairs.

"There are no secrets, Bellara; Daisy is only teasing. She, as always, has a flare for the dramatic when it comes to our order." Emmrich put the book in his hands on the side table. "Her time away has made her one with the riffraff outside Nevarra."

"That's not true; I still uphold everything a mourn watcher is." She leaned toward Bellara, her hand barely covering her mouth to hide her words. "We do dance with the dead, however. You should see how Vorgoth dances."

"Daisy!" Emmrich scolded his fellow necromancer as Bellara took out her notebook to start making notes.

"It's true professor. Why deny it now?" Emmrich looked like he had sucked on a lemon which caused the two ladies to chuckle. "Yes, Bel, we both know how to; what did you call it? Fancy dance?"

"The Mourn Watch does hold occasional balls and soiréesbut there are no grand affairs. The gentry and nobility of Nevarra will invite certain Mourn Watchers to attend in case one of their attendings happens to pass on during the excitement." Emmrich said with a whorl of his hand.

"When I was younger and could attend these parties, my mother brought me to one. It was Nevarran beetle-themed, so everyone wore the most colorful costumes and fancy headpieces. The shoes were horrible and very ugly. The host father was up in his age and was expected to die relatively soon, so my mother was called to attend. Little did we know that he passed right into the punch bowl." Daisy giggled as Bellara's jaw hit the floor in shock. Emmrich pinched the bridge of his nose as Daisy's candor.

"In the punch bowl?!"

"Face first, and surprisingly, he remained standing until someone noticed." Daisy composed herself from her giggles. "They did change the punch after they took his body away."  

"THEY KEPT THE BOWL!?"

"Shall we continue our prior discussion?" Emmrich looked between the two, expressing how much we wished to change the topic. Bellara, of course, went on about how one of her serials had this romantic ballroom scene where the heroine danced with the prince, but the prince didn't know it was the woman he was looking for. Veil jumpers have more lively dances without all the frilly dresses. She wanted to see the dancing in person so she could take notes on how the pair interacted with each other. "I would be happy to lend a hand, Bellara. As long as Daisy here is agreeable to be my partner." Emmrich gave a bow and held out his hand to Daisy.

Daisy giggled and took his hand, "Of course, Professor Volkarin. It would be my honor." Bellara squealed in delight and said the perfect place would be the open area in front of the kitchen. She then ran out the door, exclaiming all the way until the pair could no longer hear her.

"Are you going to be alright, my dear? I saw you wince again the other day." Emmrich asked once Bellara had left. It's been a couple of weeks since Daisy's impalement with venatori daggers. The wounds have healed, but occasionally, Daisy would move in a particular direction, causing her to wince at a painful tug inside her.

"My insides are still a little sore, but nothing I can't handle. Just don't toss me in the air, and I'll be fine." Daisy patted his arm affectionately. "Shall I change into one of my dresses for Bellara? For accuracy?" Daisy teased.

"I think that will be a splendid idea! I'll change into my second-best robes. Manfred!" Emmrich turned around and began getting himself ready. Of course, he could take her suggestion seriously. Daisy rolled her eyes as she left the necromancers' room. Inside her room, Daisy pulled out one of the most recent dresses her mothers had sent her. After her near-death experience, Daisy's mothers immediately had her visit the Necropolis once she was steady on her feet to meet them.

She was given an earful.

Thankfully, Emmrich and Taash were with her during the interaction, or else Daisy would have self-destructed then and there. Valentina was in a fine mood, informing her child how reckless she was to throw herself in danger in front of DAGGERS and expecting Daisy to be fine, even though her mother would not have known what would have happened to her. The rant lasted ten minutes before Catalina stepped in, bringing her child into her arms. Valentina, the taller lady of the group, joined in, wrapping her arms around them. The women embraced, wiped tears from their eyes, and made Daisy swear to be less reckless if she could help. Daisy also expressed that she will be informed next time she attaches a sending crystal to one of her ear cuffs, the charm becoming one of her most used accessories. Valentina said nothing before asking her partner to retrieve the package they had brought for their daughter. Wrapped in brown paper was a dress in a beautiful olive green color in a fun vine fabric at the top with a corset waistband.

You never know when you might need one. Catalina whispered to her with a wink that filled Daisy with dread. She might have said too much about her feelings about some or one of her companions. Along the dress were other products for her to use while on her journey.

"No time like now, I guess," Daisy muttered to herself before changing.

Outside of the dining hall, Emmrich and Bellara waited. Taash and Harding were also there, along with Davrin, who sat on the steps leading to his room. Lucanis and Neve were nowhere to be found...again. Lately, the two have been spending more time together, which sends Daisy's mind reeling with each thought. Even though Daisy has never been in a relationship, she tried to show her interest in Lucanis whenever they were together. She always sought him out to check in on him and Spite when they were at the Lighthouse; she helped him in the kitchen or kept him company.

Daisy can't flirt with a brick wall but tries with Lucanis.

The Crow has been nothing but kind to her, despite the little hiccup with Spite trying to leave the Lighthouse on his own, and Daisy feels or rather hopes that he sees her as someone he can trust. Being locked away, tortured, and saddled with a spirit of Spite would have broken anyone but not him. Daisy admired his courage and hope for tomorrow. His hope gave her her own strength. She's given him gifts of friendship, but she wanted to show Lucanis that she also pays attention to him, including his likes and dislikes, his hope for Treviso and his family, and his struggles with Spite. Daisy sees Lucanis and is not afraid.

When Lucanis is with Never, or she overhears their banter, Daisy's mouth turns sour, her stomach is in knots, and she feels her face burn. Thoughts echo from the past behind her, whispers that degrade her and make her feel small. How could she ever compare to Neve? Neve is beautiful and intelligent, and everything Daisy is not.

"Seems we have an audience, Emmrich," Daisy said as she stepped closer to the group.

"Clean up nice, Rook." Taash complimented. Taash is one of the few companions who doesn't call Daisy by her real name on occasion. When pressed, Taash said it sounded cooler, but that doesn't mean Daisy isn't a great name. Daisy laughed and said Rook definitely sounded better than a weed.

"Why, thank you, Taash. I was trying to be sarcastic with Emmrich, but he took me too literally. I can't have my professor showing me up, can I?" Daisy teased as she approached Emmrich.

"My dear, no one can show you up." Emmrich took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You are far more stunning than myself. I would have suggested different shoes."

Daisy looked down at her feet, her boots sticking from under her dress. "Like I have heels stored away here. Besides, you should really save those compliments for Strife, you know." Daisy stunned the necromancer into silence with a wink. With that, Emmrich called over Bellara to have her watch where they put each other's hands (Taash provided commentary along that way). He then explained that the waltz is the most effortless dance that most ballroom dancing shows. It is one of the best dances for beginners to know first. This brings about an appropriate visual, as the waltz resembles the look of a revolving circle of dancers flowing around the floor.

"Now, with a waltz, here are the steps. This is as the leader. First, stand with your feet hip distance apart and step forward with the left foot while moving your body in the direction of your left foot. Then, you move your right foot sideways to the right. Bring your left foot next to your right foot so your feet are parallel and nearly touching." Emmrich spoke the steps without a partner to show Bellara the footwork first. "Take a step back with your right foot. Then, take a single step with your left foot that moves you back and sideways to the left. Move your right foot to your left so your feet are parallel and nearly touching."

"Remember, The ballroom dance requires two people: one leads and one follows. To begin, both dancers stand about a foot apart, facing each other. The lead dancer places their right hand on the follower's left shoulder, and then the dance begins." Daisy stepped toward Emmrich. They stood a foot away, Emmrich giving a graceful bow while Daisy curtsied. A shy smile played on her lips as she placed her left hand on his shoulder. As Emmrich took her right hand in his, a thrill ran through her. The waltz began, and they moved as one, gliding and turning in perfect synchronicity. It's been forever since she's danced with anyone. Years. Even if Emmrich had caught her foot in the wrong position a few times, Emmrich's tisk-tisk made her pull a face.

Daisy could hear Bellara's giggles and some of the others talking, but there was one person she was missing. "Thinking of someone?" Emmrich asked. Daisy felt her face burn slightly.

"He doesn't see me like that, Emmrich. We're just friends." Daisy whispered. Emmrich hummed, his eyes catching something behind her shoulder. "I have a feeling he likes Neve more than me, and I can understand why."

"Oh my dear, I hightly doubt that. So you will have to forgive me for this, then." Emmrich said and spun Daisy from him into the arms of someone else. Her feet took a second to catch up with the shock going through her as her eyes locked with Lucanis. The stumble didn't stop the movement; it only brought them closer together as Lucanis took the lead from Emmrich.

"May I cut in?" His voice was deep, low, and dangerous. Daisy's heart pounded in her chest, and she swore that he could feel it. She could hear Emmrich talk to Bellara, describing the movement and how the pair were moving in sync. She was overjoyed, her scratching becoming louder and faster. Taash even stepped in, taking ahold of Harding to spin her around in their little corner. Their own giggles and laughter echoed around them.

Daisy's gaze remained locked with Lucanis's as they spun gracefully across the floor. The rest of the room seemed to fade away, leaving only the two in their enchanted fade world. She could feel the warmth of his hand through the delicate fabric of her gown, and her breath caught in her throat at their closeness. "You look magnificent," Lucanis murmured, his voice low enough for only her to hear.

A blush crept up Daisy's cheeks. "Thank you," she replied softly. "You're quite dashing yourself."

Lucanis's lips curved into a tender smile that made her heart skip a beat. He guided her into a graceful twirl before pulling her back to him. Daisy's dress billowed out around her, and she felt a moment of pure, unbridled joy. "Thank my grandmother; she taught me how to dance. One of the few fond memories I have."

"My mother taught me how to dance. She said she refused to have me be an embarrassment on the dancefloor." Daisy giggled as once again Lucanis twirled her around.

"She taught you well." bringing her close, enjoying the flush in her cheeks.

"I never expected to discover that crows know how to dance."

"We still have many surprises to show you." Daisy's heart raced each time Lucanis twirled her, the warmth of his grasp sending electric shivers down her spine. Both of them wrapped in the cocoon of growing connection. With each turn and step, Daisy felt the weight of uncertainty lift. The gentle cadence of the dance ignited a spark within her—a wild exhilaration that sent her spinning. She watched Lucanis, his steady gaze filled with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. A sense of intimacy enveloped them both. Lucanis winced before shaking his head as if to clear someone away. "Mierda, Spite."

"Does Spite want to dance?" Daisy giggled, slightly moving the hand on his shoulder closer to his neck so that her finger slightly grazed it. "I am more than happy to teach him how."

"Perhaps another time, Tesoro. I'm quite enjoying myself at the moment." Lucanis voice made Daisy's legs once again start to feel weak as he looked at her. Oh, how she wanted him to keep looking at her like that. Unaware of them, everyone could feel the tension around the two, so they slowly filtered out, leaving them alone. "Spite does agree, you look...wonderful."

Daisy could feel the blush burn hotter on her skin. "Thank you, Lucanis. Slowly starting to feel it." The two continued twirling for a second more before they realized they were alone. "Did we scare everyone away?"

Lucanis halted their movement, removing his hand from her waist, but the one holding her hand remained. "Would you like some cioccolata calda? I was about to make a fresh batch of coffee when I noticed everyone outside."

"That sounds delicious, of course!" Daisy beamed, and Lucanis led her into the kitchen. It wasn't until they reached the kitchen corner that Daisy realized she had not let go of his hand. "Forgive me," Daisy muttered and let go. By all the sacred undead, must she be so horrible!

Lucanis felt the loss of her hand in his, the warmth that he'd slowly started to crave each time he was near her. Spite screamed to always touch, embrace, and kiss her, and it was getting harder to tell whose thoughts were coming from. To sate some of Spite's thirst, Lucanis reached for Daisy's hand, placing a kiss against the back, his eyes never leaving hers. The way the red color bloomed against her face, traveling down her neck from what he could see, Spite screamed in ecstasy.

MORE. She wants. Us! Kiss her! Touch her! Lucanis tried not to show the wince at the volume of Spite's voice in his head. He couldn't deny the sudden thrill of the way her breath caught, the rosy color deepening in her cheeks, and the addicting response she provided him. "Thank you for the dance, my lady."

Lucanis turned away after releasing her hand. Behind him, Daisy held the hand he kissed to her chest while the other touched her face. Daisy felt as if she would melt away from the sheer heat on her face. "Thank you for dancing with me, sir," Daisy responded, Lucanis whipping his head around to look at her as she suddenly found her voice. "Had I known you dance so well, I would have asked you to be my partner instead of Emmrich."

"Is Emmrich not a decent dancing partner?" Lucanis questioned, adding the ingredients to the pot for her favorite drink.

"Emmrich is a fine dancing partner. For my professor." Daisy stepped closer. "There is someone I would rather dance with instead." She looked up at him from under her eyelashes. It was Lucanis's turn to sweat a bit, and the tone of her voice made his heart hammer and pound. He shoved Spite as far down inside his mind as possible, not wanting the demon to interrupt anything.

"Oh, and who may I ask, would you rather dance with?" Lucanis stepped closer; they were now chest to chest, even if Daisy was an inch or two shorter than him. In his eyes, she was perfect if he tucked her under his chin.

"I...I would very much like to..." Lucanis went to reach up to touch her when suddenly, the doors to the dining room burst open.

"Lucanis, this just came for-sorry guys! Am I interrupting something?" Harding picked the perfect time to watch Daisy spring away from Lucanis, a few butterflies springing forth in her embarrassment as she moved. Lucanis's eyes flashed a deadly color of purple before quickly taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Oh shit, sorry!" Harding placed the letter on the table before backing away. "Carry on!"

The room was suffocating in silence.

Lucanis moved first, taking the pot off the stove before moving to retrieve the letter on the desk. Daisy took it as a sign to move, moving her arms around to disburse the offending insects from her embarrassment. When she looked over at Lucanis, the one dancing with her was gone, and instead, there was one with murder on his mind.

"Lucanis? What is it?" Daisy went to stand next to him.

"Viago found something," Lucanis replied tightly.

"Something bad, I take it from the look on your face."

"Venatori in Treviso. Like I thought. One of them might know where Zara is. Viago has crows watching them." Lucanis turned to look at Daisy. "We find them, we find Zara."

"Everything she did to you...we'll make her pay, Lucanis. Side by side."

"We just have to get this done. I'm not losing anyone else." Lucanis handed the letter to Daisy for her to read. "We'll only get one shot at this. We'll go when you're ready."

"Let me go get dressed and see if Taash wants to come. We might need a heavy hitter." Daisy said, quickly scanning the letter before handing it back to him.

"I'll meet you by the eluvian." Lucanis then turned to go into his pantry room but stopped at the doorway. "Daisy?" The woman turned around, her hand resting on the door handle of the dining room.

"Yes Lucanis?"

"I....I want to talk to you...after all this." Lucanis waved his hand in the air.

Daisy smiled and nodded. "Of course. If there is anything else I can help, please don't hesitate to ask." Then she was gone.

He would tell her his feelings and say what's been on his mind. After this mission, after Zara was dead, then, he could breathe easier.

[sabrinahawthorne]

What's Happening in 2025

I think it's time for an update, and a tentative schedule for the coming year - so let's do that.

Games

Development on CLASH! really slowed down in the latter half of 2024, and while the reasons for that are by and large out of my direct control, I still feel a little bad for not speaking about it for so long.

I am still working on CLASH! - promise. The state of the game is that I'm working around a design challenge (regarding Techniques and how they relate to Fighter customization) by dissecting the game to a more bare-bones version and playtesting the parts that need tweaking until I can iron out those wrinkles. Once I've made some progress with that issue, I'm going to start fitting more pieces back onto the system, playtesting as I go, and putting out further playtest materials.

I don't think I'm going to finish CLASH! in 2025. Looking back, I definitely bit off more than I could chew in trying to complete it in 2024. A project of even this relatively small scope is orders of magnitude more complex than something like Broke Wizards. So in 2025, I'm going to pace myself with it. It's still going to be my focus, so don't worry, especially if you contributed to its crowdfunding campaign. 2025 will have goodies for you, even if the game itself probably won't be done. But I'm going to give the book the time and care it deserves.

But it isn't going to be the only thing I plan on making this year! I've got a handful of lighter things I want to put out. For one, I really want to release supplements for Broke Wizards. Adventure modules, mainly, but I've also got and idea for a magical items supplement with some new rules for crafting and the like.

This year will probably see a new Yon release as well! It's going to look pretty different from A Tyrant's Throne, and it's an exciting prospect.

Keep an eye out through the year. You'll like what I've got coming.

Public Appearances

That's such a bizarre thing to be posting about. Anyway.

The only certain event I'll be at is an episode of the Dovecote with @darlingdemoneclipse! I had a blast my first time, and it made my day when Eclipse offered me another go. I'll be on the show on the 27th of January, and I hope you'll join us.

A less certain prospect is a possible appearance on @tinytablepodcast. As of this posting, Broke Wizards has made it to the second round of voting as a submission for the show! If it wins, then the wonderful folks there will do me the amazing honor of playing my game. You should join their Patreon and vote to get my game a place on the show. And to support the show, of course. They make good stuff. If they end up playing it, then I'll make an appearance for a post-mortem Q&A!

I'm very excited about the possibility, but you should listen to the Tiny Table podcast regardless.

Other Stuff

The bad news is that I'm going to be focusing a little less on writing in 2025. Not ignoring it completely - hopefully the Games section of this update is proof of that - but a little.

The good news is that I'm doing some teaching this year! I won't go into too much detail right now, but the gist is that in 2024, I was given the opportunity to teach game design to beginner designers, and I'm going to take the gig. It's nothing prestige, mind. This is a recurring job at a local arts center, and I'm by no means an expert in this field (at least compared to some peers of mine). But I do have experience as a self-taught designer, and I'm honored and delighted to have the opportunity to give new designers a jumping-off point.

Relatedly, I'm going to be spending a lot of time this year introducing new players to RPGs. This, too, is also going to be a thing local to where I live, so if you follow me you probably won't hear a lot about it. But I'm excited about it, so I'm talking about it.

A Personal Note

You no doubt know this already, given how I have been - and will be - posting about it, but I'm having surgery this summer! It's nothing serious, and it's obviously not urgent. But it's something I've needed done for a while, and it'll be the end of several long-standing issues for me.

What you also certainly know by now is that I'm holding a sale to raise funds for that surgery for the next six months. All my games are included in it, and anything I release before it's over will be added to it. I'm also pushing my ko-fi during that time.

Needless to say, I probably won't be doing much from July to September this year. Not nothing, but not a lot, either.

Thank you all for the support you've shown me this year. It doesn't go unnoticed. Happy new year.

[bivwifeybunny]

I here by request Foolish fluff that can allude to smut!

Maybe reader has a headache and Foolish ends stream early to comfort her and she starts feeling better and then things lead into the bedroom..

(Also may I have permission to write the smut part? Like you put out the fluff and then I give the part 2 that’s smut 👀)

My Special Girl

Pairing(s): Foolish x reader

Warning(s): Cursing, alluded smut (actual smut in the part 2 hehehe 🤭), mostly just fluff tho

A/N: RAHHH I'm finally posting a fic after.... uhhh idk but a LONG time. haha... yeah sorry about that. but HEY it's a foolish fic and that's something new. shrimpy here convinced me to start writing for him (it wasn't hard since i cant say no to shrimpy lmao) but yeah, this is a little collab I did with her. so as said in the ask, she wrote part 2 with the actual smut. I loved writing this and working with her honestly. she helped with a couple questions I had and was really patient with me (i took 11 days to finish this lol rip) so would def do again. also my first collab? im so excited for y'all to read this. anyways this is getting long, enjoy and the link for part two is at the end.

You already felt it coming on. The tension building behind your eyes and the strain forming at your temples. But you’d be cruel to deny him when he looked at you with that cute pout. So you walked off, popped an ibuprofen and came back, sitting next to him as you watched him play some Minecraft.

However, the ibuprofen was definitely not enough. Thanks to his bright ass lights, the less than cozy screaming and yelling, and the eye strain from staring at the monitors, your headache began to worsen.

“I thought Minecraft was supposed to be a relaxing game.” You groaned, eyes squinted as you struggled to keep up with the pvp he was doing.

“Maybe it could be, if Richarlyson wasn’t being such a little bITCH!” Foolish screamed, resulting in another wince from you. His fingers darted around, clicking away as he chased after the little pixelated egg.

And then came the barking.

The back and forth, screaming, barking, with the added touch of his way too bright lights and the blue light from the monitors made you groan again. You leaned your head down, your hand covering your eyes, trying to find some relief. He was so excited to show you his progress on the titan, and you promised you’d at least stay long enough to see it, but you weren’t sure how much longer you could take this.

Luckily though, most of the screaming and barking stopped when Richas made a strategic retreat and teleported away. So you were able to look back at the monitor when he called your name.

“Okay, finally. Alright, alright, look.” Foolish grinned as he warped over to his titan build and began to glide over to it. “Now, I’m obviously not completely done but I’m so close, and I only really have- No, no, nO, NO!” He whined as a creeper dropped down next to him and exploded, ruining a part of the hand.

And unfortunately for you, that note struck the wrong cord and the pounding in your head grew past your limit. “Foolish, I’m gonna go lay down, okay?” You whispered, not only because of the throbbing in your head but also so his chat wouldn’t hear. You hurried off screen, heading back into his bedroom and crawling into bed after ensuring all the lights were off. You tossed the blankets over your head and buried your face into the cool pillow, hoping it’d ease the pain.

Meanwhile, as soon as you left, the doozers were all spamming things like “what happened to ___?”, “i dont think they were feeling well”, “they had their head down earlier”, “are they okay?” and so on.

Foolish, however, didn’t even glance at chat as he hurried off of Minecraft. “I think I’m gonna call it a day, guys. Sorry this was a shorter stream than usual.” He apologized for his 3 hour stream before quickly ending.

As soon as he was sure he ended, he rushed over to his room. He frowned at the dark room and the faint outline of your body curled up under the blankets. “Baby?” He called out quietly, climbing onto the bed next to you. He leaned over, propped up on his elbow and gently drew back the blankets. “What’s wrong?”

“Head hurts.” You muttered, eyes still shut tightly, jaw clenched.

“Aw, I’m sorry, honey.” He whispered softly, turning you to face him before rubbing his thumbs over your eyebrows, a silent instruction to relax from your tense position. “Should’ve told me. I wouldn’t have asked you to come on stream if I’d known you weren’t feeling good. Did you take anything to help it?”

“Just ibuprofen but’s not working.” You answered, leaning into his touch with a soft sigh, making him smile.

“Well, here. Why don't we try a bit of this?” Foolish mumbled, pulling you on top of him. “Where does it hurt?” He asked, to which you muttered, “My temples ‘nd behind my eyes,” snuggling into his warmth. He nodded, moving his hands to your head and beginning to massage your temples gently, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

You sighed in relief, relaxing your stiff position even more as he rubbed away all the tension, humming in a soothing, soft tone. You stayed like that for a while, letting Foolish work his magic while you cuddled him close.

After a little while he kissed your head again and moved his hands away, hugging you instead. “Feel any better?”

“Mhm.”

“Good.” He smiled softly. “And I hope you know I’m going to absolutely clowned on by chat tomorrow and it’s all your fault.” He teased with a playful smirk.

“I say it’s worth it. They already get to spend way too much time with you as is. It’s about time I stole you away from them for a little while.” You laughed, lifting your head to look up at him before smirking. “But if you really want me to make it up to you, I have an idea in mind I’m sure you’d like.”

“Oh ho ho ho.” Foolish giggled excitedly, meeting you halfway when you leaned up to kiss him. “Don’t mind if I do…” He smirked into the kiss, flipping you over. “But since my baby was hurting, why don’t you let me take care of you?”

Part 2 :D by @mentallyillcrustacean

Taglist: @jordyncandy @foxilia @lacunaanonymoused @remiwastaken

Foolish taglist: none yet :)