#But the first time they did it while tweaked off their minds because they didn't know to expect a Gas Attack

[bet-on-me-13]

Fear Toxin had an unintended side effect of the people of Gotham.

So! When Jonathan Crane was first testing his Fear Toxin, he was only ever testing on the Inmates at Arkham. And suprisingly a lot of the Patients there were from outside of Gotham (before it was converted into a revolving door of a Prison, it actually used to be an Asylum for the mentally ill. Who knew?).

Since he had so many Test Subjects from outside of Gotham, by pure coincidence he never actually got to test his Fear Toxin on a Born and Raised Gothamite. The first time he saw the effects of his Toxin on the people of Gotham, was his first Terror Attack on the City.

And it did not go as planned.

As it turns out, the People of Gotham are mostly Liminals due to the high percentage of Ectoplasm in the area the City was built on. And unfortunately for Scarecrow, Ectoplasmic Beings like Liminals have a very different reaction to distilled Fear than normal people.

Their Bodies process it differently, it is filtered by their Ectoplasm into pure energy, and that energy is directed straight into their Dopamine Centers.

Basically, Fear Toxin is Weed for Liminals.

Scarecrow accidentally released a cloud of pure Weed into the City. And the people loved it. It wasn't long before he was being inundated with requests for more of his "Product" from every single Crime Boss in the City.

This wasn't what he wanted! He wanted to see them squirm and riot in unadulterated Terror! He wanted to see them attack eachother in Fear, not raid the nearest 7/11 trying to satisfy their Munchies!

But whenever he tried to make a new Strain of Fear Toxin to get them with, they all rejoiced at his "New Product"! It was sickening!

He should have moved to Metropolis.

[dr-spectre]

I need to talk about this moment from Shadow Generations because this broke me beyond comprehension in the best way possible.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)

Shadow smiling, like giving an actual genuine smile and not a cocky smirk, got to me. This mother fucker has been through hell, he was so down on himself on the ark because he was made to cure Maria yet he couldn't. G.U.N came in and killed someone he loved and it drove his creator mad, making him alter his memories so that they would wake up angry and bitter… and i bet it didn't even take that much manipulation to piss off Shadow either… just a few tweaks to his memory… Shadow then finally remembered Maria's true wish thanks to the help of a pink hedgehog. He had to face his prototype, a ghost from the past... Shadow briefly died after saving the world with the help of Sonic, he then contemplated if he was an android or not, finds out he is part alien, spends 06 trying to prove that's he's gotten over Maria and stop Satan himself, and then finally... he got to the chance to see his family one more time and....

I think this game fully cemented that Shadow is my favourite character in the entire Sonic series. He always allured me as a kid, with his black and red colour scheme, his demeanour, his voice, the way he skated around and the way his quills looked...

He smiles. He smiles because he gets to see Maria and tell directly to her face, "I'm gonna keep fighting for you. I'm gonna protect the world you love." And he finally got the closure that he needed BADLY!

In Shadow 05, he wanted to say goodbye to his past self because thinking about the past and Maria probably gave him so much grief and pain... But now? He changes his mind, he wants to fight for the good that Maria stood for, instead of saying "naw fuck her." While also acknowledging that he can be more than just Maria's wish and fulfil his endless potential as said by his creator/father Gerald. Plus, growth is not linear, seeing Maria and Gerald must have been seriously shocking to him and revert some of that growth from Shadow 05 and Sonic 06…

Shadow has always interested me and it wasn't until recently where I not only replayed Sonic Adventure 2 with a retranslated mod but also Heroes, 06 and Shadow Generations that I've come to truly love and respect this character.

Shadow is surprisingly so fucking well written and the way his story and arc were explored in Sonic Adventure 2 was insanely well done. Even the music was muffled and confusing, just like his memory and his anger. THE MUSIC REFLECTED WHAT HE WAS FEELING AND THINKING!!! THEY PUT IN THAT EXTRA EFFORT IN HIS FIRST APPEARANCE!!!

Not everything they've done with this character after Sonic Adventure 2 was perfect, but some of the stuff they did felt like they gave the character justice.

I am so proud of Sonic Team and what they've done for Shadow Generations. Good on you guys... you've made a game that has emotionally affected a lot of people. I'm proud of you...

[beez3eee]

Portal-ing Into the Stone Age

A Portal x Dr. Stone Fanfic

Title in progress, because I'm really bad at naming things.

As I've mentioned In one other fanfic here, my target audience is me. I just so happen to decide to share my self indulgent ramblings with the greater world. As such I have decided to make a Portal and Dr. Stone cross over because neither hyperfixation reduses to fade and I crave more content.

Also, it's 2nd person reader insert because why the hell not?

Just like VALVe, I will be retconning stuff in Portal just to match the Dr. Stone timeline better. You don't need to know portal lore, but it'd probably help. I can't think of anything else to put here, okay byeeeeee 👋

(if you see a typo, no you didn't.)

Prologue

-----------

You’ve had quite the rough last few days.

As if waking up from, what is essentially, suspended animation wasn’t bad enough, you got flung around, woke up your toxic robot situationship, broke up with her again, broke up with your other toxic robot situationship— british edition—, got back together with the first one but only after being tossed into the depths of a salt mine, and now you’re here trying to kill your second situationship. Is this a sign to stay out of the dating scene from now on? Well, you technically weren’t really dating anyone— or anything— to begin with, but the point still stands,

Your ears had yet to stop ringing from the explosion; you think you might be bleeding, if the moisture running down the side of your head meant anything. Muscles have been aching from traversing hundreds of miles underground, fighting to get to the surface. Aperture really did drill super far down. Being flung backwards via a pile of bombs probably, definitely, didn’t help the throbbing pain encompassing your entire body whatsoever. On the bright side, you may have busted an eardrum and gotten a concussion, but at least you don’t have to hear the grating sound of Wheatley’s gloating. Something about still being alive…?

‘You and me both, man.’ The words echo through your mind, you don’t know how you haven’t died yet either. At this point, you think being in this god forsaken facility seems to have just given you immortality or something of the like. The white from your vision slowly subsides as you push yourself up. You blink a bit aggressively, desperately trying to regain the ability to see before anything else happens. There’s still yelling behind you, what is it with sentient AI and being unequivocally fucking annoying?

With your last bit of strength, you snatch the dual portal device from in front of you and will yourself to turn around. As expected, the hunk of ugly mechanicals suspended from the ceiling had yet to stop tweaking out whilst the facility crumbled, as it had been for at least the past day, if not more. It’s a bit hard to tell time when you’re deep underground in a definitely-not-legal science facility that has an aversion to clocks for some odd reason.

Any monologuing from the both of you is abruptly cut off as another thing crashes and burns, the ceiling this time, lovely. Your gaze is drawn in by the new hole above you; expecting to see more depressing metallic grey or maybe an equally depressing stone grey, you’re instead greeted with the night sky. Better than the alternative, making direct eye contact with the sun would be a bad idea. It’s been a hot minute since you’ve seen the stars, or any celestial body, really. So you’re lucky to be graced with an almost breathtaking view of the moon right before you die, if you ignore the fire everywhere.

“Oh you HAD to play bloody cat n’ mouse, didn’t you? While people were tryin’ to work. Yeah, well now we’re ALL gonna pay the price. ‘CAUSE WE’RE ALL GONNA BLOODY DIE!”

You can’t even get words out to respond to that— as if you’ve been talking much this entire time to begin with. How the hell was this your fault? It’s a three way blame, maybe the AI around here shouldn’t enjoy murder so much. You just wanted to leave, not wreck the already musty facility. How many years had it been anyway, for the once pristine halls to look that decrepit when you woke up. It had to have been a while if that voice over the intercom glitching out in your room meant anything. ‘Nine- nine- nine- nine.’ Like, what, nine years? Ninety? Nine-hundred, perhaps? You shake your head to get rid of the thought, there is no point in dwelling on that right now, you’re seriously about to die. With neurotoxin still floating around the room and the threat of being caught in an implosion, your chances of surviving this bullshit were not very awe-inspiring.

Wheatley, ex robo-bestie/situationship turned current mortal enemy, seems to have noticed where your squinting gaze was pointed as well. Deciding to mock you one last time before you both likely get charred. Oh, grilled food sounds great right now. “Yeah, take one more look at your precious human moon! ‘Cause it cannot help you now!”

Ah, help, isn’t that the thought running through all three of your mind’s; or rather, your mind and GLaDOS & Wheatley’s circuit boards. You’ve almost accepted your fate, there’s really no feasible way out of here. Unless you can find a good surface to teleport to, but all the portal gel is in the facility that’s trying to blow up. Suddenly, without warning, the thought hits you (and a stray piece of metal, but that’s besides the point). This is likely the dumbest, most nonsensical way to escape your current dumb, nonsensical situation. The most idiotic plan you’ve ever conceived; something no one in their right mind would willingly take part in.

You mentally thank whatever gods may or may not exist for giving you this opportunity and Cave Johnson for yapping so much. Moon rocks! Truly a genius.

You take aim and quickly pull the trigger, there's no time to lose. ‘Please let this work,’ you think to yourself, ‘because it would be so fucking funny.’ All seems to go still for a moment as you think you see the moon twinkle. Just a few seconds as your disappointment builds, quickly replaced by sheer joy and adrenaline. As abruptly quiet everything had become, unparalleled entropy shattered that silence. You said no one in their right mind would do something so insane, so, for once, it’s probably good that everything in Aperture caused brain damage.

‘Wheatley was right,’ you think to yourself, ‘People with brain damage really are heroes.’

Your portal device slips out of your hands in the chaos of being sucked into a vacuum. You can lament the loss of your technologically advanced toy for not even a millisecond before you leap up and latch onto the metal ball currently being dragged through a portal. How convenient for the last bit of portal gel to be right under Wheatley. If you’re being spit out on the moon, he’s sure as hell coming with you. And to think you were almost perfectly fine with dying on Earth when the void of space was right there. “AHHHHHH!! SPACE! LET GO! WE’RE IN SPACE!” It’s a little hard to hear his yelling while wind whips past your ears, but there was no way in hell you were going to listen and let go. That last bit of self preservation has kicked in and you were hanging onto it by a thread.

“Space? Space! SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!!” One of the corrupted cores fly by your head as Wheatley oh so graciously takes a hit for you. Your grip slips as you’re almost whisked away, out into the vacuum of space, devoid of air. Certain death. Woo hoo!

As scrap metal and concrete dance around you two, your attention turns to the state of the moon. A lunar base was nearby, a tiny thing, probably just for launching a NASA rover or something. Or maybe this was from the moon landing in the 60’s? You think you see what may or may not be a flagpole. But, really, what else would a chunk of white fabric attached to a pole be used for?

Actually, how long has it been since someone swapped the flag out? It’s sunbleached to hell and back. There's nothing even there anymore. You get that moon missions don’t happen very often, but surely they’d replace the flag once in a while, right?

You can feel the creaking of Wheatley as his connection to GLaDOS’ old body wanes, the space core bashing into him combined with that much air force was definitely going to cause some problems. “AGH! LET GO! LET GO! I’M STILL CONNECTED! I CAN PULL MYSELF IN! I CAN FIX THIS!”

Just as you think you can hold on no longer, another CLANG blares right under you, the sound of metal on metal, and you feel the cool touch of a familiar robotic arm grip onto you just before you’re flung out with the core. “I already fixed it! And you are NOT coming back!” GLaDOS yelps, her voice sounds significantly louder. No longer stuck in that potato if you had to guess, good for her. Whether or not that's good for you remains to be seen. You whip your head back around behind you, making eye contact as Wheatley’s pleas to be held on to fizzle out with distance.

Your head tilts down, almost going limp from exhaustion; just before your consciousness fades, from an unholy cocktail of all the stress and injuries from even just the last hour alone, one more interesting little phenomenon catches your eye. Or, more accurately, one very large phenomenon.

You squint, looking ahead, yeah that’s definitely not just the inky blackness of space. You’re no astronaut, but even you were sure that a mass of a bunch of tiny dark space pretzels wasn’t always on the moon. Or actually, NASA is government owned, you wouldn’t be surprised if they were hiding information. Didn’t they confirm the existence of aliens a few times?

Wheat.

There was just wheat everywhere.

You get rid of Wheatley and the first thing you see outside is an almost horrendous amount of wheat everywhere. From what you could recall of your hazy memories from the first time you killed an evil robot and escaped Aperture, you were definitely in a company parking lot. In or near a forest, and you were pretty sure there were trees. So why were you standing in front of a tiny metal shed, in the middle of a wheat field? Where are the trees???

You’d assume this was someone’s farm, but surely you’d see a farm house, or maybe a fence somewhere. But nope, just wheat. Besides, why would no one question where this shed came from if it was just on their property. Unless the person who owns the farm happens to work at Aperture. Which still makes no sense, because you were 87% sure everyone else is dead. Plus, you’d have seen signs of another person nearby, if there were any, no?

You sigh, letting words spill out of your throat for the first time in… well, you couldn’t really remember. “Alone…in a wheat field. With nothing but the clothes on my back and a possibly sentient cube.” You look down at your mildly roasted friend, the pink hearts on the center of each face staring back. It was quite surprising that the companion cube you were forced to leave behind forever ago actually made it out relatively unharmed. It was even more surprising that GLaDOS actually gave it back.

“Let’s go find civilization, I'd rather not starve to death in the wilderness.” You sigh as you bend down to pick up the cube, somewhat soothed by the familiar weight; if not mildly confused on why it felt heavier than usual. You’re likely just used to holding it with the portal gun rather than your hands.

It’s actually quite annoying to walk through overgrown wheat. The grass keeps rubbing against your arms in that uncomfortably itchy way and it’s just a mild hassle to push through in general. You really have no earthly idea where you are, or where you’re going. Thankfully, it’ll be a few hours until nightfall at the very least.

“I should give you a name. You and I are the only things that left that hellscape. We’re trauma bonded now, whether you have a consciousness or not.” You hum, you really can’t see much of anything else. If this, hypothetically, was the same place you exited Aperture for the first time, how long would it have had to have been for the land to change so much?

“I better not be hopelessly in the middle of nowhere, please let there at least be a small town nearby…even if it’s full of weirdos or something.” the sound of your whining is the only thing that fills the air. Truly, you’d take hillbilly hell over the crushing silence and solitude. Which is a sentence you never thought you’d utter in your life. You’re hardly able to finish your sentence before you trip over something and eat shit, hard. You squeeze your eyes shut on instinct, thankfully. A wheat stalk in the eyeball sounds quite painful.

You cannot catch a break, freshly free from human experimentation and you immediately injure yourself. Back luck, it’s all you got. Your hands sting as you push yourself up for the umpteeth time in the last few days. It could be worse, your already calloused palms are used to getting hit by a myriad of materials. “Ah- shit-. What the hell?!” You yelp as you brush off dirt, whipping around to see what just attempted to assassinate you.

“ah…shit, seriously. What the hell?”

There's only two explanations you could come up with for whatever you’re staring at. Either someone decided to dump an incredibly realistic statue out in the middle of nowhere, or you were suddenly transported to ancient, mythological Greece and Medusa is somewhere nearby. All you can really do is stare, in mild horror. It looks way too realistic. Human in a way someone like Michelangelo could never hope to emulate in his sculptures. Humanoid, yes, but cold and unfeeling. This on the other hand was just uncanny enough to set off every alarm in your mind, yet your brain recognized it as a living thing.

If this was once a person, what unfortunate happenings have occurred on the surface while you were in that facility? If not, what artist had the skill to craft something so terrifyingly beautiful, only to leave it out in the middle of nowhere?

You slowly take a few steps back, watching where your feet are so you don’t get a repeat of a few seconds ago. Were you in a horror movie? Did GLaDOS prank you again? Is this her fucked up version of The Truman Show? Aperture basically defied the laws of physics, realistic simulation tech isn’t that outrageous to think of. Virtual reality headsets have been more and more prominent, you think you recall hearing something about one being released in the next few years. Well, before you entered Aperture, you don’t know what year it is right now.

You will yourself to break away from this one sided eye contact, swiftly picking up your companion cube from where you accidentally launched it out of your hands. Spinning around, you walk away, careful to watch for any more of those…”statues.” Seriously creepy things, like those sculptures in cemeteries that move the second you turn your back. Weeping angels, is that what they’re called? You think you just found one.

You stay silent for a bit longer, like speaking would awaken that statue. Your ears only hear the rustle and crunch of the wheat under your boots and your gaze frequently flits around to watch for anything unusual. It feels as though the whole world has gone still, not even the wind daring to caress your surroundings. It’d be unnerving, the lack of noise and your earlier discovery, if you were anyone else. However, anything that isn’t circuit boards and wires brings you peace.

As soon as you think you’re far enough— or maybe the silence was beginning to get unbearable— you allow yourself to speak out loud again. You hold out your companion cube in front of you, eyeing it with contemplation. “Like I said, you need a name…and I am so horrendously bad at naming things.” You patiently wait for a response as you continue your trek through the field, eyes peeled for any more objects embedded in the ground. Despite the futuristic design and the practicality of long fall boots, they were easy to trip in. At the very least, they made you taller.

You continue on this journey for minutes, likely hours. Lack of contact with the outside world truly fucked over your time perception. The crunching of wheat, occasional blow of wind, the sporadic conversation that no one but yourself had the ability to hear; it was therapeutic in an odd way. Like going on a walk around your neighborhood in the dead of night. Something that requires the utmost vigilance yet is soothing all the same.

On the distant horizon, you think you recognize some trees. Ah, it’s beginning to make sense now. It’s quite silly of you to assume Aperture only had one entrance. They may have used OSHA’s violations as a to-do list, but even they would have multiple exits for such a big facility, right? Who knows, maybe you’ll find a staff member…if any of them escaped GLaDOS’ neurotoxin. A highly improbable situation, but you don’t think the chances are 0%

[smolwritingchick]

Smol Brainstorm/Oneshot: Just Let Me Get It Out Of My System

Words: 4,000+

Author's Note: Ok Ok do you remember when Jungkook rapped Ddaeng? When he did this and I saw it years ago this idea sparked in my head. This has some smut in it so if you're not into smut then just ignore it. I actually really liked this and hope to put it in the story when I get to that point after tweaking it once again. So here, let this hold ya!

This would take place well after JenKook are established in pleasuring each other. Both of them are confident in bed and know each other's bodies well by this point. I feel like Jennie would be a switch and once in a while act bratty at times in bed. I kind of get brat tamer vibes from this scenario. Kinda?? In this, she definitely wanted to be in control this time around but Jungkook had other plans when she drove him crazy, lol.

--------

Nah...this was not OK. Nowhere near OK.

How dare he? Does he not understand how this was making her feel?

There Jen stood on stage watching along with the rest of the members as Jungkook rapped a part of Ddaeng. Aggressively might she add. He rapped so well. Jungkook always gave it 1000%. But his appearance was beginning to distract her while she attempted to put how sexy he looked in the back of her mind.

She failed instantly. 

Usually, she would not act this way about him on stage but tonight it was just something about him that was making her feel some type of way. A type of way that made her feel a familiar ache between her legs.

‘What he so loud for?’ she thought, mesmerized as she watched him.

Was it his hair? How fluffy it appeared and framed his handsome features?

She loved that he was growing it out. It gave her extra excuses to run her fingers through it. Long hair suited him well and it seemed like he wasn’t going to be cutting it, anytime soon. If not the hair, was it his voice? He sounded sexy when rapping.

‘Not the time or place, sis,’ she scolded herself, attempting to push the dirty thoughts away.

Okay, but what about his outfit? Because damn, he was looking good. 

Actually, screw it. It was all of the above and again, it was not OK.

Miss Bangtan went on to turn her attention to the crowd, hyping them up with the rest of the members because of how her body was getting worked up. She needed to keep it professional and put these aroused thoughts in the back of her mind.

One thing is for sure, she was going to get this man alone, tonight. No ifs, ands, or buts. Nobody was going to ruin her impromptu dick appointment.

----------------

After the show, the members were safely dropped off at the hotel, coming off from the excitement of the fifth muster. They chatted amongst themselves about the show and what they wanted to eat.

“All right, Korean BBQ it is. Make sure you’re ready in 20.” Namjoon confirmed what they were eating for a late dinner.

“We’ll meet at the lobby,” Yoongi added as they all agreed.

On the floor where their rooms were, Jennie walked behind the guys and Jungkook walked beside her. All those dirty thoughts she had about him this evening came back as she impatiently waited for an opportunity to get him alone. Once the guys were distracted with their own conversations as they walked down the hall, Jennie firmly grabbed Jungkook's hand and began to lead him in a different direction. The direction of her room as they left the rest behind, who were oblivious of their absence. 

“Babe?” Jungkook asked softly.

If only he knew how hard it was to not jump his bones right there...

When she didn't answer him, he raised an eyebrow and watched her curiously as she led him to the door of her room. The room she had all to herself after beating the members in rock, paper, scissors. Once she opened it, she let him go in first and quickly followed in. It was a master suite and Jungkook understood why the members were profoundly upset when Jennie won the game. The room was huge with a dining table, king sized bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen area. 

After tossing his bag on the couch, he turned around to see Jennie tossing her room key and bag on the floor. 

“What—” before he could finish his sentence, her lips crashed against his, hurriedly. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, smooching him for dear life as she held him close. Before he knew it, her tongue had eased its way to brush up against his. The heated gesture prompted him to kiss back, placing his hands on her hips. Whatever had gotten into her, he wasn't complaining.

Pulling away to breathe, her hands roamed over to his jacket, yanking it off. She then proceeded to walk him back to where the bedroom was.

Wasting no time, she lightly shoved him on the king-sized bed. She watched as his back hit the soft sheets while the sounds of his soft panting filled her ears. He looked taken aback by her behavior and prompted himself up on his elbows.

She glanced at his lap. It looked enticing with his legs spread out. Just waiting for her to take a seat. After removing his black bucket hat and tossing it aside, he watched as she stripped down to her underwear. With hungry eyes, he stared at her exposed skin, feeling his jeans getting tighter.

They're supposed to meet everyone in the lobby in less than 20 minutes, right? Well, everyone was going to have to wait.

No longer wondering what was happening, he sat up and reached out for her.

"Get over here," he demanded in a low voice, pulling her to him by the hand. 

With him on the edge of the bed, she straddled him, placing her knees on each side of him. She closed the gap, kissing him again, hands roaming down his chest. She felt that a few buttons were unbuttoned from his shirt. Feeling impatient, she ripped open his shirt and the loud pop of buttons filled their ears. The buttons flew all over the floor and she quickly peeled the shirt off, tossing it away.

Cupping his face, she went in for a deep kiss, while his hands slowly roamed down her body. The sensations between her legs became prominent once she began grinding into him. The action caused Jungkook to groan softly into the kiss, gripping her hips tighter.

"Baby..." he breathed out against her lips once she moved again.

If she kept this up, he wasn't going to be able to control what he was going to do to her. Whatever her intentions were, her being in charge of this was on thin ice. 

Not when she teased him like this.

The Golden Maknae definitely planned to take over soon. But for now, he allowed her to have her fun and let her believe that she would dominate tonight. Jennie moved at a slow pace, driving him crazy. The more she moved, the more she felt him hardening. Just what she wanted.

Everything she was doing with him felt good as her need for him grew. She needed him badly and already felt ready for him as her panties were soaked. They hardly did anything yet he had this effect on her. Pulling back, her lips traveled down to his neck while his breathing became more audible. He let out a few curses as she lightly nipped and sucked on his neck until she found his sweet spot.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips when he moved his hips harder against hers. It seemed like he wanted this as much as she did, meeting his lustful gaze.

“You rapping tonight was too sexy,” she spoke up. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to get you alone? How much I’ve been wanting to ride you?”

That made him widen his eyes. Sure she topped before but he had never seen her in this state of mind after a show. He made her like this because of the way he rapped, tonight?

“Just...just let me get this out of my system and then we can meet with the guys, all right?" she proposed, with urgency in her voice. "Right now, I need you. And I need you to fuck me. Can you do that for me?”

All she wanted was a quickie. She wanted to get railed and then get ready to go out to eat. 

Processing her words, Jungkook couldn’t help but chuckle and slowly lick his lips. His doe eyes darkened as he suggestively raised an eyebrow. She squirmed at the sight of the tempting smirk on his features.

He leaned over to her ear, making her shiver. "You need me that bad, huh? I can do that for you."

That's all she needed to hear as she softly bit her bottom lip and pushed him back down on the bed. He watched as she went to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants.

"Follow my lead," she answered and she pulled his pants and boxers down.

'I'll follow your lead for now. But we're both going to know who is leading tonight when I'm done letting you have your fun,' he thought to himself as very physical ideas popped into his head.

She heard him mention that he had condoms somewhere in his bag, but she shook her head and took out one from her bra, handing it to him. 

"Came prepared," she said proudly as he proceeded to put it on his length.

She was so ready to sit on him but before they could proceed, they heard her phone ringing from her pants. Annoyance briefly flashed on Jennie's face as she had a feeling who was calling. 

"Answer it," Jungkook stated.

"Answer it? Are you going to stay quiet when I talk?" 

"Maybe," he grinned mischievously as he sat up, getting close to her face.

"Kookie..." she warned, earning a light chuckle from him.

She reached over to her jeans while he held her so she wouldn't fall over. Back safely on his lap with her phone in her hands, she looked at the called ID. Surprisingly it was Namjoon and not Jin who called.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Nini, you almost ready? We're downstairs waiting," his deep voice filled her ears.

"Um...go without us, we'll catch up, Namjoon," she replied while he immediately understood.

He laughed at her statement. "Okay. Don't be too long,"

"Give me the phone," she heard Jin in the background. It sounded like he snatched the phone from him as he began to ask questions. "Where in the world are you? Are you almost ready?! We're waiting!"

Before she could answer, Jungkook took the opportunity to trail light kisses around her neck, making her eyes flutter. 

"Are you there, Jennie? Hello? Are you seriously ignoring World Wide Handsome Jin?"

She cleared her throat, pulling away while giving Jungkook a warning glance. He was going to get it for being this playful in a situation like this.

"...yes...I'm still here, Jin," she put an emphasis on his name as a signal to Jungkook. But he didn't care and persisted in kissing and nipping at her neck.

This little shit...

Jennie fought back the moan that threatened to escape. One wrong sound and it was over. Jungkook didn't seem to mind. He always loved a challenge and the thrill of getting caught these days. 

“We're all waiting in the lobby. I want my BBQ, so hurry it up, will you?" Jin exclaimed.

Struggling not to make any sounds from what her man was doing, she stammered, “So-rry. Be down in-a-few!”

“You sound weird. Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

She should have just hung up right then and there because Jungkook began to laugh. 

“Hey! Why is that troublemaker laughing? Jungkook is with you? What are you two doing?!" the oldest member demanded.

"Let's give her another five minutes. If not then she'll just meet us there. You know how she likes to take forever getting ready for things," Namjoon grabbed the phone back, trying to ease the situation for the young lovers.

She heard him end the call as she shook her head and tossed her phone on the bed.

"I can't stand you for doing that,"' she playfully scolded Jungkook.

"It's fun messing with him," he responded and pulled her in for another heated kiss.

She pushed him back down to continue where they had stopped.

"We don't need much foreplay, I'm already ready for you," she admitted, biting her bottom lip softly.

“Yeah, I can feel it. All this from me rapping? I'll make sure to do it again,” he looked pleased to be the one to get her like this.

"You might have to," she said before letting out a sharp gasp when she slowly sat down on his length.

She let out a curse and used his chest for support. When he felt her sit down, he let out a breathy moan and threw his head back. She felt so good around him. Something he'll never get enough of.

"Go slow for me," he directed. "I want to see you enjoy yourself,"

He knew how much she wanted to go fast to get a quick release. The whole point was to have a quickie but he wanted to take it slow first. Regardless, he was going to make it worth it.

His statement made her feel flushed. Over the past few years, his confidence in their intimacy has grown with patience and communication. And he had always made her feel sexy. This time was no exception.

At a slow pace, she moved up and down, closing her eyes in bliss. It had been a while since she topped and she almost forgot how good it felt as soft moans fell from her lips. Jungkook watched in delight as her face scrunched up in pleasure, enjoying the view. After a while, she had found a steady rhythm, bouncing on him, sensually. He was captivated by her. A gorgeous view all to himself. His warm hands roamed around her body as he gazed intently into her eyes.

"That's it...keep going. You look beautiful like this," he admired her.

His hands wandered around her chest. The yellow set she had on complimented her dark skin and he contemplated ripping it off and flipping her over. Finally joining in, he gripped her hips to guide her. As he lifted his hips up, he guided her down to meet his. The movement caused her to whimper his name loudly and he slightly increased the pace.

"You always take me so well,” he praised.

His words made her involuntarily clench around him and he let out a loud moan, slowing down his movements. The way he sounded made her squirm. It was so sexy, she wanted to hear it again. Jungkook, however, was about to snap and gave her a dark, sensuous gaze.

"Jennie...if you do that again, you're going to be in trouble," he warned with a growl.

Did he just...growl underneath her? That sounded even hotter.

"Am I?" she asked innocently.

"Try me,"

She was amused to see him like this. He was the one who messed with her first when she was on the phone, so why not have a little payback?

Jen had no clue what she was in for because Jungkook was always unpredictable in and out of the bedroom. But she took a chance and chose to be hard-headed as she clenched around him again.

Jungkook growled out a loud curse and swiftly sat up, taking her by surprise. Having enough, he gripped her hips and guided her up and down at a faster pace. Snapping his strong hips up against hers, he made her cry out louder than she ever had tonight. She dug her nails into his back and held onto him for dear life. He wasn't kidding when he said she would be in trouble. She was becoming undone by each deep thrust as desperate whimpers escaped her along with his heavy breaths.

"Are you close?" he asked, picking up the pace as he loved how she responded to him.

"Fuck...J-J..." she whined.

She felt herself getting close, feeling an overwhelming amount of pleasure.

"Does it feel too good? You don't want me to stop, do you?" he teased.

She couldn't speak as she shook her head.

"Use your words, baby girl," he demanded.

"N-no, don't st-op-ah!"

Feeling her high approaching, the ecstasy of his thrusts began to make her squirm. It felt so good. So good. But she felt like she wasn't going to be able to withstand it any longer. Jungkook felt her writhe and try to get out of his grip while he proceeded to make her into a moaning mess with his hips.

"Mm-mm," he shook his head and enveloped his arms around her waist firmly. "Remember what you asked for. Isn't this what you wanted?"

He wanted to put her pleasure first and she was going to take it.

"You're not getting off of me until you're fully satisfied," he said as she clung onto him again, scratching his back.

It boosted his pride to see and hear her like this. He knew he was doing his job right, giving her what she wanted.

"You can do it," he encouraged as he felt that she was going to release any moment. "You can handle it. Just let go, baby. Let go for me,"

That was all she needed to hear as she cried out his name, release washing over her. Jennie's body trembled fiercely from how strong her high was because of him. Jungkook's release followed as a low moan escaped him, slowing down his movements. While he stopped thrusting, breathing heavily against her neck, he noticed her body was still shuddering. All because of him and it was a spectacle he wanted to see more often if he could do what he just did again.

"Good girl..." he praised as he felt her shakes come to an end. 

Once their breathing slowed down, she let a low chuckle, murmuring, "Shit..."

She had to take a moment to recollect herself. Fucked up was an understatement but she was well pleased. She never had such an intensified release like this. No matter how much she scratched and pulled his hair, he wouldn't let up and got her to this state. Moving away from his neck, she went in to kiss him, taking in the moment. Gosh, she loved him.

Taking a look at her, Jungkook regarded her cheeks looking wet. Had she been crying? The pleasure felt so good she had shed some tears.

"You okay?" he asked tenderly, wiping her tears with his thumb.

“Mm-hm. I feel great thanks to you. I just hope I can walk," she lightly joked.

"I'll carry you if you can't," he grinned.

"How will we explain that to the guys?"

"You hit your leg on the table of your suite," he suggested, making her chuckle.

"What about you? Are you okay?” she brushed his hair back that was sticking to his forehead.

“I am now that you’re feeling good. Remind me to rap more often to get you like this,"

She got off of him and felt that her legs were a bit wobbly but she managed to walk. Glancing at the floor, she noticed the buttons of his shirt scattered around.

“Oh no,” she said, embarrassed, "I did it again! I should really stop doing that so I won't have to keep buying you shirts to replace the ones I rip,"

She had a bad track record of ripping some of his shirts when they got too passionate. 

“Don’t worry about it," Jungkook smiled in reassurance after he threw away the condom. "I love it when you do it. Let's shower,"

"All right. And we need to think of an alibi. I'm thinking this time we can be late because we were shopping for snacks at a store. I'll buy extra snacks for Jin. You know once he sees them, he forgets about everything else,"

He grinned at the idea. "Believable. I'll get the shower ready,"

After gathering the outfit she was going to wear, Jennie went to meet Jungkook in the bathroom and noticed some of the scratches she made on his back. 

"Oh gosh, your back," she pointed out, feeling a little bad.

"Hm?" he turned and checked out his back in the bathroom mirror.

A few visible scratches from their physical activity. Nothing bad at all. In fact, he liked them.

"It's a sign I did a good job," he said, feeling cocky. "I mean you were shaking because of me,"

He watched as she playfully rolled her eyes while her cheeks burned up at the thought. He was not going to forget making her tremble tonight. No way. Not the way her body reacted to him. She was not going to hear the end of it.

“How’s the water?” she asked, looking at the shower that was running. 

Her shower playlist from her speaker played in the background as she awaited his response. 

“Nice and ready for us,” he gestured for her to go in first after she stripped out of her bra and panties.

But when she stepped in and felt the water hit her, she yelped and jumped out.

“Jungkook! What the hell!? It’s freezing cold!”

The Golden Maknae laughed loudly at how startled she was and blocked her ongoing punches. She was so easy to mess with.

“Annoying~! Cut it out!" she laughed and changed the water setting so it could heat up.

When they got in, Jungkook continued his playful behavior.

"Oh my gosh, would you move?" she complained as he purposely blocked her way so she couldn't reach her body wash. 

"What? I'm not doing anything," he replied innocently. "Oh, you're reaching for this?" he grabbed the body wash.

"Yes, give it," she reached out for it but he lifted his arm up high.

"A kiss first," he negotiated.

She gave him another glare as he puckered his lips. Closing the gap, she gave him the lip lock he wanted. When they pulled away, he smiled victoriously and handed her the body wash. They helped wash each other as the hot water relaxed their bodies. The shower was enjoyable and they danced and sang 'Done For Me' by Charlie Puth and Kehlani. 

Feeling him poke her butt for the third time of their shower, she retaliated by smacking his. Her hit caused him to yelp while she giggled at his reaction. Following Jungkook rinsing off, he almost slipped which made her laugh wholeheartedly. 

“Not funny!"

“That’s what you get for putting cold water on me," she stuck her tongue out at him.

After getting out of the shower and getting situated, Jennie checked her phone to see a message from Namjoon not too long ago. It was to inform her that they went on to the restaurant. At least they wouldn't be super late. 

She put on a white tank top, jeans, and her Nike brand sneakers she had released. She noticed that Jungkook had coordinated with her, wearing his white shirt, Timberlands, and jeans. She placed his large black hoodie on herself, so she could stay warm if the store's air conditioning was too cool for her skin. 

"And before we forget. Concealer," she remembered. 

Jungkook took a seat on the toilet and watched as she placed her dark colored concealer and his on the bathroom counter. Approaching him, she went to take care of concealing his neck first so they could hide their passionate marks.

------------------

When they made it to the store, they grabbed a cart and explored the aisles.

"Okay...those chips Jin likes have to be somewhere," Jennie murmured while Jungkook pushed the cart. "Ah-ha!"

She placed two bags in the cart. "Oh, and these. Tae eats these cookies. I tried them and it's pretty good. Have you?"

"Yeah, but I've been wanting to eat your cookies, again. Can you bake soon? I can help if you want," he asked.

She smiled at the idea, "Yeah, let's do that. Might as well buy some cookie mix while we're in here,"

Fooling around, Jennie sat inside the cart, careful not to crush the snacks. She enjoyed riding in the cart while Jungkook pushed it through each aisle. Before they went to check out their items, he took out his phone to take a selfie. He held the camera up high and stood in front of the cart. He had a silly expression on his face while Jennie posed excitedly with all the snacks, holding up a few bags of chips and candy. After clicking away, he stood beside her to check out the pictures. They laughed at how silly they looked and she encouraged him to post it on Twitter.

He tweeted the photo with the caption, 'Snacks! Nom Nom Nom! #JK'

Tweets under JenKook's selfie came through at a rapid rate, with ARMY gushing over the couple.

‘Omg they’re so cute'

'You two look perfect together'

'awwwwww'

'wtf this is so cute'

'golden duo at it again'

'they look so happy'

'Jennie is in the cart hahaha'

'omg another JenKook post! Finally! We were starving!'

'This is typical JenKook energy lol'

The members, who were already seated at the restaurant and on their phones, saw the post. They began to tweet out their reactions, making ARMY laugh at their banter.

‘Are you telling me you kids have been snack shopping this entire time while we're waiting for you to eat? #Suga'

'Kekekeke. #V'

'Share! #JM'

'YOU'VE BEEN AT THE STORE ALL THIS TIME!? #Jin'

‘Hurry up so we can eat! #Jin'

‘LOL! We’re on our way, sheesh #Jen’

[iminyourwallsbabe]

Alright it's been several months, it's time for me to do part 2 of the Meljay/Goldenforge analysis post a.k.a the "Why Jayce is a fucking bottom" post

It's time for..

Mel beating the disposable black gf allegations

Nah because that take actually pisses me off. First of all, it ignores so much of her character and just dumbs her down to a narrative push, and two, it's just not true??? Let's get into it

We don't get a lot of them in season 2, but the moments we do get with them mean so much. Starting with the beginning, I think there's something to be said about how in the wake of all the destruction, the first thing they pay any mind to is each other. This isn't to say they don't care about anyone else, I'm sure they do, but their priority is each other. And Viktor, of course. The second they kind of get their shit together after the explosion, that's who they look for.

Now, you could easily take this as a Meljayvik thing, and I would absolutely support you because I believe Jayce has two hands BUT this is a Meljay post, so we're gonna look at it from just that perspective.

This mixed with Mel saying "He'll come back to us" later on, further emphasizes their dedication to each other. All things considered, Viktor's life isn't really her problem. It never has been. Shit, she could have completely ignored Viktor from the jump, but because he's important to Jayce, he's important to her. Even if she doesn't personally feel that way (which for the record, I don't think is true. She absolutely cares about Viktor and didn't need to meet Jayce to do it but some people think otherwise). Being a part of Jayce's life and the "Hextech dream" means facing the challenges that come with it alongside him and Mel does that. Especially then, when he's at his lowest. His trust in her is justified.

After this point, they go on their little side quests and whatnot and I don't have too much to say about that. At least not in terms of them as a couple, as individuals there's a lot. It's cute that while he was off playing irl Dark Souls he hallucinated her though. Bro was tweaking out and still had his girl on his mind, that's lovely. ANYWAY, onto by far my favorite moment with them. Like out of everything, this stays in my mind rent free.

So once they're back together and catch up, they get into it a little bit. Jayce has survivor's guilt and he projects that onto Mel, which wasn't fair to either of them. Mel has a similar problem, she has no idea why this power she had wasn't used on someone who needed it most. She barely understands it now, even with the context she got. She could have saved Viktor and by extension the world, but *something* prevented it. Was it her? It's safe to say she might have thought so.

He later apologizes for that, and the conversation that follows is just GORGEOUS. Mel told him she feels like a passenger in her own life, that things were being dictated for her, even though she tried so hard to try and create a future for herself (Side note, this is where I got the idea that she envies Viktor's ambition. I talked about that in a Melvik post. Just thought I'd explain that). And then Jayce says the line that is constantly on loop in my head. "There is no force in the world that can control you."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Like hello???? What a way to tell somebody you love them.

I say that because that right there encompasses the very fundamentals of their relationship. Jayce loved Mel because of her drive, her conviction, her precision, the way she stood up for not only her dreams but his as well. Nowhere in his time knowing her did he ever see her as someone who could be tamed or molded into something she didn't ask for. Remember how I said last time that Mel does almost everything on purpose? That it's all intentional? I think Jayce noticed that too. In his head, with all of that in mind, there's no way she could be a passenger.

Every time I think of this, I think back to season 1, when she asked him "Why did you come to me with this?" And he replied "Nothing feels impossible with you." It says to me that seeing her and the way she navigates life is motivational to him. He keeps going because she does. He keeps fighting back because in his mind, Mel would never let anything hold her back.

And if that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Romantic, platonic, I don't care what you call it but the fact that she is his reason to keep going is real love at it's finest. It both breaks and warms my heart to know that was the last thing he said directly to her before he died.

And it's why I'll never believe even for a second that Mel is the "disposable black girlfriend". To be honest, the only way she was disposed of was by the fandom. When y'all say she's "getting in the way", when y'all tear up her funko pop because you wanted something else, when y'all treat her like the fuckin anti-christ because you think she manipulated Jayce when that isn't even by far the worst thing anyone's done in this show. For fucks sake, Jayce killed a child and Viktor eradicated the human race! It's fine if you don't like her but keep that same energy, hold the same standards for everybody else. And for the love of god, stop calling her disposable.

Mel was never pushed aside for the sake of an endgame ship, not in canon at least. She was loved till the very end.

[riddle-me-fear]

Hey Mr. nygma or Dr. Crane! Have you ever thought of trying a trap where batman gets his ass fear gassed and then has to solve some form of complex riddle or he'll die? I recently had a dream about that happening to me for some reason... and felt like something you'd actually try doing to batman! I mean it's gotta be hard solving riddles when you're tweaked outta your gourd

[tw: suggestive]

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Didn't ye and uh... What's his face... That egyptian pharaoh guy team up once?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler You mean Victor, King Tut? We did, yes. But uhm... That was a rather low point in my life, so it wasn't very fruitful.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Oh, I see. Won't press ya further on that then. But... we can talk 'bout it sometime? If ya want?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Yes... prehaps we could... But! That wasn't the question. So, first of all, interesting dreams you have there.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow D'ya have dreams like that mo' often? Ya maybe wanna give an adress or somethin' - in private, of course - for professional reasons?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Hhh, Jonathan, you know how that comes across, right? Also, don't you have enough test subjects already?

Dr. Jonathan Crane Eheheheh, oh my dear Edward, there isn't a limit to test subje- I mean patients. Look, anon, I understand if you don't wish to share your location, so why don't you come by the new Arkham Sanitarium some time? I may not work there anymore, but I do have my connections.

Edward stares at Jonathan for a bit longer than the other spoke.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow What? Somethin' wrong?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Hmm? Oh, no. It's still just so fascinating to me how you almost seamlessly lose your accent when you switch to "Doctor Crane"-mode. And regain it when you switch back.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Oh do I? Interestin'. Good we caught that on camera, might wanna analyze that later.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler You truly are your own favorite patient/subject, aren't you?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Well, Eddie, ya always gotta look inward first, befo' tryin' ta understand tha outside.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler How very Socrates of you. Right, well, we still haven't answered the initial question. So, have we ever thought of combining our skills to kill the Batman. Well, if you were paying attention, we actually did do that, on a much larger scale. Remember the fear-gas-bomb Jon released on the entire city? While I distracted Bats with my riddles and racing games? Thanks to Joker's infection, the fear toxin Bats was exposed to amplified the symptoms and slowly made him lose his mind. I was trying to kill him every step of the way.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Can't say I'm surprised ya remembered all that, but I'm still kinda touched. Should actually try again, nah that he's outta tha game. Robin's easy, Red Hood I got all figured out, an' I'll leave Nightwing an' Batgirl up to ya.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Yes, well... There's just one problem with that. About how we can't really get anything done around each other? Because of certain... distractions?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Right. Well, anon, as soon as Eddie stops bein' a thirsty bitch, we'll let ya know how tha plans are goin'.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Oooooh, it's just ME who's the problem, now is it?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Sure is. Hey Eddie, wanna know a lil' secret?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler Hhh, sure, what is it?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Startin' a figth with ya an' gettin' ya all worked up makes ya wanna get down n' dirty. An' I been takin' advantage o' that fo' a while nah.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler I-- What? ... You've been doing that on purpose, oh, of course you have.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow Took ya that long ta figure out, huh? "Smartest guy in tha world"?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler You little-- Mmmmmh ahahahaaaaah...! You drive me crazy, you know that? Now turn the camera off, will you? We should continue this discussion in private.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow An' there's ya proof. 'Til next time then.

[zaunwired]

JayVik Living Together AU - Part One

Rating: M

CW: sexual content, mention of familial death, mention of non monogamy, slight mention of dubious consent, incomplete ending/to be continued

AN: Viktor comes home from a long night at the lab and finds his lab partner, Jayce, still awake in their bed. I heard about the writers of Arcane discussing Viktor being asexual and as somebody on the asexual spectrum who is sexually active I wanted to write a JayVik smut that showcased what I think a sort of “first time” between Viktor and Jayce would look like. Also not saying that all ace people are non monogamous, just my personal take on Viktor’s feelings toward Jayce within this AU. I hope you enjoy, it cuts off a little abruptly but I do want to continue updating if people seem to enjoy it :)

~~~

Viktor wrapped his hand around the doorknob, twisting it gently before pushing the door open. Because of  how late he was entering he did not want to disrupt Jayce from sleeping, but once he saw light flooding from the bedroom and filling the silent hallway, he loosened up and peeked his head in.

"Jayce?" Viktor's eyes scanned the room before landing upon his partner, hunched over the table, tweaking with a small set of gears.

Jayce looked up from his little project, his eyes softening when they lay upon Viktor, who is leaning heavily into his cane, a little more than usual. "Another late night?" They exchange silent glances, not cold but not quite as warm as their usual nightly talks.

After Jayce's mother passed a couple of months ago, the partners had decided to get a small place together. Their careers and projects intertwine so often that it just made sense. And, even if not exactly romantic, the pair were admittedly more than merely lab partners. Jayce stopped seeking out more traditional relationship values after his falling out with Mel anyways. The monogamous "we are each other's everything" mentality didn't really sit well with him, but he wasn't sure what else would make him feel fulfilled and supported. After the move, however, he did start warming up to Viktor. Whether his partner was just filling a void that the passing of his mother had recently carved into him or he really was feeling a sort of attraction was still up for debate, but Viktor wasn't exactly the committed monogamous type anyways, so he didn't mind the noncommittal "warming up" Jayce had been expressing recently. While Viktor didn't experience that form of attraction the way a lot of others seem to, he wasn't opposed to observing what could happen between the two of them if they grew closer. And tonight was one of those nights where Viktor was ready to take a small step towards that type of intimacy.

Viktor moved to the edge of the bed, his arms shaking slightly and a strained wince leaving his throat as he seated himself in front of Jayce, leaning into his cane for support and peering over at the gears and nuts sprawled out atop their table. Jayce leaned forward and placed a hand on Viktor's side, holding him protectively but not providing much additional support. Viktor pays little to no mind to the gesture itself but the sensation lingered; not quite pain but carrying the same weight,  coiling in his chest and radiating faintly through his limbs. The feeling was like nothing he was able to define. As a man of science, he prides himself on his ability to understand unfamiliar situations but... the strangeness of this sensation was enough to unsettle him, almost leaving him frustrated. "Jayce..." his eyes land on the floor, tracing over the small cracks and little imperfections. "I am... unsure of how to ask this..." his voice trails off again, deep in thought. The tightness in his chest, the heat radiating through his body; not quite desperation but rather a question requiring an answer. With his inexperience in the subject, Jayce felt like the only one he could come to with this quandary. Jayce's hand rests gently over Viktor's, the other absentmindedly tracing the cane with his thumb, the grains in the texture acting as his trains of thought, winding and repeating, yet leading to nothing.

"Is everything alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, nothing like that.." Viktor slowly looks up at Jayce and their eyes meet - just for a moment - before he looks away again, overwhelmed by the intensity of the connection. "I must ask of you, ehm... a favor, so to say."

Jayce's body shifts, anxious tension leaving his frame, replaced by curiosity. His gaze softens,  "Sure, Viktor, anything. I could do anything, just- just say the word and-"

"No, Jayce," Viktor looked up at him again, his heart rate rising, the pain in his leg ringing through his whole body, "You must be honest. I do not want for you to do anything that you would not... desire to. It is not a need, merely a request." Jayce's eyes scanned over Viktor's face- his eyes, his lips, the expression his eyebrows twisted into- anything that could give him a hint as to what was about to be asked of him.

"I promise, Viktor." Viktor can feel the unfamiliar panging once more but a little lower this time, perhaps in his stomach. Viktor exhales sharply, his hand moving slightly, and Jayce instinctively pulls back, but Viktor reaches out to brush their fingers together.

"I am... not sure where to go with this," their fingers intertwine and Viktor brings their hands closer, brushing them against his cheek ever so slightly. Jayce gasps softly, his eyebrows furrowing. "And I am unsure exactly what it is I want. My body is... tired, Jayce. And the stress, the strain building, it almost feels... tight."

"Oh- well,"  Jayce looks at their intertwined fingers. It wasn't like they had never shared any physical intimacy before. They sleep in the same bed, make breakfast in the same kitchen- there was definitely bound to be some touching, bumping, reassuring; even the occasional nightly exchange was possible, to share warmth, to express emotion, or to just feel a little less alone. But this... this was something that was new for the pair. After everything they had been through, all of their physical intimacy remained more... surface level. Jayce's thumb gently rubs against his partner's, Viktor's eyes lighting up slightly. "We'll figure it out. Together."

Viktor's eyes follow Jayce as he stands, laying back on the bed, pushing his cane aside and folding his arms beneath his head to make room. Jayce follows, settling beside him, close but not quite touching. He turns on his side to face his partner.

Viktor's breath hitches a little, his hand hovering near Jayce's, fingers trembling as if deciding whether to reach out. Jayce's gaze follows Viktor's movements, waiting for the signal to move forward, but Viktor's hesitation is palpable.. "Is this more... emotional, or..."

"Physical, I believe, yes." Viktor turns towards Jayce slightly but rolls onto his back once more, wincing in pain. "But... please, Jayce. I cannot... move much," Jayce looks over Viktor's body, noticing how his breath catches, how his frame tenses with discomfort, how his legs twitch with pain. For a moment, he just watches, uncertain, as though trying to piece together what Viktor needs from him. He scans the smaller man's frame all the way back up to his face, the flush on his cheeks, the unfamiliar look in his eyes; he has never seen Viktor in this state before.

As Viktor watches Jayce's eyes trace over his body, his thoughts become more clouded and overwhelming. His breath hitches slightly, still deep in thought, the air around them thick with tension and uncertainty.  It's not uncomfortable, not quite, but it's different - he's being seen in a way he's not used to, studied almost, and it's... intriguing. It almost felt as though Jayce was eliciting  from him an instinct that was just out of reach, and Viktor found himself hoping that Jayce might understand what he himself could not. Even though he is extremely hesitant, he isn't nervous. He is inexperienced, curious; he isn't scared of doing something wrong, he just doesn't even know where to begin.

"Come, Jayce," Viktor finally whispers, reaching for him. His hand, trembling slightly, takes Jayce's wrist and gently guides him closer. "We'll not find our answers in words. We must... act."

"Wha... Viktor I..." Jayce trails off, the tension between them thick, palpable. Jayce props himself up on his elbow, leaning across Viktor's frame. To steady himself he rests his hand lightly on Viktor's side, earning a soft noise from his partner, something between a gasp and a sigh. When he looks back up towards Viktor, he can almost feel his partner's breath against his face. The feeling stirring within Viktor grew deafening, he releases Jayce's hand and reaches up for his cheek, caressing it softly. Jayce traces his fingers up Viktor's side, coaxing him to lean into the embrace, feeling the subtle tremors beneath his touch, the way Viktor's skin reacts to every movement. Viktor's eyes scan Jayce's face, fixating on his lips. All of this is so new for him, he doesn't understand this urge, but he allows his body to guide him in the right direction. Consider it an... experiment of sorts.

    Viktor twirls a bit of Jayce's hair before lightly holding the back of his head with the tips of his fingers, pulling him in and softly pressing their lips together. Jayce freezes for a moment, overtaken by shock.  He was feeling so complicated. He didn't still have feelings for Mel but she still came to mind. She was the last person he kissed. And when they separated he questioned a lot about what he wanted from a person. He loved the way things were with Viktor, living together, working together; he was afraid of things changing between them. He leans further into the kiss for a moment before pulling away. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He looked down at Viktor, his heart pounding out of his chest.

"Viktor I... I like the way things are between us, as they are," he starts to pull away but Viktor keeps his hand steady. He doesn't forcefully hold him in place but he doesn't break the embrace, looking up at his partner, confused.

"Me too, Jayce," his hands still twirl in his partner's hair, more of a fidget as opposed to a gesture. "I am... confused though, you say this as if it is a... a conflict."

"Things are changing, this is change," Jayce gestures slightly with his hand but despite his words, he places the hand back onto Viktor's side. "Friends don't kiss, Viktor."

"What do you mean, Jayce? Why wouldn't they?"

The pair look at each other for a moment, Jayce's perplexed silence juxtaposed by Viktor's confused, pondering gaze.

"Of course they do, why would you kiss someone who isn't your friend? Well- people have their preferences I suppose, but I didn't think you-"

"This isn't some... some romantic gesture? Some declaration?"

"Of course not!" Viktor retracts his hand from Jayce's cheek and uses it to support himself, sitting up slightly, the partner's noses nearly brushing against each other. "I do not... do romantic gestures, Jayce," his voice was not cold but direct, matter-of-fact. "I was just thinking we could..." Viktor scanned Jayce's face, his eyes trailing up and down, lingering on his lips just a fraction of a second longer than everywhere else. "Is that really not normal around here? You kiss and, and then you're... that's all it takes?"

"Oh- that's relieving, it really is, I-"

"Does that mean we can kiss again? I wasn't finished." Viktor traces a finger along Jayce's cheek. He wasn't intending to flirt but Jayce's face gained a deep red tint at Viktor's choice of words; bold, direct. Jayce opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. He truly is stunned.

They both stew in the silence for a moment, hearts beating fast with anticipation. Viktor shrugs slightly before pulling Jayce back in, a small wince vibrating against his partner's lips as he lays back down, causing Jayce to stumble slightly. He steadies himself by placing his knee between Viktor's legs and his free hand onto the bed next to his partner's head. The extremely suggestive position makes Jayce blush but Viktor seems to pay no mind, focused more on the small pecks and gentle tugs of his partner's lips.

~~~

I wrote this in a couple of days so it’s not exactly perfect but I wanted to post it anyways to get people’s feedback on it :) and hopefully get more motivation to continue it haha

[bm571158]

Free Now LN4 (Part 47)

The media attention after he had reclaimed the lead in the championship had been intense. It was a mixture of people hyping him up, saying that this year was definitely going to be his year, and a series of more critical articles that were focused on analysing every mistake he'd made over the course of the season and pointing out how he could've had it all wrapped up long before now if he'd been a little bit more consistent.

They'd hadn't gone out to celebrate in Vegas, although a lot of the team had. Lando had said he wanted to save it, didn't want to go out and celebrate prematurely when he still had work to do. There would be one big celebration when he took the title he'd told her, but he wasn't going to celebrate until it was done.

The use of the word 'when' had caught Lottie's attention. He'd always said 'if' when he'd spoken about it, that lingering doubt in his mind that made him question whether he could really do it seemed to have faded though and he was now speaking about it like everyone else was- like it was actually going to happen. For the first time he looked like he actually believed it too.

He'd been quietly focused once they landed in Qatar, spending a lot of time with his trainer and the team as they began to look at the race ahead. Lottie had spent her time by the pool at the hotel, enjoying the winter sun and relaxing while he worked. When he was done the two of them would head out together in the evening, sight seeing and just doing something to take his mind off it all so that he could unwind.

On the Friday, Flo had arrived along with Cisca, the rest of the family due to meet them in Abu Dhabi the following week. Lando had rolled his eyes, complaining his hearing may never recover, at the squeal Flo had let out as she wrapped Lottie up in a hug.

He hadn't had too much time to complain, having to head off to get in the car anyway. It was a much more intense weekend this time, with it being a sprint weekend. There was a lot less time available for the team to gather their data and make any tweaks that were needed to improve the performance.

It didn't seem to have got to Lando though, even if the rest of the team did look a lot less relaxed than they had the weekend before in Vegas. He'd wandered off to the garage laughing far too loudly about something that Oscar had said. The sound of his laughter could still be heard long after he'd disappeared out of sight.

"He seems like he's doing really well?" Flo asked, turning to look at Lottie.

Lottie nodded. "I think so. I keep waiting for it to really get to him, but he does genuinely seem to be coping really well. I don't know if it's because the team seem to be really on it this time, or maybe he's just finally realised that he really can do it... either way, it's nice to see him looking so happy."

"I can't believe he might finally be about to do it." Flo admitted. "He's wanted this quite literally forever."

"I know." Cisca agreed, joining the two of them. "I can't really believe it either."

"He can do it." Lottie smiled. "He knows it."

"It's good to see the two of you back together as well." Cisca smiled, and Lottie felt herself blush. "I was getting a bit worried for a while there that we might have to stage some kind of intervention to sort the pair of you out."

"I pretty much did." Flo laughed. "But yeah, I know I really hated it to start with, but the two of you are really good together."

"It's nice to see him so happy." Cisca smiled. "It's nice that he's got something else going on that doesn't hinge solely on what kind of result he gets every weekend. It's good for him."

"And... more importantly." Flo grinned. "You're going to end up being my sister in law... that like makes it official."

"Jesus..." Lottie blushed. "Let's just calm down there shall we? We've not been back together that long and we've got plenty of other stuff going on."

Flo laughed as she watched how red her friend was going, Cisca nodding along in agreement with Flo. "I'm not saying right now, but this is so going to happen... I'm just letting you know now that if I don't get to be made of honour I will be incredibly offended and quite possibly never speak to you again."

"Let's just go to the garage, shall we?" Lottie laughed, shaking her head at Flo. "That's enough of this conversation for now."

Flo did thankfully drop the subject once they headed down to the garage, and Lottie was relieved. The last thing she needed was Flo putting ideas like that in Lando's head just before he was about to head out on the track. It was bad enough that Flo had put the idea in her own head. Once she'd said it then it was all Lottie could think about.

It wasn't as much of a terrifying prospect as she had expected it to be, as she thought about it. She loved Lando, and she knew she wanted to be with him. That short time that they'd spent together had more than proven to her that being with him was well worth all the not so great things that went along with it. The idea of spending the rest of her life with him? Well, it was actually something that she was quite looking forward to.

The first practice session had gone well, Lottie watching while listening to Flo update her on everything that had happened while she had been away with Lando. The quiet sense of focus that had taken over the garage in vegas was back, and Lottie found it reassuring. Everyone well and truly had their eyes on the prize. He'd come out of the practice session determined and quietly optimistic, hoping to repeat the win from the previous week.

Sprint qualifying had perhaps not gone quite as well as he had hoped. In an ideal world he'd have been P1 in everything across the whole weekend, a dominant performance to prove to everyone who still doubted him exactly why they were wrong. But, he'd hit some traffic on his SQ3 lap, and not had time to go again. It had landed him down in P8, one of his lowest starting positions in a long time.

Everyone in the garage had already started trying to remind themselves that it was just the sprint race, in the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter. Yes, the extra points from a win would be nice thing to have going into the race on Sunday but they weren't essential. As long as he did well on Sunday they'd still go into Abu Dhabi with him in the lead, and one hand already on that trophy.

Lottie had been ready to give Lando the same kind of motivational speech that night, to remind him that it didn't necessarily mean it was all going to be absolutely disaster, but he'd been surprisingly upbeat when he made it back to the hotel. She'd left the track with Flo, leaving him pouring over the data with the team as they discussed strategy for the sprint race and what they may need to change before qualifying for the main race the next day. She'd been fully expecting him to be there hours, and as a result she was already curled up in bed in the hotel when he came back.

"You look cosy." He chuckled, kicking his shoes off, changing his clothes and crawling into bed beside her.

"I thought you were going to be a lot later than this." She smiled, shifting closer to him as he settled himself into a comfy position beside her. "How are you feeling, about tomorrow?"

"It'll be alright." He shrugged. "It's only the sprint race. Consider it overtaking practice in case I need it for the race I guess?"

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to work out if he was being serious or just telling her what he thought that she wanted to hear. But he did genuinely look perfectly relaxed about the whole thing, like the championship wasn't hanging in the balance of this weekends result.

"I'm fine, I promise." He reassured her, leaning in to kiss her.

"Okay." She agreed, because she was actually convinced that he was telling her the truth. "You'll be fine tomorrow, I know you will."

"I'm gonna win from P8z." He joked. "Just to shut everyone up."

"That's the spirit." She laughed. "Maybe I need to give you a little incentive to go out there and win?" She suggested, hands sliding down his chest.

He caught up to her train of thought very quickly, a smirk spreading across his face. "I think that might be a very good idea actually."

****

He might have been quietly confident going into the sprint race, joking to Oscar who was starting on pole that he'd see him in a couple of laps as they got into their cars, but the plan hadn't quite worked out like that.

The trouble with starting where he was, was the amount of traffic around him. As they'd all gone scrambling down into turn one he'd been hit from the side, the car spinning off into the run off area. It was still drivable, but the team had been quick to tell him to bring it back and retire so they could make sure any damage was repaired ahead of qualifying. Lando had agreed, and after one very slow lap of the track, he was back in the pits and climbing out of the car.

Lottie watched on as he climbed out of the car, slamming his helmet down on the counter in frustration. The whole garage seemed to stop for a moment, no one really sure if they should try and offer him some words of comfort or just get on with their jobs. They all seemed to choose the second option, and so Lottie got to her feet, heading over to where he was standing.

She was aware in the back of her mind of the cameras on them, as she stood beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. She could see the pair of them on the tv screen out of the corner of her eye.

"Come on." She said softly, grasping his arm. "Let's get out of here."

It took a minute for him to lift his head and look at her, but when he did look up she could see written all over his face that the stress of the weekend was really starting to catch up with him. He hesitated for a moment and then took her hand, leading her out of the garage and through the paddock to go back to his drivers room without a word.

Once they were inside Lottie closed the door behind them, and before she could even lock the door he was pacing back and forth in the small space at a rate that made her dizzy.

"I can't do this." He shook his head. "I can't do it, I was trying to convince myself that it was all going to be alright and I'd go out there today and get the sprint in and prove I could do it, but I can't. I can't do it."

"Alright, just stop for a minute." She suggested, stepping into his path and capturing his arms firmly to stop him from pacing any more. "Take a breath. I know it feels like the end of the world now, but it could have been worse. They've got plenty of time to fix the car before qualifying, and tomorrow is a new day. Yes, the points from today would have been good, but you can still do it without them."

"You know when they did all the calculations on all the scenarios that could happen and how many points I'd need to still win, they worked this out." He told her with a sigh. "It means I absolutely have to finish in front of Max here and Abu Dhabi or he's going to take the title if we assume he's going to score points today, which he will because he's Max."

"Just because this one didn't go well, it doesn't mean that qualifying will be bad, or that you won't have a good race tomorrow." She reminded him. "It's not over yet."

"It might be, after this." He sighed, dropping his face to hide it in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Even if it is, I still love you. No matter what." She reminded him.

****

The team had done an excellent job of repairing the car, and by the time it was time for qualifying you couldn't even tell that it had been involved in a collision a couple of hours ago.

Lando's mood however, had not been quite so easy to repair.

He'd stayed hidden in his drivers room with Lottie, staying there until it really was time to go and he couldn't avoid it anymore. Once they'd reached the garage the team had rallied around trying to convince him that it was still all to play for, but he didn't want to hear it. He'd put his helmet on and walked off before Zak and Andrea could even get to the end of their pep talk that they were trying to give him.

He made it through to Q3, which for everyone except Lando had never even been in doubt. As he went out for his lap in Q3 ready to set a time Flo was gripping on to Lottie's hand so tight she was fairly sure that she might break it before the lap was finished. Cisca sat the other side unable to even bring herself to look at the screen.

It felt like everyone in the garage was collectively holding their breath. Everyone knew what was hinging on a good result, and everyone knew just how much pressure Lando had put himself under to deliver.

The seconds on the timer ticked down, indicating the end of the session. This lap was going to be make or break, there wasn't going to be time for him to get another one in.

There was a quiet groan from the garage as the timing screen flashed up and Lando was in P2, but a little more relief as they then processed that it was actually Oscar that was in front of him. As far as the championship went, it was the next best outcome to Lando being on pole himself. Max was in P4, Charles separating him and Lando.

It really was still all to play for as they headed into race day on Sunday.

It had been a sleepless night ahead of the race, and one that Lottie had been expecting. She'd had dinner with Flo, Lando coming back to the hotel late after an incredibly long meeting with the entire team and Oscar about how they were going to play it the next day.

She'd been half asleep when he came back, only waking up a little as he climbed into bed beside her, but she'd woken during the night to find the bed beside her empty. She'd sat up, rubbing her eyes and trying to work out where he'd gone. The sheets beside her were cold, so he'd been gone a while.

The dim light visible from the balcony through the curtains was a clue to where he might be, and she climbed out of bed, padding quietly across the floor to go and find him.

"Come on, come back to bed." She yawned sleepily, peering round the door.

He looked almost confused to see her there, but then despite his sour mood and nerves a smile spread across his face that he couldn't help as he looked at her. She was standing there in nothing but an oversized McLaren shirt that fell to the middle of her thighs, her hair an absolute mess from where she'd been tossing around asleep, and she looked like she was barely awake as she stood there in front of him.

He held his hand out to her, and she took it, he pulled her in towards him and she ended up sitting across his lap on the small sofa he was sat on.

"You okay?" She mumbled, hands running through his hair.

"I'm worried about tomorrow." He mumbled, resting his head against the back of her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay." She reassured him, fingertips sliding over the tense muscles of his neck. "You know the car is fast enough, we know that you can do it. You have a plan with the team and Oscar. It's going to be okay."

"You have no idea how glad I will be when this season is over." He sighed.

"Once it's over you'll wish you could go back and live it all again." She reminded him. "You'll be lying on the beach next to me watching the clips back on your phone and wishing you were back in the car."

"We'll see how tomorrow goes." He sighs. "If this doesn't work out... god I don't even know... I just... it has to work, doesn't it? I haven't come this far to miss out right at the end again."

"It's going to work out." She repeated. "You're going to be fine, that trophy is coming home with you. But first... you're going to come to bed with me and actually get some sleep."

[daisyjonesgf]

You think at some point in her sleep while in district 13 sweetgirl cries out for Conway and Katniss asks Finnick about him. She of course knows the basic stuff but doesn’t know truly how close the two were. It makes her feel so bad for sweetgirl, Katniss has a guy best friend who’s in love with her, someone she’s grown up with, someone who is like her family.

-🌾anon

this got me thinking about how sweet girl probably tweaked out when peeta did the whole "she came here with me" thing during his interview but like she couldn't have a response right away since she was a mentor at the time but like she's instantly panicking inside bc she's getting flashbacks to her own strategy

finnick instantly is grabbing her hand and whispering something to reassure her, and she's keeping her smile on the best she can, encouraging the district 4 tributes once they're off, forcing herself through dinner, but once she's alone with finnick it's just a complete meltdown

(also another side tangent, I was thinking about how in sweet girl's perspective she feels extra bad in her games for conway bc finnick is one of their mentors but is trying to help her win against him, she feels like it makes it worse that she had the advantage, when realistically that's why there's two mentors for districts when available, to help individually with strategy, so like Ondine should have and maybe was helping Conway strategize on his own unbeknownst to sweet girl since we only really have her perspective on that, meaning he could have known about her plot deep down bc Ondine would have been trying to make him aware of it. He would've wanted to deny it, but it does make you wonder how long he was suspicious before she really firmly confirmed it and how much he was playing her too that sweet girl and finnick in their perspectives didn't pick up on)

ANYWAYS still on the first side tangent, sweet girl just absolutely sobbing because she didn't want to be an example and she's scared that's what she's become. when really peeta does love katniss, like maybe haymitch encourage the strategy bc of her being so successful, but peeta wants katniss to win and really does love her. and finnick and sweet girl's tributes both die pretty early on so she has so much time to watch and observe the interactions between peeta and katniss instead of trying to manage sponsors.

she is convinced katniss is faking it back, that it's an act, and it makes finnick believe it too. but absolutely nothing compares to the crash out sweet girl would have when they both win, not bc she's not glad that they both survived meaning less people died, but because it means that could have been her and conway. if she had been smarter, a better person, rather than just being concerned with her own survival and who she really lover, she could have kept the act up forever to try and save him, save them both. but she didn't and it haunts her for months on end. legendary, sobbing, breaking stuff level breakdown.

ANYWAYS SKEWING BACK TO THE MAIN ASK TOPIC I'M SO SORRY finnick would also tell katniss about that

like finnick is talking to katniss about that and how it the quarter quell both of them realized katniss and peeta did really love each other. and katniss yk does know what happened in sweet girl's games, a manipulator was her initial assumption of her that she got over, but the story about her breaking down and when katniss is sneaking around when she shouldn't be, hearing sweet girl call out for conway she wants to know more.

so finnick tells her all of it, how conway and sweet girl grew up together, were best friends, did everything together, his family was basically hers, he was her shoulder to cry on especially when finnick had broken her heart, and how when the chips were down she had to lay all those years of love and friendship and trust aside to put her family first.

and listen I love katniss, she's my #1 girl, but I do think it's fair to assume she would still in her mind at the very least still look down on how sweet girl won her games. she'd be thinking 'I could never do that to gale' but then she would remember how she had thought she was only pretending to love peeta at first, how the plan with the berries was just quick thinking on her part, conway had attacked sweet girl before the games were even up, there were still other tributes alive. sweet girl killed him out of self defense, regardless of her plan to manipulate him to win the games, she didn't want to kill him herself, she just wanted to survive, and katniss understands that too.

who knows how it would have played out if sweet girl and conway had made it to the final two, if she'd never slipped up and ruined the fantasy. would she have actually attacked first when it came down to it? would he? it's easier to absolve sweet girl when the actual death of conway was in response to him stabbing her first.

I'm so sorry, this was all over the place, but I had like one billion different thoughts that it made come forward 😭

[bedlamsbard]

500 words written today -- I wonder if I can actually make my monthly word count goal. (Which has been 10K for a while, down from 15K when I had to drop it in fall 2023 because I was so busy. I made it in December and that was the first time since July, but the thing with both December and January is that I have a chunk of them off teaching.) Not terribly productive today; went to the other grocery store, did two loads of laundry, and prepped tomorrow's lecture, which is a lecture I've given many times before so it didn't involve TOO much tweaking; we'll see how it actually goes in class. Did not do some of the other things I wanted to get done, but like. the laundry is pretty important, as were the groceries.

Snippet from Of Home Near chapter 20.

There was an old Schrafft’s candy tin on top of his dresser, the red paint badly faded and rust eating the metal after eighty years.  Steve wrestled with it for a few moments, trying to get the lid open without accidentally pulling the whole thing to pieces or crushing the soft metal. When he finally got the lid open, he sorted carefully through the contents – two thimbles, an ancient spool of silk thread with a needle still stuck through it, a length of embroidered ribbon wrapped around a wooden card that still showed marks where it had been picked off a dress, a rosary with a steel cross and glass beads, a single pearl earring, a brooch shaped like a heron with one wing broken off, six folded letters, and a gold ring with three tiny garnets set into the band.  Steve took the ring out, weighing it in his hand, then shut the lid carefully and went back across the hall. Natasha was sitting on the side of her bed, looking curious.  Her eyes widened as Steve knelt in front of her. “I know you said you didn’t mind having a ring that Howard paid for,” Steve said.  “But –”  He held the ring up between his fingers.  “My dad got it for my mom after they’d been in America for three years,” he added shyly.  “It might not fit; I think her hands were smaller than yours.  But you could wear it on a necklace, maybe?  If you wanted to.  You don’t have to –”

[nian-7]

Yeydydeyen requests are open‼️‼️ anyways can i request where gn reader fell asleep on the s/o lap? Like they were talking and they felt readers head on their lap.

The characters would be the unit leaders(tsukasa, minori, ichika, kohane and kanade) please and thankyou💗🛐

hello! i tweaked the idea a little bit but it's still got the same concept. enjoy!

Ichika, Minori, Kohane, Tsukasa, Kanade x gn!reader

✧falling asleep on you/them

✧fluff

-Ichika is so sweet when you fall asleep on her shoulder when you both sit together. She gets a little embarrassed at first but she really is smiling and content with you sleeping on her shoulder.

-She doesn't really ever fall asleep on you though, she can stay up pretty late without having to fight her eyes to stay up with you. As long as you're up, she'll try her best to stay up with you until you fall asleep.

-Prefers to lay next to you while you both sleep but, doesn't mind having you rest on her to sleep. Whether that be on her lap or her shoulder, as long as you're resting easy, she's content.

-It's pretty common for both you and Minori to fall asleep while leaning onto the others shoulder. Sometimes one of you just needs a quick nap and the others shoulder is the perfect spot for that.

-Quite honestly, she like to sleep on your lap. It's comforting to her, especially when you start to play with her hair gently. It makes her fall asleep so fast she doesn't even realize that she just did.

-She does prefer to cuddle with you if you both decide to take a nap together though. She just really likes hugging you as you both are comfortably sleeping beside one and other.

-Kohane often comes home from one of her late night shows and wants to sleep but she also wants to stay up with you still! She always feels guilty when she falls asleep on your shoulder or lap because she couldn't keep herself awake.

-It's not uncommon for you both to fall asleep on each other though. She'll fall asleep on your shoulder first and you'll follow soon after, your head leaning on hers.

-She feels bad when she falls asleep on you, leaving you alone as if you both weren't having a conversation. She thought she closed her eyes for one second and then it's suddenly morning! She truly wished she didn't fall asleep so easily like that.

-Tsukasa doesn't particularly fall asleep on you often. He's most times up and about, not sitting at any given moment so it's truly hard to fall asleep on him unless it was late at night when he's mellowed out and gotten tired from the eventful day that was earlier.

-More often than not, you'll be falling asleep next to each other rather than on the other. Sometimes though, you just want to spend some time laying on his lap while he flips through his phone or the channels on tv.

-Its then when that's your only chance to fall asleep on him. He likes to play with your hair occasionally when you lay your head on his lap so it really only adds to the sleepiness that you feel when you lay down.

-When he realizes that you've fallen asleep, he won't move. There's no way that he'd like to wake up his precious s/o after they were tired enough to fall asleep on his lap! He lets you take your nap until you wake up, not wanting to move no matter what.

A comfortable silence was settling in the room as you and Kanade sat on her bed together. She had just gotten off a call with her friends and wanted to spend some time with you. Some well deserved time with all the music she's been composing. She needed a break and sometimes she couldn't get one.

" Hey, look at this cute cat, Kanade. " You angled your phone towards her, refreshing the video to start it over for her. You heard her let out a quiet, short laugh at the cat video as she rested her head on your shoulder.

" The cat was very cute, I like it. " She smiled, returning her gaze back to her own phone screen and you resumed your scrolling. Your favorite thing was the fact that you both could sit in silence and yet still know the other is enjoying every moment of whatever you both might be doing, even if it is separately.

It didn't matter if suddenly as you were scrolling, an audio blasted loudly because you'd laugh it off and Kanade would just smile. She enjoyed it and hoped you did too. She liked just being next to you, her head on your shoulder and you both sat comfortably together.

It wasn't long after you showed her another video of cats that she put down her phone and started watching yours. " Hey... Go back I wanted to see what would happen on that. " And you'd scroll back up and watch it with her. That was until you only heard her breathing quietly as she slept on your shoulder. It had gotten late so you didn't blame her but you'd feel bad if you were to move her! You both end up sleeping there until morning where she feels a bit guilty for falling asleep like that on you.

please do not repost any of my work without my permission, thank you for reading.

[autistic-writer-angel]

Asks for Angel 😇

Ribbon 🎀 - Any accessories?

Precious 💎 What’s their most prized possession?

Hobbies ✍️ what do they do in their free time?

What is the weirdest place she has woken up while sleepwalking?

How often does she cry? Have any of the Octonauts seen her cry/has she seen any of them cry?

Thanks for the ask!

🎀 Not really. Angel doesn't really wear jewellery or anything like that because of her sensory issues. Most of the time, she doesn't even wear shoes. (She'll eventually start wearing the same boots the Octonauts wear, when she has to. Otherwise, she'll go around barefoot.) In Above and Beyond, she gets an Octo-watch, but can only wear it for a few hours at a time. If she's too uncomfortable and has to take it off, she'll either hold it or put it around the strap on her backpack or overalls.

I'm not entirely sure if this will happen, but I had a scenario in mind if Angel does go back to other humans for a while (if it does happen, it would be between the original series and Above and Beyond): Angel receives a special medal of courage, but she's ashamed, feeling like she doesn't deserve it. However, Captain Barnacles has said she's out of uniform if she doesn't wear it.

The only other thing I can think of is that she sometimes carries a purple backpack.

💎 Angel's blanket that she can't sleep without and her stim toys (a naked headless, limbless Barbie doll and a balloon stick) are very special to her. Not only does she use them virtually every day, but they're some of the few items she managed to save from the fire.

The rocks she has to remind her of how brave she is means a lot to her as well. One Peso’s cousin, Penny, gave her. She got given that because she rescued Penny from drowning. The other rock is one she found in the Caves of Sac Actun.

✍ Angel loves reading, writing and playing with her stim toys. She has a lot of energy too, so for her birthday, Tweak made her a trampoline, which they keep in the games pod. (Angel’s not the only one who uses it, though. Kwazii and the Vegimals have also been known to use it!) Sometimes, she'll play with Peso’s xylophone too (he lets her); she doesn't know HOW to play; she just messes around.

There are lots of weird places Angel has woken up. The weirdest- just because it's like, how did she get in there?- would have to be the secret room Kwazii has in his room. Somehow, she managed to open it up, get inside and lock herself in. Nobody knows how, least of all, Angel herself. It took the Octonauts the whole day to find her! Tweak installed an Octo-tablet in there after that, so someone could get help if it happened again.

Angel gets upset VERY easily, but she rarely cries. She absolutely bawls her eyes out most of her first day on the Octopod (after all, her entire family had just been killed; her house had just burned down and she'd found out animals could talk, including Captain Barnacles, who absolutely terrified her). The next time she cries is in the Ring of Fire, three and a half years later.

Mostly, she cries if she feels especially worthless or like someone's mad at her- and if it's that time of the month when she feels that way (I have a scenario in my head where she completely breaks down in front of Captain Barnacles) or when she's scared.

That first day, Shellington, Peso and Captain Barnacles all saw her cry. Dashi, Tweak and Professor Inkling all heard her, but they didn't see her. Only Kwazii and the Vegimals didn’t (Kwazii was out most of the day, getting her backpack back and the Vegimals were in the kitchen). The Ring of Fire is the first time Kwazii and Tunip saw her cry. So far, I think the only Octo-Agent to see her cry is Ranger Marsh, after she gets scared during a fire in the Everglades. She has a panic attack.

Angel has seen Shellington cry (he was upset he hurt her after crashing the GUP-E); Tunip (at the end of 'The Mariana Trench Adventure') and Dashi and Peso on several occasions.

[juliwuzhere]

Tbh I really want to hear more of the Nerris hypnotizing Max episode idea you had like dialogue know if you have that because it’s really interesting!

Sorry it took me so long answer but I decided to write a snippet of chapter one of this fic. I know it’s not quite what you asked for but I felt very motivated at the time. Take in mind, it’s obviously going to be tweaked. But still, I’m planning to post the final, polished chapters on Ao3. If it’s any good anyways. If not, well at least it was a great practice piece to get back into writing :)

Realistic Magic

Chapter one:

Ever since they're dad had taught them about Dungeons & Dragons, Nerris has wished that magic was real. They wished they didn't have to roleplay to be able to cast a healing spell or any spell for that matter. But it seemed that Nerris would forever be bound to the mortal plane. Or at least before their mom introduced her to the concept of hypnosis.

Nerriss had never really liked their moms job. She worked as a psychologist, which is the opposite of what Nerris likes. While phycology was more logical and scientific, Nerris liked fantasy things that were much illogical and artistic. Nerris never thought she'd like hearing about psychology until her mom started talking about hypnotherapy during dinner.

Nerris had asked her what it was and their mother had explained that Hypnotherapy was the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Which then led to the question of what hypnosis even was? Because it couldn't possibly be what Nerris had seen used in cartoons and movies, but turns out, it was. Her textbook definition of it was “the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction.” The moment Nerris heard that, the first thing that came to mind was the hypnotic pattern in D&D. Was it the same per say, no. But did it sound pretty damn similar, absolutely.

From that point forward, Nerris developed a deep fascination with the concept of hypnosis. It was the closest Nerris could get to learning Magic in real life, and so they set a few goals for themselves.

1. Learn how to hypnotize someone before summer starts

2. Showcase their talent in front of everyone,

3. Make Harrison look stupid.

Those were the three goals that Nerris used to motivate themselves to continue to study and learn about hypnosis. Nerris didn't know how good of a motivator it was until they realized that they had the entire process memorized and at the time they still had a couple days before camp. Nerris not only felt proud of themselves but also confident in their abilities. Sure, it had sucked to study over the summer but it was all going to pay off at her sleepover.

It had become a tradition to hold sleepovers at different people's tents. Nobody quite knows how it started but they are always having a great time. It's like having a very small party with no balloons, music, and a couple stolen snacks from the mess hall pantry. It's better than it sounds. The moment Nerris had settled in on the first day of camp, they had made it clear that they were going to hold the first sleepover. Nerris was not going to let anyone get in the way of them beating their goals. The day of the sleepover had arrived and Nerris was ecstatic. Tonight was going to be the night that Nerris proved themselves.

Every time they had a sleepover, everyone always agreed to be quiet, but nobody actually believed they would be. Sounds of laughter and hushed whispers, probably some gossip Nerris assumed, resounded throughout the tent. The only thing that illuminated the tent being a lantern they had stolen from QuarterMasters shed. Everyone was wearing their vibrant pajamas, even Ered. And Nerris looked around the tent, they felt a smile start to grow on their face when they caught a glimpse at the Garfield pajama shorts Nurf was wearing. Seated right next to him was Ered, who wore much more trendier pajamas. But in Nerriss' opinion, Garfield is way cooler than Forever 21.

Due to the tents in Camp Campbell not being very large, everyone was practically inches away from each other. At every sleepover, the campers looked like a singular group of people, not a bunch of trios and duos huddled in different corners like how it was everyday at camp. Going to the sleepover always made Nerris feel a sense of euphoria start to blossom in their chest. They liked it when the camp felt united, it made them feel less alone. Nerris stood up, ready to show off her talent.

“Alright everyone! Listen up.” The tent grew quieter and quieter until Nerris had everyone's attention. “Who wants to be the first to try and be hypnotized?” Nerris asked, adding a dramatic and suspenseful hint to their voice, courtesy of Prestons advice.

“Oh, oh, me!” Spacekid yelled, raising his hand with a toothy smile.

“Alright! Come on up to the front.” Nerris responded, gesturing to the spot right next to them. Since everyone was huddled away from the entrance of the tent that gave Nerris and Spacekid the closest thing they had to a stage. A spot where everyone in the tent could see the spectacle. Nerris was starting to understand why Harrison was so fascinated with being a magician, having people's attention felt nice.

Spacekid sat down right in front of Nerris, waiting expectantly. Nerris pulled out their pocket watch from the pocket of her pajama pants and let it hang right in front of the space kids face.

“Alright Spacekid. I'm gonna need you to stare at this pocket watch. Do not break eye contact with it. You have to stare at it the whole time. Got it?” Nerris asked. Spacekid nodded his head, his eyes filled with excitement and determination. Nerris and Spacekid didn't have much in common, but today they seemed to be on the same page emotionally speaking.

Nerris was ready to prove Harrison wrong. They were capable of performing magic and being a mage. It's just that Nerris can perform a different and much more logical kind of magic.

Nerris took a deep breath in and out, then finally, started moving the stopwatch from left to right. Letting it sway and move in a constant rhythm.

“Okay. As you watch this pocket watch you are going to start entering a deep state of relaxation. The longer you stare at the pocket watch, the further into this state you will start to be enthralled in.” Nerris explained, letting the pocket watch sway for a couple seconds. She looked at Space Kids eyes, expecting the signs of exhaustion to become more and more apparent but nothing changed. A spark of doubt started to light inside Nerris but it was quickly put out. They still had one last part of the process to go through.

“On the count of three, I will snap my fingers. The moment I snap them you will feel yourself fall into a deep sleep” Nerris drawled, glancing at the crowd before starting to count. Their excitement made Nerris feel excited.

“One…” Nerris starts. “Two…” Nerris starts to raise their hand. “Three!” Nerris snapped their fingers. Nothing happens. Nerris’s smile falls, why didn't it work?

“Did it work?” Spacekid giddy asked, expecting an answer from Nerris.

“If it had worked you would have been asleep right now, dumbass.” Nurf retorted, earning a few giggles from some of the campers.

“Oh.” Spacekid said, clearly disappointed.

“Well, maybe I just have to try it on somebody else. You know, it said in my book that some people can't be hypnotized so I guess you're just one of them, Spacekid.” Nerris replied, not letting this bring her down. It was a rough start but at least she still had many more people to try and hypnotize.

Nerris moved on to the next camper, Ered, and followed the same process as before. But once again, it didn't work. Nerris is glad they had asked Ered to be the second try when hypnosis sounded cool. Because after their fourth attempt, Nerris had not only made themselves look stupid and made hypnosis look uncool. By the time Nerris had reached their last camper, they had lost all hope. A feeling of embarrassment started to replace their previous euphoria.

“C’mon Nerris, just admit it. The only person who can perform magic is me.” Harrison conceited. Nerris had just snapped her fingers and, as expected, nothing had happened. They had followed every rule, trick, and even shortcut to try and make their attempts successful but all had failed. The confidence in Harrison's voice made Nerris feel even more embarrassed than they already did. They let the chain of the pocket watch slip out of their hands, too exasperated to care if it breaks from the fall.

Nerris had gone through everyone in the tent and Harrison had been the last to agree to be hypnotized; And from the looks of it he appeared to be the only one enjoying himself anymore. Everyone else in the tent looked bored, their attention now elsewhere. Nerris knew Harrison hadn’t meant to me too hurtful with his comment. Afterall, it was how they spoke on a daily basis. But today Nerris was just too upset to not feel even a little butthurt.

“Fine. Maybe you were right. I guess I'm just a loser who will only ever be able to act like they can do cool stuff rather than actually be able to do it.” Nerris admitted. It seemed that roleplaying and strategizing in a board game would continue to be the only skills they had.

“Well, acting is a very powerful tool too, Nerris.” Preston stated in his usual dramatic voice. “It is one that only true professionals, like myself, can master.”

Nerris felt a smile tug on their lips. In Prestons own way, he was trying to cheer them up. Even if he built himself up to be a professional actor along the way. But although they appreciated the help, Nerris still felt like they’d taken a critical hit. Nerris picked up the pocket watch and cupped it in their hands. They look at the reflection of themselves in the pocket watch, not surprised to see their disappointment evident in their face. Nerris failed, and in front of everyone for that matter. Nerris didn't even know if their face felt hot with anger or embarrassment anymore, probably both.

Suddenly, the loud ruffling sound of the tent being opened made Nerriss' thoughts quiet for a moment. They really hoped it wasn't David. This was the first time the camp sleepover was being held in their tent, it would be horrible if the night ended with Nerris failing at the thing they had been hyping up ever since they got to camp and a punishment. They would never let Nerris live it down.

But just as quickly as the fear had started to build up in her chest, it evaporated. Instead of the tall and cheery counselor they had all grown to tolerate, stood the short and moody Max holding a party size bag of chips while three Capri Moons peaked out of the front pocket of his hoodie. He was still wearing his signature hoodie that nobody could seem to rip off of him, but replacing his jeans were a pair of dark blue plaid pajama shorts. Nerris never thought that Max would be a sight for sore eyes. For a brief moment his eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting for everyone to be staring at him. But in an instant calm confusion seemed to wash over him.

“Damn, did someone die or some shit?” Max asked, opening the party size chip bag and taking a bite.

“Oh Max, you have got to hear this!” Harrison exclaimed, clearly excited at getting to embarrass Nerris some more. Nerris really shouldn't have insulted his outfit last week. Actually, no, nevermind. They don't regret it, it was horrific.

“What?” Max grunted, his brows furrowed with suspicion; the distrust in his tone was evident. Nerris is reminded that Max has never been quite fond of Harrison. Harrison stands up with a large grin mocking on his face. Nerris glares at him when he glances at them on the way towards Max.

“Nerris apparently thought she was a wizard or whatever, because they learned how to hypnotize people. Well, they tried to learn at least.” Harrison joked. Nerris scoffs, they were starting to get very pissed. Harrison started to summarize what Max had missed in the sleepover, which is the entirety of the sleepover. This was the first time through the whole night that he had come to Nerriss' sleepover, and it wasn't even expected he would come.

He had told everyone that he probably wasn't going to attend because he was too tired and would prefer to just go to sleep. However, it is very clear he didn't even get to have a nap. As Harrison continued to giddily summarize everything , Max looked at him with tired half closed eyes, every so often reaching into the bag to get some more chips to munch on. He radiated disinterest and exhaustion, his eye bags were more noticeable than everbefore, and Nerris can tell that whatever Harrison is saying is entering one ear and coming out the other. Surprisingly, the rant wasn't very long. However, it was still very annoying to hear. Nerris hopes they don't sound like that when they make fun of Harrison.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it Harrison.” Nerris groaned. “I suck, you suck a little less. Listen Max, it's probably not going to work but would you be fine with me trying to hypnotize you?” Nerris pulls out the pocket watch and holds it up from the chain to let Max see it. Max considers the question but Nerris already knows the answer. Max doesn't usually do something just because you asked him to. In fact, he'll probably go out of his way to not do what you asked him to do.

“You know what, it's fine.” Nerris starts. “You don't have to-”

“No, I'll do it.” Max responds. Nerris looks up and stares at Max, their brows knitted together.

“Wait…really?” Nerris asked, their eyes wide with shock. He wants to do it? Nerris wondered why he would even say yes, until they came to the conclusion that he's probably just doing it to make fun of Nerris. Yeah, that makes more sense. Nerris glances towards the huddled campers to find their equally surprised expressions.

“Sure. I've got nothing better to do anyway.” Max yawned, making his way towards Nerris. He handed the bag of chips and Capri Moons to Neil and Nikki and promptly sat down with his legs crossed. Neil and Nikki scooted over to be closer to Max and to get a better view.

“Just make this quick.” Max mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Don't worry, it will be.” Nerris avowed with a resigned sigh. This wasn't going to work, but Max was already here so, whatever.

“Okay. Just look at the pocket watch and don't break eye contact the whole time. Got it?” Nerris asked, much less excited than in her first attempt.

“Sure.” Max replied. Nerris took a deep breath in and out, this time more out of exhaustion rather than anticipation. For one last time, Nerris started swaying the stopwatch.

“Okay. As you watch this pocket watch you are going to start entering a deep state of relaxation. The longer you stare at the pocket watch, the further into this state you will start to be enthralled in.” Nerris said, repeating what they had told every camper. The words now tasted sour in their mouth. Nerris glanced at Max and felt conflicted.

Either Nerris was imagining things or Max looked more tired than before. They noticed how Max’s shoulders started to slump and his eyes started to droop down. Still, they just brushed it off, remembering that he was already tired to begin with. As Nerris let the stopwatch swing from left to right, they were ready to say the final words and just go to sleep. Nerris wanted this to be over as soon as possible, the embarrassment was becoming too much to handle.

“On the count of three, I will snap my fingers. The moment I snap them you will feel yourself fall into a deep sleep” Nerris drawled once more.

“One…” God, Harrison is going to make fun of Nerris for this until they're dead. “Two…” Well, at least it's almost over. “Three.” Nerris snapped their fingers. And unexpectedly, Max slumped over.

Instinctively, Neil leaped and grabbed Max's head, effectively cushioning a hard fall. A couple people in the tent had gasped as they saw Max collapse into Neil. Nikki stands up from her spot in the tent and tries to help Neil lift Max up, concern evident in both their faces. Neil and Nikki start saying his name, trying to get a reaction out of him, and Nikki starts shaking his shoulder. Max was completely limp, made clear by how much Neil was struggling to lift Max back up, but Nerris didn't buy it.

“Just stop faking it Max, I'm not in the mood today.” Nerris scowled, their eyes narrowed. They looked away, waiting for Max to stop pretending. But the longer Nerris waited, the more curious they got. Nerris glanced back at the trio, now very confused.

“Wait. Is he not joking?”

“No!? He wont wake up!” Neil shouted, his voice cracking. Nikki shakes Max violently to emphasize the statement. Max was now being cradled from his upper half by Neil, with Nikki right beside him concerned but also curious. All the campers leaned and scooted closer to get a better view of the issue. Eyes staring unblinkingly at Max. Everyone started murmuring amongst each other, but Nerris couldn't care. Nerris had just had the greatest realization.

“It worked…” Nerris gasped, a smile tugging at their lips.

“What?” Harrison blurted, his eyes wider than everyone else's and his jaw on the floor.

“It worked! I did it!” Nerris beamed, standing up and pumping their fists in the air victoriously.

“In your face Harrison!” Nerris laughed, pointing at Harrison; whose face was the epitome of shock. Oh man, Nerris was never going to forget his face. Everyone started talking, the tent sounding just as loud as it had been at the start of the sleepover. Campers started to blurt out requests.

“You should make him do something embarrassing.” Ered grinned.

“Or make him not be able to lie. Do you know how many dirty secrets I could blackmail him with?” Nurf smirked, him and Ered smiling at each other in agreement.

“Could you make him like art? It would be great to have a new art partner!” Dolph said eagerly.

“No! That's stupid. Make him unwilling to not act in my next play!” Preston protested. “He never puts in the effort that is needed to create the perfect theater viewing experience.”

“Oh, can you make him want to talk about space?” Spacekid asked nervously. All the requests started to blur with each other, the volume in the tent being deafening. By the time Nerris had realized they should probably quiet down, it was too late.

“What is going on here?” David shouted. Everyone immediately went quiet. “You kids are lucky I was the only counselor who woke up. You should all be asleep, it is way past all of your bedtimes.”

“Oh geez Louise, sorry David!” Preston replied, trying to make himself sound innocent, but in the end, only making himself sound like a mini david. “We were just so excited after hearing your lesson today that we decided to get together to talk about…um, trees!” Preston excused. Nerris was glad Preston had done an improv class. Everyone started to agree with Preston, following the “yes and” rule he had driven into their heads when he had taught an improv class lesson they were forced to attend.

“No we weren't.” Spacekid innocently denied. “We were talking about what to make Max do now that he's hypnotized.” Apparently, he had forgotten all about the rule.

“Spacekid!” Preston shouted angrily, with a chorus of “shut up”s and “be quiet”s being thrown Spacekids' way. Well, looks like playing dumb was no longer an option.

“Listen, I need one of you to tell me the truth right this instant or you are all cleaning the mess hall tomorrow.” David warned, crossing his arms to appear more threatening.

“Fine.” Harrison murmured. Nerris snapped their head to stare at him with angry eyes. Quietly communicating that she wanted him to shut the fuck up.

“Nerris wanted to show off how they had learned how to use hypnosis on other people so they invited us to their tent.” Harrison explained, excluding the fact that they have sleepovers very often, and instead making it sound like they've only had one sleepover. Although Nerris currently hated his guts, they are glad that he didn't snitch about all the other prior sleepovers. It would have been worse if Nerris caused everyone to get in trouble.

“So,” Harrison continued, “they tried to hypnotize everyone until they got to Max and it actually worked. In my opinion, Nerris is still a pretty shitty wizard.”

“A mage…” Nerris corrected, looking down. God, they were in so much trouble.

“Okay…” David said exasperated, clearly trying to make sense of things. “First off, language. Second of all, what do you mean Nerris “hypnotized” Max.”

“It means that he's asleep for as long as Nerris wants him to be and we can make him do whatever we want.” Ered elucidated.

“Yeah, I shook him and everything and he didn't even get mad at me! He's completely knocked out.” Nikki grinned, patting Max on the cheek.

“Are you sure?” David started walking towards the clueless Max. “Listen I know you kids are very talented but learning that sort of stuff takes a lot of professional lessons. I don't think that you can just learn that kind of stuff from youtools.”

“Youtube.” Neil corrected.

“Right, yes, youtooth.” David said, getting down on one knee and putting his hand softly on Max’s shoulder.

“Max, c’mon bud. It's time to wake up.” David gently said. No response. “Max, time to wake up. You actually followed the bedtime rule but you got to be in your own tent to get the full credit buddy.” David smiled. When Max didn't wake up, his smile faltered.

“Max?” David asked much louder. Concern started to become evident in his facial expression and body language. You could see the exact moment David started to consider the reality of the situation.

“See. Told you.” Nikki said. David looked at her then back to Max, he still seemed in denial.

“Well um, maybe he's deeply asleep! He is a very heavy sleeper afterall.” David argued.

“Yeah, but can he sleep through this?” Nikki raised her hand and smacked Max so roughly she turned his head the other way. Nerris grimaced as the sound of the slap echoed through, other campers exclaimed and cursed in alarm. That sounded like it hurt a lot.

“Nikki!” David shrieked. He reached for Max, seemingly expecting him to be outraged, only to discover he was still asleep. Not even a little rattled by the very harsh slap Nikki had given him.

“See! Nothing! No reaction whatsoever.” Nikki insisted, gesturing towards Max.

“I mean, if that didn't attest our claim I don't know what else will.” Neils adds. Although he seemed pleased with finally having a obvious piece of evidence, he clearly had not expected such a move from Nikki.

“Gosh darnit. How did you even do this?” David asked, looking at Nerris.

“I don't know, I just sort of…did it?” Nerris began explaining. “I read a book about hypnosis and studied how to actually do it but it only worked on Max. Maybe because he was really tired or something. Anyway, it only worked on him and I have full control right now. He’s not dead or in a coma…Well actually I guess it could technically count as a comma.” Nerris looked back at David. David stared at her with huge eyes and an agape mouth.

“No, wait! What I mean is that as long as I dont tell him to wake up he will stay asleep.” Nerris corrected themselves.

“But I can tell him at any time to snap out of this state and he will be back to normal.” Nerris assured

“Well that is exactly what you are going to do right now.” David scolded. Nerris knew that even if they did as they were told, they would still get in trouble. Which means this sleepover would not only end in a very anticlimactic way, but they would also be stuck cleaning the sticky mess hall floors and whatever other punishments CJ added on. Nerris needed an alternative.

“But-” Nerris started.

“No but’s!” David interrupted. “You will make him wake up and you will do it now.” Nerris could tell Gwens lessons on how to be authoritative were working.

“I can make Max do anything you want him to do! I can tell him to be nice, clean the campgrounds, or participate in activities.” At the mention of the last possibility, David glanced up at Nerris.

“Wait, you can make him actually want to do the activities?” David asked. Bingo. Nerris had just found their way out of trouble.

“Yeah. I can tell him that whatever activity you tell him to participate in he will want to do, no questions asked. No arguments needed.” Nerris reasoned

“All you have to do is let us get away with this sleepover and in return you don't have to deal with an angry Max anymore.” Nerris offered, making the deal sound extremely beneficial, which for a very tired counselor, it probably was.

“And I mean, making Max do activities isn't really a bad thing.” Nerris added. “Because…well you know, it's great health wise to be active. So really, you're doing him a favor.”

Nerris didnt know what the fuck they were saying, but they had heard David go on enough rants to remeber some of the phrases he had used when he tried to make them do an especially boring activity. And by the look on his face, Davids seemed to be considering the deal.

“Well you're not wrong but…” David responded, his brows furrowed. Nerris was losing him. They had to come up with something quick.

“How about this? I only make Max do it for…let's say a day or two. And at any point in time or if anything goes wrong, I can make him snap out of it.” Nerris explained.

“We don't get in trouble and you don't have to beg Max to participate in an activity for 15 minutes. I think that's a fair deal, no?” Nerris concluded. If playing D&D had taught them anything, it was to be able to strategize on the spot. David stood there for a couple seconds, clearly thinking his answer through. Swiftly, his shoulders slump and his eyebrows unknit.

“Mhm… fine.” David drawled. Everyone cheered, glad to have avoided cleaning the mess hall floor with toothbrushes.

“But I will stay while you do it.” David affirmed. “Don't want you to make him do something I didn't agree with.”

“Of course.” Nerris replied.

“And he's really alright? Like, this isn't going to hurt him or anything” David questioned.

“Obviously not David. C’mon just sit down!” Nerris quickly answered, too excited about their successful attempt to want to waste anytime. They had done it. Sure, apparently Nerris could only hypnotize people who were extremely exhausted, but they still had the ability to do it! Nerris sat down quickly, not caring if they fell a little too hard on the ground. Unlike Nerris, David gently sat down on the floor, crossing his legs just like Max. As they got ready to tell Max the commands, the smile on Nerris’s face grew wider. Nerris was finally a true mage.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Dear Santa (2024)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Dear Santa is a film that doesn’t know where to stand. Luckily, Jack Black’s performance and the original premise are enough to bridge the gap. You categorize the picture as an enjoyable but imperfect PG-13 Holiday comedy. Then, we get to the gigantic pile of coal of a conclusion. It’s such a bad call you have to dismiss the entire film because of it.

Dyslexic 6th-grader Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith) mistakenly sends his holiday wishlist to Satan instead of Santa Claus. When “Santa Claus” (Jack Black) appears in his room and offers to grant Liam three wishes for an undisclosed price, he’s initially skeptical – this jolly red fellow doesn’t look like he does on the greeting cards – but accepts. His first wish is for his crush at school, Emma (Kai Cech), to give him a chance.

If I hadn’t told you the film’s MPAA rating, what would you have guessed was the target audience for this movie? Probably the same crowd that saw Sausage Party or Good Boys? Surely not children with the whole “Satan is trying to trick this pre-teen into giving him his soul" thing. The jokes write themselves. Satan needs to grant Liam’s wishes to keep making more. Once he grants that third one, the boy's going straight to Hell. Can Satan fulfill the boy's deepest desires without giving away his true identity? Keep in mind, that those wishes might be harder to fulfill than you think because the kid is… kind of dumb. Infernal powers can only do so much, you know? Before you get upset, I’m not calling Liam dumb because he’s dyslexic. I’m saying he’s dumb because he a) still believes in Santa Claus despite being in the sixth grade and b) Confuses Satan for Santa Claus. This is a comedy so you’re willing to suspend your disbelief. In fact, Liam not realizing something that obvious is the joke. Even so, the part feels like it was meant for someone younger than twelve. The problem is, our protagonist can’t be too young because if he was any littler, his crush on Emma would be weird. It’s still weird now. The screenplay by Ricky Blitt and Peter Farrelly, with Jack Black (who I assume wrote most of his own dialogue because the other two are credited with the story, along with Dan Ewen) does give another reason for why this seemingly dopey kid is so easily tricked by the fallen angel but we’ll get to that a little later and even with that extra reason, he’s still too old to be duped this easily.

The PG-13 rating is not due to violence, gore or frightening imagery. It's due to language as Satan liberally says shit, ass, damn, crap, hell, etc. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. If this movie had tweaked it humour and premise to appeal to younger children, you can see how it would’ve been successful. In fact, it is often successful, thanks to Jack Black. He’s clearly having a great time with this role, he has all the best lines and the funniest scenes. He even plays a pretty good “Santa”. The reason you keep watching despite everything is because of him, and to a certain extent, Robert Timothy Smith. He and Black play off each other well.

Despite the film’s confused identity, I might’ve given it a mild recommendation if it weren’t for the ending. When we learn that Liam’s parents (Brianne Howey as Molly and Hayes MacArthur as Bill) are having marital problems, you think it’s just so they can be kept busy their son runs around with the Prince of Darkness. When you learn the marriage is strained because Liam’s younger brother recently passed away, you think “That’s unusually harsh for a goofy movie like this” but you file it away as an odd decision on top of the choice to waste Keegan-Michael Key as Liam’s psychiatrist and below the scene where Post Malone is magicked into becoming Liam’s best friend. Actually, it’s the crack that will cause the dam to burst. Eventually, Liam proves himself a good boy. His unselfish wishes melt Satan’s heart. As a reward, The Devil resurrects poor, dead Spencer and alters everyone’s memories (save for Liam’s) accordingly. First of all, this contradicts an earlier scene where Satan explicitly says he cannot change history. Second of all, what is this movie trying to say? At best, it’s “If you’re good enough, ANYTHING you want will come true”. At worst, it’s "Send a letter to a demonic entity and you’ll be able to snap the laws of the universe in half.” It’s genuinely upsetting; a complete, jaw-dropping miscalculation.

The "I can’t believe you actually went there” conclusion should make Dear Santa worth a watch but it doesn’t. The film constantly hints at the success it could’ve been but even if it was tonally consistent, the finale leaves you angry and confused. Not in a “What happened?” kind of way; in a “What were they thinking?” kind of way. Again, I feel like I’m making it sound like this is so bad you’ve got to see it for yourself, but it’s merely a letdown. (December 6, 2024)

[cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal]

Okay! This is the second piece that I'm tossing out. This one took me a long time to let go of because I really liked a lot of the writing of this one. Unfortunately, the tweaking I'd need to do to save it would absolutely shred it, so it's time I let it go.

This is Built on Lies, a rewrite of the self crash scene from Ortega's perspective involving my Sidestep Rashad Basri. This was written immediately after their first run through Retribution when they were closer to Canon characterization Sidestep and when they went to HG themself (because it was my first run. Of course I was going to see HG). It also plays around with the idea that, while Ortega can't have their mind influenced or manipulated by telepathy, that it didn't mean they weren't psi-sensitive. This has since been shot to hell (/lovingly and teasingly said) by the Rydén himself, hence another reason I just have to let this one go.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I really liked working on this one. Happy reading!

The silence is insufferable. Ricardo doesn't generally like the quiet. He usually finds any excuse to fill it, with idle chatter or flirting or gentle ribbing, anything really. The silences with Rashad are different. He doesn't feel the need to fill up the space between them. Rashad may be unable to read Ricardo's mind, but that resulted in Rashad dropping their mental shields around Ricardo which, in result, means they accidentally projects their thoughts and emotions out and around them.

Ricardo has never mentioned this. He's too worried that if he does, those walls will slam right back up. And he'd miss the heady mix of desire, nostalgia, fondness, and nervousness that radiates off Rashad's mind like the steady waves of the ocean. Rashad's anxiety feels different this time. It chafes against Ricardo's mind as if they don't fit together here. Not now. Not after what Ricardo had seen.

They sit in the front seats of a stolen car - a car Ricardo watched Rashad steal not five minutes ago. Hollow Ground’s haunt is still within view. Rashad is wearing a fine pressed suit that Ricardo has never seen. He would have never guessed Rashad even owned a suit. Everything about the situation makes Ricardo’s stomach twist in unpleasant knots. Nothing feels like it’s as it should be.

"So…" The word hangs between them like a guillotine blade, just waiting to see whose neck it severs first. Ricardo stares at Rashad. His love. His friend. His family. The glare of the Los Diablos sunset pierces through the windshield, painting Rashad's dark skin in warmth. It makes their eyes turn from near black to molten gold. Ricardo wants nothing more than for Rashad to look his way. To say something, anything.

Rashad, as is their wont, says nothing. They stare straight ahead, ignoring Ricardo altogether, their lips pressed into a harsh line. They're driving faster than the speed limit is set, their gaze jumping to the rearview mirror every couple seconds, but with Ricardo in the car they're not likely to be pulled over.

"Talk to me." The words come out of Ricardo's mouth harsher than he intended. He's tired of begging Rashad for every inch. He's tired of pretending to be in the dark. Tired of pretending to simply take every one of Rashad's idiosyncrasies in stride. "You just stole a car. I'd hate to think you did that for no reason."

Rashad hunches their shoulders, their knuckles paling on the steering wheel. "I thought I was being followed, alright? I couldn't tell it was you." They shoot Ricardo a sharp look. "Besides, the driver was drunk. I did him a favor."

Ricardo grits his teeth. There's a vice on his heart and with every word it tightens. Maybe it will be crushed beneath the weight of what's between them. He hopes not. "Why were you in Hollow Ground's club?"

Something hardens in Rashad's dark eyes, but something else begins to crack. This mask won't hold for long, so Ricardo presses harder. "I need to know."

Rashad's irritation is just as predictable as their silence. They switch strategies like clockwork - dancing the same dance they always have. "What were you doing spying on me?"

"I won't let you make this into an argument," he says softly. He means it. He'll press, but he won't fight. "Not this time."

"So I see." Back to silence. Ricardo's never seen what happens if he doesn't give in to the fight. If he keeps needling, will Rashad open up or shut down. He prays it's the former.

"Look." Ricardo sighs deeply. No other way but forward. "I didn't want it to come to this. I had hoped you'd trust me with the truth, but-" 

"But what?" Frustration again. Without Ricardo giving in, Rashad’s tactics seem to be stuck in a loop like a broken record.

“I know it must be hard on you.” Ricardo tries to keep his voice soft, consoling. He honestly doesn’t know what he’d do if he was in Rashad’s place. He can’t imagine what it would feel like to be torn between his family and his partner. “I just need to know if you’re on my side.”

There’s a flash of fear in Rashad’s expression before they school it back into ambivalence. Their voice still shakes when they say, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ricardo sighs again, but it’s more in relief than anything. This admission is, at least, a reassurance. He stills wants Rashad to say it out loud. “You know why.”

The stiffness that settles in Rashad’s jaw only lasts a few seconds before everything slips out of place. Their posturing and mask fall away like pieces of jagged glass from a broken window. They look more tired than they've ever seemed before, but also there’s a hint of relief there. “You’re right.” They take a long, slow breath in. “I should have trusted you with this long before now.”

“Finally.” It takes all of Ricardo’s self control to bite back the sharp laugh at the back of his throat. “I was starting to think you’d never tell me.”

“It’s not an easy thing to confess, even when you know.” Their warm voice is soft, hesitant. There’s so much grief weighing down his words. “I should have known you’d find out I’m Heartbreak sooner or later.”

All of Ricardo’s thoughts come crashing full stop like a train into a cliffside. He feels as though Rashad has knocked every breath out of him. He wades through his thoughts, struggling as though pushing through knee-deep mud as the sentence sinks slowly deeper in. He stares at Rashad, jaw working with countless words to be said, but nothing makes it past his teeth.

Heartbreak. The snake in the grass and bane of Los Diablos politicians and corporate bigwigs alike for the better half of a year. A ghost that stalks the shadows, stealing and extorting as he pleases, ousting people from power like it’s a game of chess and he’s simply picking pieces off the board. Ricardo can still see that mirrored helmet, cold and alienating, when he closes his eyes. He still remembers the way Heartbreak’s boot felt against his ribs.

Heartbreak is Rashad. Rashad, who always throws themself into a fight for the weak. Who tries to reach out to every animal that crosses their path. Who cries at corny tv movies. Who looks at Ricardo like he’s hung the moon every time he says something silly. He can’t justify the idea that the person who cried into his arms not a fortnight ago is the same as the villain who sent Herald to the hospital at the Memorial Museum. No, that can’t be right. It doesn’t make sense. “What are you talking about?”

Ricardo sees his own horror mirrored back to him in Rashad’s expression. “You didn’t know,” Rashad says slowly. They look like they want to bolt, even from the moving vehicle. Unfortunately, neither of them can. “Fuck.”

The silence gives way to anger and denial. No. Rashad wouldn’t choose this for themself. They were pressured. They must have been. “Did Hollow Ground force you to do this?” Rage tempers the question into something cold and hard. What could that bastard possibly have over Rashad?

Rashad’s brows furrow. “What makes you think that?”

“It can’t be easy to go against your family…”

“My family?” Rashad draws back like they’ve been struck. There it is again: that fear. Whatever it is that ties them to Hollow Ground must be heavy. “What do you know about my family?”

"Hollow Ground." Ricardo clarifies. But there's something wrong here. He can't quite put his finger on what. "I've seen his face. And I had to know if I was imagining things. So I did some digging, found your arrest records. You were just a kid, but you didn't look so different back then."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" There's a quickness to Rashad's breathing that catches Ricardo's attention.

He supposes it was a breach of privacy. It hadn't been easy finding those records. They'd been sealed and buried and it had taken more than a few greasing of palms to get them. "It must have been hard, breaking from the family business, but I didn't want to dissuade you back then. So I kept your face out of the papers." Ricardo looks down at his hands. He balls up his fists as he lets the anger wash over him. "I guess I should've worked harder. He found you anyway."

“Ricardo-” Ricardo can hear the beginnings of an admonishment. It doesn't come. He trails off, their eyes unfocused as they do so often when something catches their attention telepathically. Their attention zeroes in on something in the rearview mirror in the next second. 

Ricardo glances over his shoulder, but not fast enough to see anything before Rashad hits the gas. "Shit!" He presses himself hard into his seat, trying irrationally to put any space between himself and the cars they’re now weaving through. “Watch it!” he shouts as Rashad nearly clips a car they speed past.

Rashad stares out the windshield, intent on finding the fastest ways through the traffic without scraping up the car too much. Their knuckles are pale on the steering wheel. Ricardo can feel the eclectic panic sparking from Rashad’s mind. “We’re in trouble.”

“That’s nothing new!” Ricardo’s voice pitches up on the last word as Rashad pulls a sharp turn.

Ricardo is just barely aware of something streaking past when a sound like a small explosion goes off not far behind them. He can see sparks streaking off the now exposed rim of their back tire as it scrapes across the asphalt. Instinctively, he ducks his head down and out of view of the windows. A gunman? He tamps down on his growing panic. He knows the drill. He's trained for something like this. Back to familiar territory.

His thoughts begin to speed by as Rashad pulls another hard turn. Something isn't right here. Hollow Ground wouldn't have had the time to set up a gunman, especially when stealing a car was a spur of the moment decision. The timing is all wrong, even if Ricardo can see a sliver of motive.

Another shot and his heart skips as they take another jolt. The wheel jerks out of Rashad's grip. There's a split second where Rashad's hand is on his shoulder, grip tight, before he shoves Ricardo back and upright in his seat.

Ricardo tries to protest. They both know the safest thing to do now is duck, not sit up. He only just notices the truck before it makes impact. The airbags explode out and the world goes black.

~ ~ ~

Ricardo comes to as though he has to swim through molasses to get to the waking world. His eye stings in that familiar way that tells him blood is dripping into it. Every muscle in his body aches. He can feel the bruises beginning to form. There's a sharp, spasming pain in his left arm - a malfunctioning emitter, he realizes. That's going to be a problem.

It takes a minute later for him to realize he's hanging upside. Or rather, the car has flipped. Ricardo fumbles with the seat belt, falling to the roof of the car with a groan. He sits there, leaning against one of the slowly deflating airbags, and takes stock of himself. He's not too badly off, all things considered. Sore and bruised, a twinge in his neck, and the malfunctioning emitter, but all in all he's been in worse scrapes. If Rashad hadn't -

His eyes snap open, turning to look at the driver's seat so fast, his neck protests. Rashad is hanging limply in their seat, held only in place by their seat belt. Their face is starting to swell and bruise. They aren’t moving, completely silent, and Ricardo could swear they’re barely breathing.

Panic begins to set in.

"Rashad." Ricardo lightly touches Rashad's shoulder. He gives his love a light shake. "Queride?" He touches Rashad's face as gently as he can manage. They don't respond to the touch. Their breaths are shallow and far between. 

Ricardo lunges for Rashad's buckle, making his head swim in the process. He manages to catch Rashad against his chest as they ragdoll down. Just from a glance, Ricardo knows there's something wrong in the way their legs land. He cradles Rashad closer to him, brushing their messy black hair out of their face. "Stay with me, mi amor," He begs, pressing a desperate kiss against Rashad's forehead. "Don't let go."

The thought of losing them should not cut him so deeply, not in light of what he's just learned. It isn't just Rashad he's holding in his arms, it's Heartbreak. He's holding a supervillain, weeping into a supervillain's hair, begging a supervillain to cling to life. He can't seem to find it in himself to care. The thought of losing Rashad again makes Ricardo feel as though he can't breathe. He can't go through this again.

He shoves his hand into his pocket, praying that his phone survived the crash as he fishes for it. He flips it open and hits the emergency line saved in his speed dial. It rings once before someone picks up. "Location?" The curt voice says.

Ricardo glances out the shattered windshield, squinting past the pileup of cars. Between the panic and confusion, he can’t seem to locate the signs. “Corner of Eighth and Maple.” It’s a rough estimate, but it’ll have to do. “I need an ambulance!”

[pyropsychiccollector]

Shiro Harem: Holy Grail War... of Love 2/7

As you guys know, the poll ended up being a 3-way tie... Technically. Although, based off the accidental "first" poll where Artoria had more votes tying her with Sakura... I'm gonna be generous and throw the King of Knights in here as an "unofficial" winner. It's the only poll that changed drastically enough, and I feel bad for flubbing up the first time. XD

... So, uh. Yeah. I'll be writing up 4 posts before posting anything. Be sure to cycle through my posts to find your favorite girl(s)... The official winners are Rin, Sakura, and Luvia. I'll be getting to Mitsuzuri, Illya, and Reines later. XD

The Beginning

Let's just jump into #2 now~... (人◕ω◕) Sakura-chan is... She's an interesting one. I like her supportive dynamic with Shiro, but for my own peace of mind I'm tweaking things... Mostly for Sakura's sake, but a bit for Shiro's sake as well.

But first, the disclaimer:

Fate: Stay Night is all about branching timelines. As such, to cater to all seven members of this harem in a single worldline, we'll be looking at an AU separate from the canon ones, regardless of how similarly events may play out. Just a forewarning.

With that out of the way... I do need to stress this is where we begin to look at the divergences in the timeline. Because even if she didn't show up often in Fate Zero, you could argue she had an important role even back then... The Fourth Holy Grail War is where her life began going down the crapper, and the war's conclusion shattered Shiro as a person. You could argue that the divergences in the Fourth War play into why the Fifth War panned out so differently in this AU. Both wars are intimately connected~... So I'm gonna go ham here. Apologies for those who might prefer a more broken Sakura... But that's too angsty for my palette. I won't allow it. (人◕ω◕)***

Let's start with the big one. Sakura had an Uncle Kariya who meant the world to her. (人◕ω◕) Sakura was born the second daughter of the Tohsaka family, and her father Tokiomi being the brilliant man that he is... He decided to judiciously follow the laws and traditions of magi families - that there can only ever be one heir that inherits the Magical Crest of the Tohsaka's. And instead of letting Sakura choose her own life, her own path, Tokiomi decided because Sakura had so much potential that she should be given away to the Matou's, an ally mage family. So that she could be groomed into their heir, since they didn't have one. Not a proper one; Shinji was too weak to be considered an heir.

Seems "reasonable", yeah? Just give Sakura away to an ally magus family. Give the "unnecessary" child up for adoption... (人◕ω◕)*** Unfortunately, Tokiomi is a fool. It's one thing to want what's best for your kids... It's also one thing to follow traditions zealously because that's always how things have "always" been done, not all cultures encourage reflection and adaptation... (人◕ω◕)** But this guy gave his kid away to a veritable vampire and didn't know it. Of course Zouken hides his longevity pretty well... On top of how he's stayed alive for centuries...

It was a pretty big mistake. But that's what it was: A mistake. Because for all that I can harp on Tokiomi's idiocy all day, he didn't do it maliciously... He did want Sakura to thrive and come into her own as a magus. Even if that meant competing with her sister Rin one day. ... But you know what they say about good intentions, the road they pave... (人◕ω◕)

Still, this is when Kariya enters the picture. Just as the Fourth Holy Grail War is entering the final phases of preparation, he returns to Japan from some trip around the world that took a while. His lifelong friend Aoi Tohsaka, Rin and Sakura's mom, is used to him being away for lengthy periods and is simply happy to see him back. Rin is happy enough to see him, too... But when he opens up the can of worms that is Sakura, mother and daughter grow despondent. He learns about Tokiomi giving Sakura away to the Matou's, the family that he's distanced himself from because he can't stand being around them... Particularly around "grandfather"...

But Kariya can't let things be, no matter how much Aoi begs him. Aoi was the woman he loved, and still loves... And he treasures her daughters just as much. Sakura was especially fond of "Uncle Kariya", and that's why he goes to confront Zouken about the adoption. Because he knows the Matou family magic will break Sakura, it would break anyone. The Matou's really only exist for Zouken's benefit...

... Unfortunately for Kariya, Sakura was already thrown into the worm pit, and has been down there for days... Already broken and traumatized. Kariya is beside himself, and instantly tries to strike a bargain with Zouken: He'll win the Fourth Holy Grail War, and when he does Zouken will release Sakura. Return her to the Tohsaka's. Zouken isn't exactly keen to hedge his bets on Kariya, but it gives the old fossil a chance to torture Kariya and make him suffer... So he tentatively agrees, insisting Sakura will continue her training until Kariya returns with the Grail.

... In one timeline, Kariya dies failing to save Sakura. He dies with Aoi believing that he killed Tokiomi... And he severely wounded her in grief and outrage.

This timeline goes better. ... For the most part. During the war, Kiritsugu's assistant Maiya encounters Kariya. She's about to kill him, threat of Berserker be damned, but he winds up begging her for an alliance. Kariya asserts that his life doesn't matter - he's got an unruly Servant, and his body is rapidly deteriorating... Kariya intends to keep fighting even if he expires in the process, but his ultimate objective is to save Sakura. Maiya and whoever she works for is under no obligation to help him, but he begs them to save Sakura... Kariya's willing to offer them his Servant's power for however long he has it, as long as they follow through on their end of the deal.

Maiya contacts Kiritsugu about Kariya's offer... And while he'd sooner just kill Berserker's Master and be done with it, his wife Iri talks him into the alliance. She points out that Kiritsugu should be able to understand Kariya's pain, wishing to save a child that he cares for dearly... And Kariya is rather bedraggled and barely functioning as it is. What's the harm in helping a dying man?

So Kiritsugu agrees to meet with Kariya. They hash out what makes Zouken so damn near "unkillable", and they agree to go to the Church about the matter. Kirei's father, Risei, knows of ways to deal with corrupt magi such as Zouken, and as the matter is not related to the Grail War directly... he agrees to put the war on hold to deal with Zouken Matou.

Zouken attempts to flee the Matou estate with Sakura, unwilling to lose his best chance in the next Grail War... But gets taken down by Risei, Kirei, and Tokiomi, who is repulsed to learn about the truth of the man he entrusted his daughter with. The "vampire" doesn't die so easily... But he is exterminated. And Sakura's body is purged of all the crest worms that defiled her body.

Kariya is offered the same treatment, but he refuses. He knows that he will die whether they deal with the crest worms or not... He needs what magic they can offer him to keep going in this war. Because even with Sakura saved from his monster of a "grandfather", Tokiomi is adamant about giving Sakura away to a different family once the war is resolved... Kariya simply refuses to allow that to happen. He continues to fight for Sakura's sake... striking a new deal with Tokiomi that should Kariya survive the war, Grail or no, he'll retain custody of Sakura for however long he lives for.

Tokiomi isn't so enthused to accept any "deal" with Kariya, a waste of a magus like him... But he's also a father. And he is well aware that Sakura will need a... grace period to recover from her trauma. He figures that whenever Kariya dies, he can negotiate with Kariya's brother to take Sakura back. With this strategy in mind, Tokiomi "accepts" Kariya's challenge.

... To his own detriment. In the end, Kirei still kills Tokiomi. He loses the chance to torment Kariya, as the Matou representative honors his word and keeps fighting alongside Kiritsugu and Saber... But it's still the same old, same old. Kiritsugu still kills Kayneth. Saber takes on and defeats Iskandar, and Gilgamesh annihilates Lancelot because of his "weak" Master. Kiritsugu fights Kirei to the death, and Saber is forced to "destroy" the Grail... which brings about calamity, anguish, and despair.

But Kariya... He manages to survive those events, similarly to Kiritsugu. It's nightmarish, wading through what would later be known as "the Great Fire", but they manage to find and rescue Shiro. Kariya leaves the boy in Kiritsugu's care, once they get him to a hospital. He returns home to the Matou estate and hashes some things out with his brother, who's leery and uncertain of what the future holds for them now that they don't have Zouken breathing down their necks...

For a few years, Kariya manages to cling on. They're not entirely happy, Sakura can tell her Uncle is seriously ailing and worries over him... But moreover, she just struggles to... accept that "grandfather" is gone. That she doesn't have to be tortured anymore. Deep down, she's bitter that she suffered at all, that her father gave her away like that...

But Kariya helps Sakura to reconnect with Aoi and Rin. He gives Sakura the choice to return to them now that Tokiomi's gone - and yes, that was an ordeal working out what happened to him; Kirei had no one to easily pin his teacher's death on, and so the man denies knowing anything at all, plays the part of the "aggrieved" student who happened to discover the body - and Sakura turns the offer down. She's... conflicted about her mother and sister, who allowed her to be given away. Though Kariya insists that they love her, and want to be with Sakura again... She just can't bring herself to fully believe him. Sakura wants things to go back to the way they were... But her initial year with the Matou's was hell. Even if she starts talking to Rin and her mother again... It's just not the same. It can never be the same. And besides... she's deeply worried about Uncle Kariya, and wants to spend as much time with him as possible. She has a terrible feeling about his deteriorating health...

A few years pass them by, and Sakura slowly goes back to the sweet, kind girl she used to be. She buries her trauma and heartache, managing to reconcile with her mother better, but Rin... It's still a little difficult. If only because Rin keeps asking if Sakura wants to learn magic, and Rin just... she keeps assuming, and... Sakura doesn't like it. After her horrifying experiences with the Matou magecraft, Sakura has grown to... hate magic. Or at least, Sakura herself wants nothing to do with it. She has no opinion if Rin practices it.

Aside from the brittle connection with Rin, Sakura has also established a sibling bond with Shinji. He's not the nicest brother ever... But his father, at Kariya's insistence, tones down Shinji's worst qualities and punishes him when he steps out of line. Shinji does try getting Sakura to be more assertive and less of a wallflower... But to his frustration, Sakura's not keen to change her ways. Especially with Kariya's rapidly failing health...

And then one night, Kariya passed away in his sleep. No warning. For a little bit, it seemed like he might be recovering... Sakura got her hopes up, and then they were dashed. She was... inconsolable for weeks after Uncle Kariya's passing. After the funeral. She spent a lot of time alone, even with Shinji, Rin, and her mother checking in on her...

Around that time, Kirei also... "checked in" with Sakura. Technically, Rin was the only one he was supposed to take on as a student... Tokiomi made no contingency for Sakura. However, with how free-spirited Rin was, she was never going to be easily manipulated. Kirei had plans to raise Rin up only to crush her later, but Sakura was... vulnerable after Kariya's death. It was all too easy to take her on as a second reluctant student. Kirei relished the opportunity to destroy both of Tokiomi's children after molding them to his liking...

Unfortunately for the sadistic priest, not all goes according to plan. A couple of years after Kariya's death, Sakura met Shiro Emiya. (人◕ω◕) They attend the same school, with Shiro being in the same year as Rin, a year above Sakura. Shiro is... He's a lot like Sakura in that he's not very outgoing. Doesn't like to impose. He's a kind, gentle soul that just tries to help everyone... And Sakura really falls hard for the boy.

It doesn't take long for her "training" with Kirei to get severely behind schedule as she spends more time with Shiro before and after school, discovering that Shiro lives by himself with only Taiga-sensei checking in on him. ... Well, to say that Shiro's alone would be a vast... understatement. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;; After the Fourth War, Kiritsugu went to rescue Illya from the Einzbern's. Meeting Kariya in that war inspired Kiritsugu to power through his own injuries and rescue his daughter and bring her back to Japan. So... Sakura also meets Illya, who's a year above Shiro in school... And Illya is very protective of her little brother. (人◕ω◕);;; She's grumpy the first while that Sakura visits, but eventually gets over it when Sakura helps with chores around the house. ... Illya hates manual labor. (人◕ω◕)

More than that, however... Sakura discovers that Shiro technically has an adopted mother, named Maiya. But she's rarely home, as she's working all the time. She says it's to help put food on the table, but... Shiro and Illya know there's more to it, and Maiya's just not explaining herself.

The Middle Act

Over the next several years, Sakura grows close to Shiro (... and Illya, to some extent). They settle into a routine of Sakura coming by before and after school, the routine only broken up sometimes by Kirei who grows... impatient... with his second student. (人◕ω◕)

Before they know it, the Fifth Holy Grail War arrives. ... 50 years early. (人◕ω◕) Sakura receives a set of Command Seals, marking her as a Master... And she just doesn't show interest in participating. Not when Rin is definitely going to be fighting, too. Nevertheless, Kirei tempts her with prospects of the Grail, which has the power to bring Kariya back to her. And it's not like Sakura herself has to fight to kill her enemies... Certainly, there will be participants who will take advantage of her naivete, but it's up to her how she conducts herself in battle.

Sakura's not eager to throw herself into any kind of war... But with how the last one ended, she's worried about Senpai getting impacted and wishes to protect him. ... And if she can revive Uncle Kariya, that would just make her so happy... With Sakura onboard with joining as a participant, Kirei arranges for her to receive a relic to summon a spirit - Medusa, who is summoned as Rider Class.

... Shortly after the war starts in earnest, Sakura's devastated to hear about Senpai getting grievously wounded after stumbling on a battle between two Servants. But when she goes to check up on him the morning after that attack... It's a very awkward breakfast. (人◕ω◕) For one: Senpai apparently managed to summon Saber and become a Master. And Saber picks up on Medusa's concealed presence around the home. (人◕ω◕);;;

For two... Illya is also a Master. And she summoned Berserker, of all Classes...!

Sakura-chan is very anxious during breakfast, you understand. She and Saber both are. (人◕ω◕) Illya's not bothered in the slightest. If Sakura makes a stupid move, Berserker will smash. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕) Shiro plays peacemaker as usual, and it's really only his cooking that manages to keep everybody calm. He explains to Sakura that Rin is also a Master, and her Servant is Archer. Shiro doesn't feel good about blabbing about Rin, but Sakura deserves the head's up, especially since they agree to be allies in this war. Sakura's rather... eager... to agree to any alliance with Senpai. ... Even if Illya would rather deal with her now. There can only be one winner, after all... (人◕ω◕);;;

Unfortunately, Sakura and Illya hanging off of Shiro in the early part of the war makes Rin rather... distant. Unwilling to add to their alliance when that's four of the seven Servants right there. Even three of seven is overkill... It makes Sakura, Shiro, and Illya pretty easy targets. None of the other participants want to drag out that alliance... Caster makes a move first, figuring that taking Shiro hostage and attempting to steal Saber from him would tip the balance of the war in her favor...

Sakura and Illya don't let that stand, however. (人◕ω◕);;; Sakura leaves Medusa to take on Assassin at the gate, while Illya and Berserker race right in to wreck Caster's crap. (人◕ω◕);;; Medea wasn't too happy to see Heracles again, and she proves no match for him. Her Master is similarly dispatched when he tries to avenge Medea's defeat... Medusa manages to defeat Assassin.

... This does leave Rin in a regrettable state of affairs. (人◕ω◕);;; With Caster and Assassin dealt with, it's literally just down to her and whoever Lancer's Master is to deal with the... alliance. Archer is particularly determined to kill Shiro Emiya, and willingly agrees to work with Lancer to keep everyone else off of Shiro...

That... could have gone a lot better. (人◕ω◕);;; Lancer's Master reneged on the deal, leaving Rin and Archer alone to tackle the alliance. Rin had absolutely no chance, going up against Sakura, Illya, Rider, Saber, and Berserker. There was just no way. Sure, Archer tried to corner Shiro, but that proved detrimental to him as Rin grew angry about Archer trying to kill Shiro of all people, and using Command Seals to make him go strictly after the Servants.

Archer does try to sever their contract, but it proves inadvisable when he's up against Berserker, Saber, and Rider. As much as he has faith in his Unlimited Blade Works... Going up against all three at once is just too much. Archer gets a severe thrashing, and has a bitter exchange with Shiro before passing on.

That's when Gilgamesh makes his move and takes down Berserker, whimsically leaving Saber and Rider alone when they prove to be resilient. He kidnaps Illya, counting on her to be the Lesser Grail, and so wishing to cross swords with Saber once more as he elaborates on the Grail's true nature.

It comes down to a fight between Shiro, Sakura, Rin, Rider, and Saber up against Lancer, Kirei, and Gilgamesh. Rin finally comes around and helps Shiro able to get enough magic to access his Reality Marble.... Something that Sakura isn't too eager to let happen, as Rin has to be very intimate with Shiro to share her crest... But it's for the sake of rescuing Illya, so she allows it. (人◕ω◕);;; But she'll be having words later...

Medusa gives Lancer a hearty battle, and he loses. Shiro defeats Kirei, with Sakura and Rin for backup. And Saber defeats Gilgamesh. With the Grail just short of completion, they go after the Greater Grail, using Saber's mightiest attack to destroy it.

... And somehow, after all that, Saber and Medusa receive new mortal bodies. How... fun. (人◕ω◕)

The Future

... So how do you suppose this all ends, anyway? (人◕ω◕) I gave a bare-bones synopsis of the Fifth Grail War, and I apologize for devolving into that... But the bottom line is that Sakura was faithful and loyal to Senpai throughout the whole thing. (人◕ω◕) Despite other interested girls popping up, despite battles getting intense... Sakura-chan fought hard to protect her man. (人◕ω◕) For a while, she almost didn't care about resurrecting Kariya... Like, of course she wanted to bring him back... But if it cost her Shiro to do it, then it's not worth it. Trading one soul for another. Much less when the Grail wasn't working as intended, and Sakura-chan was very angry to hear that the tainted Grail was responsible for how her beloved Senpai became so scarred on the inside...

It was touch and go, keeping everyone alive... But even Artoria and Medusa got to stick around, how delightful is that? (人◕ω◕);;;

Sure, by the war's end she's pretty much patched things up with Rin-neechan, getting over her past hesitation and bitterness. They're a family. And families share. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;; Yes, share even boys they like... Sakura isn't so coldhearted as to turn Rin away when she and Shiro have a deep, intimate bond now. But Sakura isn't so keen to give up either. She won't let Illya hog Shiro all to herself, either. Or Artoria. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

But Rin knows Shiro isn't all okay... Archer was a piece of work, and she doesn't want Shiro turning out like that. Sakura agrees with neechan, and grudgingly allows Rin to take Shiro on as an apprentice and study at the Clocktower for a few years. Sakura doesn't like it, and understands Artoria and Illya's objections... But Senpai needs to clear his head. Figure out what he wants to do. And besides, Sakura doesn't have any affection for magic, no desire to study at the Clocktower herself. She'll patiently wait for Senpai's return... Sure, Rin will be in the doghouse after they get back, hogging Senpai for years...

But. It's. Fine. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕) Before Senpai departs for London, Sakura gives him a very special gift... Her virginity, to be precise. Is it extreme? Sure. But all these other girls around Senpai, Sakura-chan didn't have a choice. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. Everyone else will just hafta deal. (人◕ω◕)

In the meantime, she, Medusa, Artoria, Mitsuzuri, and Illya will watch over the house... and later explain everything to Maiya when she gets back, flabbergasted at the developments. (人◕ω◕);;; They have a looooooot of splaining to do~...

Shiro's in for a rude awakening when he gets back to Japan. Sakura will be at the forefront of the pack, wanting another round and wanting baby Shiro's... But that's a story for another time. You know that Sakura-chan will have proposed to him within days of his return. Cuz Sakura-chan knows what she wants. (人◕ω◕)

The bottom line with this ship is that they're not perfect. Shiro still lost Kiritsugu, and Sakura still lost Kariya. The latter just got a better childhood, and wasn't a pawn of Zouken. ... Not for very long. (人◕ω◕) Shiro still has his hero complex, wanting to protect and keep Sakura happy... And Sakura's about the same as him. She wants to support and care for Senpai, to bask in his warming presence~ This Sakura's just learned to stand on her own somewhat. ... And there might be some stuff to work through with Rin because of Kirei whispering in Sakura's ear for several years... But by the end of the Grail War, Rin showed herself to be reasonable and nothing like Kirei said.

The crux of my enjoyment of this ship... is that I can understand the criticisms that remark how Shiro throws everything else away, just to be with Sakura... I get that the Heaven's Feel route is... heavy. That's why I decided to entertain a Sakura that's a little less broken. She's still got bitterness and uncertainty about the Tohsaka's, and that's understandable. But she learns to move on with her life, and she's allowed to move on~... She's not at Zouken's mercy. That's just my two cents about the Sakura x Shiro ship. It's pretty cute and wholesome overall... Just don't have Shiro abandon everything else for Sakura. That's just me. XD

Previous post: https://www.tumblr.com/pyropsychiccollector/743914272095092736/shiro-harem-holy-grail-war-of-love-17?source=share