#I am also working on getting me some very smooth rocks

[keeps-ache]

brrrba pa pa da de do ♩

[inkskinned]

it is the first snow today. i think we should all have off work, even though it didn't stick. i think there should be 4 national holidays, one for each season. happy first snow, go home and make cookies. for spring it can be the first crocus. for summer the first lightning bug. for autumn, the first golden leaf. go home, kiss your dog, feed your cat (who is absolutely already-fed but somehow still starving.)

i think we should all take more showers together, but i mean that in the soft way. i mean it like taking a nap. two years ago i had 5 adult friends in my queen bed, all of us laying across each other, head over belly over thigh over hand. any time one of us would giggle, it would ripple over each of us, like pulling on a spiderweb. kim actually needed to nap and didn't get to sleep and i am still sorry for it even though this is one of my most precious memories.

i think we should all wash each other's hair, i mean. i walk my dog and i watch someone put up twinkle lights around their front porch. alex and i just moved, and i love the neighborhood. already so many of our new neighbors have stopped by to say hello. the nice lady downstairs also collects plants, like me. she gave us her number on a pink post-it note. i am trying to decide whether to make her cookies or brownies.

i am going through a very hard time. something bad happened this weekend that i do not wish to discuss. it is hanging over me. i think of the green ribbon, and the woman who had her throat cut. it feels like that sometimes, inside of my body. like i am walking and talking despite being half-corpsed. like i am hanging on by a ribbon, standing on some kind of cusp. i keep saying - at least it wasn't worse. we are so lucky it wasn't worse. the idea is river-rock smooth now, all the edges worried off.

in this very dark night - the sun sets by 3 now - people don't need to, but they try anyway. they paint the missing light into things. i have an embarrassing number of missed calls and texts, but i feel the love from them nevertheless - hey. if you need something, i'm here. i will bring you food/puzzles/anything. i got you.

i think we should all have a big group chat where we do errands with strangers. this week i got lost in a home depot, which is wild because i'm a lesbian and we are actually hatched in a lowe's lumber section. there were two other women in the whole store. we ended up shopping together, at first by accident (we all needed things in the same aisle), and then because, well, why not. one of the ladies was taller than me, so she pulled down the screws i needed. i am agile and have the personality of a raccoon, so they sent me after anything below 3 feet. we talked about holiday plans and never learned each other's names, but did learn all the drama about each other's families.

i am making you cupcakes, because i have so much affection i want to pour it into batter. you ask me if i am eating enough per meal. i wrap your gift twice, trying to do it prettily. i get excited to give it to you, just because i hope you'll be excited too.

my parents drive an hour just to see the new apartment and to do the parent thing; standing in the kitchen saying things like "oh you'll get so much use from this dishwasher" and "well, you could paint that" and "when your mother and i moved it was uphill both ways and in a snowstorm and of course your brother was an infant." my mother brought me a plant for housewarming. i always say i love you before she leaves.

i play dnd on tuesdays still, after all these years. we all keep that night free. at one point, between grad school and marriage and all of it, we had to have a serious discussion about how to keep it running. we will keep going, we decided eventually. just to see each other, even if we don't play - you are all important to me. sebastian is not prone to affection but last night he stole my usual sign off - i love you all, be good, he said. he was laughing.

i don't love the winter, actually. i like snow in theory, but i grew up in the north, and am too-familiar with the season of "mud and sludge". i don't like being cold. but i do love something kind of soft and rare: every year around this time, people remember oh yes. you and i are human together. and i have love to spare.

it is the first snow, and something in my heart is finally warm again. i have spent what felt like the last 18 months just going-through-the-motions. it has felt blank and immediate, like i would never actually feel again. that sounds extremely trite and stupid - but that is the boring and familiar experience of depression. life just washes up against your windows, and you watch it happening. you see things that should be lovely and affecting, and it just whispers too-thin. i was desperately uncreative. uninterested in my hobbies. unimpressed by my writing. i told my therapist, often, i don't know how to find hope again.

almost sheepishly, something strange and lovely is burning in my chest. i keep not-looking at it, worried it will scamper back into the shadows again. it is skittish and wild, but it is so warm i want to sink my hands into its fur and feel it breathing. i love-hate it: if it's real, it can hurt me when it leaves again. but i am icarus-born, sun-lover and poet: i can't help myself. despite my best intentions, i am falling in love with life again.

i am planning to make cookies for my friends. alex and i are going to go christmas tree shopping. we picked out matching dish towels last night, and they have little mushrooms on them.

i love you. it does come back. yes, even after a long time. even for you. i promise. keep trying. you will wake up and it will be a day you can smile about.

write me when you get there. we will take the day off of work, and i will wash your hair, and we will both be laughing.

[backtothefanfiction]

Professor Peter Parker

Summary: The first day of college nerves are suddenly made worse when you realised the guy you f*cked last night is your new Physics Professor!

Warnings! 18+ ONLY! This is some of the filthiest smut I have ever written and posted on here yet. Female reader and pronouns, Age gap (everyone is of legal age, Peter is a very young Professor), Oral (F + M Receiving), Dirty Talk (so much fucking dirty talk), praise kink, edging, P in V, Peter Parker (YES he does need his own warning), One Night Stand... or is it?, ITS SEX PEOPLE, JUST STRAIGHT UP SEX WITH A LITTLE PLOT FOR ADDED TENSION AND POW!

Word Count: 4.9k+

A/N: Consider this my formal application piece for the literary prostitutes society. There are no words for this, so I'm just gonna type/sing Don't Lose Your Head from Six. "Sorry not sorry but what I said, I'm just tryin' to have some fun..." But seriously though this was so self indulgent and I can't believe this came out of me. It's very much giving Aria and Ezra in Pretty Little Liars but older and much more Peter Parker. Also I am really sorry about if the tense keeps changing, I sometimes have a problem with finding my rhythm and I really cba to spend the time working it all out and changing it.

First day of college. Standard level of nerves for a first day. Are you running on just a couple hours of sleep? Sure. Still a little tipsy from last night? Okay, yeah, maybe just a little, but that’s a good thing right. Takes the edge off. But then again numbers and science had never let you down before. You can do physics. You’ve got this.

You took a deep breath, hand hesitating on the door handle. ‘This is the first day of the rest of your life.’ You said to yourself, breathing deeply.

You found a spot somewhere in the middle of the room. Not so eager you were at the front but you also didn’t want to hide away in the back. That and you were pretty sure you were due for an eye test and if you sat any further back you wouldn’t be able to read the board. You got out your notepad, flipping open to the first page, your fingers smoothing across the fresh paper comfortingly. You reach for a fresh pencil from the novelty pack your Mom had bought you especially for your first week, knowing you prefer the feel of writing in pencil than pen, the ink always getting smudged on your hand from your messy scrawl. You pluck the one with tiny zebra all over it from the clear case before placing it back in your bag. Your fingers drum the back of the pencil on your page nervously as you wait. You tried not to overthink things as your stomach began to churn. Had you really turned up this early? You took a quick look around the room at the other 5 people who had actually been there before you. ‘Hey,’ you reasoned to yourself, ‘at least you weren’t as early as them.’ 

You yawned. Damn you were tired. Although you had this early class, when your new room mate suggested you go out with the guys who lived across the hall you couldn’t say no. To be fair, it had been a good night all considered. You had met some new people, exchanged a few numbers, agreed to go to the end of semester drama club performance even though the term had only just started, drank way too many jello shots, got snuck into a local bar and then ended up going home with a tall brunette with the softest yet devious brown eyes you had ever seen who completely rocked your world. 

You absentmindedly rubbed your thighs together, squirming slightly in your seat as you thought back to his head between your legs. The lewd moans he’d pulled from your lips echoing around your brain. It sent a fresh new wave of arousal straight to your core.

‘Not the time or place.’ you berated, instead forcing your mind back into the classroom and the task at hand. ‘Physics of Matter with Professor Peter Parker. He was probably middle aged’ you thought to yourself. It was always the case with classes like these, middle aged men finally leaving the lab for the first time after finally completing their life's work, now relenting to their wife’s begging to spend more time with the family. Or older men with white hair, wrinkles and tweed, desperately holding on to their independence, understimulated by the idea of retired life when all that knowledge of matter and the universe was rattling around their brains. ‘Young hot professors were only to be found in the movies or on TV’ you daydreamed as you tried to distract yourself from the growing pit of nerves in your stomach.

You check your phone every few seconds as other students file into the room, finding their own seats as you count down the minutes. 5 minutes… 3 minutes… 2 minutes… 1 minute… … He’s late… 1 minute past… 2 minutes past… 3 min-

“Okay, okay, settle down!” A voice called out as the classroom door opened, far younger than she expected and slightly familiar. “Welcome to Physics of Matter,” the voice continued as he made his way towards the board, picking up a bit of chalk and lifting it to the board as he spoke, “I am Professor Parker, but please,” he said dropping the piece of chalk back onto the little shelf at the bottom of the board, “call me Peter.” He said finally turning around.

SHIT!

DOUBLE SHIT!

You dip your head towards your page as you sink a little bit down in your seat. Hopefully he won’t notice. ‘FUCK!’ your head was suddenly screaming as all those memories of the night before flooded your brain again. His messy hair. His naked body. The way he had moaned into your cunt- FUCK!

You subtly glanced around the room from your head's dipped position. This had to be some new prank show right. There’s no way this happened in real life. There had to be cameras. He’s an actor right? Ashton Kutcher was about to burst through the classroom door shouting “YOU’VE BEEN PUNK’D” any second followed by the actual Professor Parker, right? Right?

“Now I’m not gonna ask you to get your books out this lesson,” he began to say playfully, his voice carrying around the room as he walked back and forth in front of his desk surveying his new class. “Today is about you getting to know me and me just going over all the things we are gonna be covering over the course of our year together.” He said, talking a lot with his hands. “As much as I’d love to start getting into equations with you, I’ve learnt that that tends to be futile during our first lessons. I mean, just by a show of hands, who went out drinking last night?” Professor Parker asked and a shower of hands across the room went up, Peter’s gaze scanning across the faces of the raised hands as he continued, “Keep your hand up if you’re still a little bit drunk-” his voice cut off as his eyes finally landed on you, his own oh shit face befalling him.

You felt your skin crawl as people lowered their hands and began following his gaze to you. You moved your hand up to your face as you sank down in your seat further. ‘Stop staring. Stop staring. Stop staring!’

8 HOURS EARLIER 

“I couldn’t help but see you staring.” He said as he sidled up to you. ‘Holy fuck’ he was gorgeous. Tall, lean, perfectly messy brown hair and the most delicious biceps (not too big) that were flexing under the cuffs of his fitted T-shirt you really just wanted to wrap your fingers around and squeeze. Damn. “Is she okay?” He said turning to your friend.

“Yeah she’s just-“ your roommate started before nudging you and breaking you from your hypnotised gaze on this absolute Adonis of a man. “She thinks you’re really hot!” she shouted over the music to him.”

He raised his eyebrows as he gave a small chuckle, flattered, as you cringed. They both laughed at you. “Do you wanna dance?” he asked as he took your hand.

“Yes, she does!” your friend said, pushing you off your stool. His other hand comes out to steady you as you almost slam into his chest. You blush before turning to give your roommate a death stare. 

He flashed one of those charming smiles again before he began to guide you away from her and to the dance floor. His hand doesn’t leave yours as he starts to bop and bounce, easing you both into the music. You slowly relax, smiling as a giddy feeling churns in your stomach, as you begin to bop with him to the music.

The music swells and he gives you a twirl under his arm before he pulls you closer to him. “So have you got a name or am I supposed to refer to you as flower for the rest of the night?”

You frown. “Why Flower?” 

“Isn’t that the name of the skunk in Bambi who is all quiet and has those big eyes and blushing cheeks and-”

“Don’t call me Flower.” you quickly say, slightly embarrassed by the way you had gone all goo goo eyed and helpless over him.

“Okay, then what can I call you?”

You hesitate for a second as you think about giving him your real name but what would be the fun in that, especially if this only turned out to be a one night stand. “Trouble.”

He laughs, his head dipping to hide his amusement. “Is that so?” he says from beneath his lashes. “Fine, if that’s how we’re playing it, you can call me Professor Brat Tamer, Professor for short.”

You feel your arousal soak your panties the moment he says it, the words going straight to your core. What have you gotten yourself in for? It’s like he knows too from the way he’s smirking. He turns you, pulling you back into him, his hands resting on your hips as he begins to grind himself against your ass. “Now, are you gonna be a good student?” he coos against your ear only loud enough for you to hear. “Or are you gonna be like your namesake says and cause me a whole lot of trouble?”

He can feel the way you relax your body back against him, your eyes closing as you relish in the feeling his words elicit in you. 

You smirk as you look back at him, “I’m sorry Professor, but you may have your work cut out for you.”

An hour and a half later he’s pulling you into his apartment, your back slamming hard against a wall of exposed brick as your mouth latches onto his. Both of you had done so well keeping your hands to yourself the whole way back, but the moment you got through the door it was like a starting pistol had gone off, both of you suddenly in a race for pleasure.

You moan against his mouth as his tongue slips between your teeth. You can taste his final Jack and Coke he had had before you left. Your skin felt like it was burning under his touch.

“Fuck.” You gasp as his mouth is suddenly moving across your jaw and down your neck, his teeth and stubble grazing you slightly in his hunger for you. 

“God Trouble, you sound so fucking pretty.” he coos against your chest, his hand moving to paw at your breast, bunching it up to spill over the top of your dress as he leaves wet kisses across the skin.

Your fingers wrap around his messy tresses as you pull his head back up so you can connect your mouth with his again, a small growl escaping his lips at the slight pain. You kiss him messily, both of you breathing heavily before you push him back, allowing you room to drop to your knees on the hardwood floor. Your fingers immediately begin to fight with his belt buckle, the sound of the metal clinking sending arousal straight between your own legs.

“Fuck.” He pants as he looks down at you, his hand reaching to cradle either side of your face as you pull down his jeans and his boxers in one swift pull. “Uh, baby, baby, baby.” he coos as you take his length into your mouth and immediately begin to work your tongue up and down his cock.

His fingers move away from your face, grabbing at the hem of his t-shirt and you watch as he pulls it up and over his head, exposing the rest of his body to you. Fuck he really was gorgeous. “Oh my god.” he cried out when you began to swallow his length down your throat, your nose pressing to his pelvic bone. “Uh,” he said, his head tipping back, “she’s not trouble, she’s fucking perfect.” he says as he drops his head back forward to watch you, his thumb reaching to wipe away a stray tear at the corner of your eye.

You take his length out of your mouth as you gasp for air and he thinks it’s the sexiest thing he’s ever heard. “Come here Trouble.” he says as he takes your face and chin in his hands and lifts you from the floor, pulling your lips back to his as he smashes his mouth into yours.

He begins to kick off his shoes as well as his jeans and boxers that now sit tangled around his ankles as he continues to kiss you, freeing himself so he can lift you up into his arms, your own arms throwing themselves around his neck, as he carries you to his bedroom.

You can’t help but cheekily bite at his lower lip as he stops just before the foot of the bed. “Oh she has some bite does she?” he says against your mouth. Your teeth almost clash together from how close you are as you grin, waiting to see what he’ll do or say next. “Okay,” he says as he pauses a little for dramatic effect, “I can bite back.” he says before throwing you back on the bed.

You let out a small squeal as you're caught by the mattress springs and pillows. You quickly prop yourself up on your elbows so you can see the devilish look on his face as he pulls off your heels before he stalks up the bed towards you. He leans over you, attaching his lips to yours once more, his tongue sliding deftly into your mouth and out again with every kiss until his last, when he uses it to suck your lower lip between his teeth, pulling on it. He releases it just as you’re beginning to feel it bruise, his lips instead attaching to your throat as his hands come up to pull down the top of your dress. He had already clocked that you were sans bra from how low the back of your dress was and is even more grateful now he can immediately latch himself onto your nipples, his tongue lapping at the small sensitive nibs, one and then the other.

You moan under his touch, your eyes falling closed as your head tips back, fingers gripping tightly at the covers beneath you. When he looks up at you, keening under his touch, he thinks it's the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “Look at me baby.” he softly commands and you oblige, your chin pressing to your chest as you gaze straight into those big brown eyes. It’s the sexiest eye contact you’ve ever held. It’s like he’s fucking you with his eyes as his fingers begin to snake their way up your thighs, lifting the bottom of your dress up to your hips so he can pull down your underwear. He takes one feel of them before saying, “Fuck, trouble, these are soaked.”

You can only nod in agreement, as all words seem to have left your brain. ‘Fuck, he’s so fucking hot’ you think, as he kisses his way down your middle, over your dress until he reaches the hem where he can start kissing at your skin. You sigh, your head falling back again at the sensation of his lips kissing across your hips and then down your thighs. 

His fingers spread your legs and he gives a small nip to the inside of your thigh and you gasp at the small feeling of pain, that quickly turns to pleasure, as yet another wave of arousal floods between your legs.

“Fuck, baby, you’re dripping.” he says as his finger scoops up the arousal thats begining to drip down your thighs, bringing it up to his mouth. You watch hypnotised as he sucks on his fingers. “Damn, trouble, you tast so fucking good.” he says as he slips his fingers from his mouth. It’s so filthy. He has barely done anything and you’re a fucking goner.

His tongue suddenly crashes between your folds. “FUCK!” you cry out loudly. His fingers trace over your thighs, reaching for your own fingers which you entwine with his. He’s got his eyes closed, savouring every moan, every little gasp he pulls from you. 

He can tell you’re getting close from how your cunt begins to grind itself down against his tongue, chasing you’re high, but to allow you to have it would be too easy. He listens closely to your breathing, your moans; one… two… he suddenly moves his mouth away and you want to scream. He playfully nips at the inside of your thigh, almost hard enough to bruise. You really do scream now in frustration. “Told you I could bite.” he says coily as he mumbles against your skin. 

He licks another stripe through your folds as if in apology, as if to soothe the sting but his tongue flicks at your sensitive clit before he sucks it hard between his lips and you cry out again. “Mmmm.” he hums against your cunt, “you sound so pretty when you scream like that.”

You want to cry, you are so sensitive and overstimulated but suddenly he’s lapping at your pussy again and you’re melting back into the bed as your muscles begin to relax again with the long slow licks of his tongue.

When you both begin to feel the build of your climax again he doesn’t pull away this time. He lets you have it, your thighs closing around his head, hips bucking off the bed as the wave of pleasure crashes over you. He keeps going, his mouth lapping up everything you’ll give him until you're pulling yourself away from him. Tears well in the corners of your eyes from the over stimulation as you pant and whine and rub your thighs together, desperate for the feeling to dissipate. He grabs at your ankles, holding you still as you flop back into the pillows at the top of the bed.

“So good for me Trouble, you’re doing so good.” he says as he crawls up the bed to kiss you. 

Although he’s wiped at his mouth, the taste of you still remains and you lick it off every part of his mouth you can reach as he settles himself between your legs.

His hands slide up your thighs before they’re grabbing ahold of your waist and suddenly he’s flipping you, his head crashing into the pillows as you straddle his hips. Your lips race to chase his as you continue to pant breathlessly into his mouth, another flood of arousal soaking between your legs. 

His fingers reach for the bottom of your dress, lifting it up and off your head, leaving you finally, completely naked before him. “Fuck, trouble,” he moans as his eyes drink you in, “has anyone told you how absolutely fucking perfect you are.” You giggle and blush as you lean down to kiss him. “No. No. Look at me.” he says as he takes your head in his hands and moves you away from him so you have to look at him. He’s giving you that look with his eyes again as he holds your face in place, not allowing you to break eye contact with him for one single moment as he begins to grind his hips up against you, his rock hard cock grinding against your clit. Your mouth falls open in a silent gasp. “So fucking perfect.” he repeats. “Now tell me, trouble, how do you want me to fuck you?” You can’t think, your eyes closing as you try to focus your thoughts as his skin drags across your clit teasingly. He gently taps your cheek with his fingers, forcing you to open your eyes and look at him. “Eyes on me Trouble,” he says, “find your words, tell me how you want me to fuck you.”

You shake your head as you close your eyes again, really unable to think. “Options.” you say breathlessly, your eyes flying open, before he can punish you for breaking eye contact again. “Give me options.” 

“Okay.” he concedes with a small nod and a smile. “Okay, pretty girl.” he repeats again soothingly as he pulls you back down closer to him, his lips kissing you sweetly and encouragingly, aware he’s over stimulating your brain. “I can fuck you like this.” he says as he looks into your eyes. His hand slowly trails down to wrap around your throat, his other hand still cradling the back of your head as he flips you again. “Or I can fuck you like this.” he says as he continues to slowly grind himself against your sex. “Or,” he says as he lowers his head down to the crook of your neck, breathing you in deeply as he speaks directly into your ear, “I can flip you over and fuck you from behind.” You sigh as his words go straight to your core again.

“The last one.” you say breathlessly as your eyes close.

“MMM.” he hums into your ear as his teeth nip at your jaw, satisfied with your response. He pushes you back into the bed slightly as he lifts himself onto his knees, his hands moving away from your face and you watch him eagerly as you await his next move. He leans over to the bedside table, reaching into the draw for a condom, lazily tugging at his length with one hand whilst he uses his teeth and the other hand to open it up. You’re almost starring as he’s rolling it down the length of his cock, fully taking in his erect size. He smirks when he looks up to notice you nibbling at your lower lip.

“Come here, trouble.” he says before he’s flipping you over, your head finding a comfortable position on the pillow as he lifts your ass into the air. 

He slides his fingers down your opening before placing two fingers slowly inside you, stretching you out and you let out another breathy moan at the feeling. He pumps them in and out of you a couple more times before he slowly lets them slide out of you, his fingertips dragging agonisingly across your clit before he uses them to pump his cock again a couple times, shifting himself into position.

His fingers grip tightly onto your hips as he lines himself up and slowly pushes himself inside you, your back arching with the stretch, head shifting as you let out another moan of satisfaction into the pillow. “Mmm, let me hear you baby.” he says as his hand removes itself from your hip to reach for the back of your head, his fingers tangling in your hair as he turns your head back towards him.

“Fuck.” you hiccup as he pulls himself out little by little before he’s slamming his hips forward against your ass, pushing himself in even deeper.

“Fuck, trouble. So fucking tight for me.” 

You lose all ability to speak as he begins fucking into you, slowly building his pace until he’s fucking into you at a wicked speed. You want to scream again, your face screwing up in ecstasy as his cock continuously hits that spot inside you that makes you want to explode. His other hand reaches around for your throat, pulling you back up as he leans over you so he can stick his tongue back into your mouth. It adjusts his angle somehow, making the feeling in your cunt even more intense. Your mouth falls open as he holds it there, you’re panting and moaning into his mouth. “Look at me.” he encourages as his thumb rubs soothingly across your jaw. You can’t help but obliged. 

It’s too much. It’s the hottest, most filthiest sex you’ve ever had. You know you’ll never be the same again. Nothing, no one, will ever compare to this. “Please, please, please.” you find yourself repeating as your eyes close again. You’re so close and he knows it because your cunt is constricting like a vice around his cock. 

He moves his hand down to circle at your clit between your legs. “Come on, trouble, give it to me,” he coaches, “Fuck, baby!” he snarls against your mouth as he smashes his lips to yours again, pulling at your lips bruisingly. 

You pull your mouth away from him, wailing, gasping for breath as your body convulses around him, his pace only slowing slightly to help you ride out your climax. “So good.” he coos, “My trouble, so fucking good for me. Atta girl.”

His pace is steady as he feels you begin to relax again but you’re still so stimulated. You’re surprised he’s still going. “Your turn.” you say to him breathlessly and he smiles. When he doesn’t say anything you decide to push your luck. “How do you want to fuck me?” you coo, now you’re the one who’s eye fucking him.

You watch as he closes his eyes, head falling back. He chuckles then, something low and devious. He suddenly pulls out of you. It makes you feel so empty. You’re about to whine but then he’s flipping you over and pulling your legs together and then over his shoulder as he bends you in half. He lines himself back up with your entrance and slips back in with ease and you gasp as he bottoms out, the position making him hit that devastating spot inside you instantly. He leans all the way over so he can kiss you, his mouth swallowing every moan, gasp and breath that leaves your mouth as he pounds down into you like something fierce.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” you whine as the sensitivity grows too much. His pelvis is slamming against your clit with every thrust. Now you really are crying, your eyes rolling back in your head as you feel yourself clamping down on his cock again. 

“Oh my god, baby.” he says. “You’re so fucking wet. So fucking good. Such a good fucking girl.”

It’s a guttural wail you let loose into the room as you cum and his head dips down as he buries himself in the crook of your neck, his thrusts growing even faster as he chases his high. “Stay with me, Trouble,” he says, trying to ground you. He lifts his head, hand reaching for your face, forcing you to look at him. “Just a little bit longer, baby, just a little bit-” but he can’t finish his words. He’s so fucking close. One pump, two- he suddenly stills as he buries himself inside you, his forehead pressing into yours grounding you both as he pumps his seed into the condom inside you. You whine at the feeling of his cock pulsating against the still extremely sensitive spot inside you.

“You did so good.” His voice reassures as he strokes soothingly across your cheek forcing you to look at him as you breathe deeply and heavily in your come down. “So fucking good.” he says as he kisses your forehead before slipping out of you. 

With his body no longer crowding you you fully relax back into his sheets, your eyes closing as you try to regulate. You think you might even pass out. You think you may even have blacked out for a second, but you know you haven’t as your eyes fly open and your body jumps at the feeling of a cool damp cloth between your legs.

He watches you content as you suddenly relax once more, the cool washcloth doing wonders to soothe the hot swollen feeling between your legs as he cleans you up. You definitely black out then, completely exhausted.

You are disturbed again a few minutes later, a soft reassuring hand brushing up your legs. “Here.” his voice says softly as he sits on the side of the bed next to you, waiting for you to open your eyes and look at him so he can pass you a glass of water.

The cold liquid does wonders to help regulate your temperature and you can’t help but stare at him again in wonder as he sits before you in a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms. He leans over you, kissing the top of your head, breaking you from your sex induced stupor.

“You can stay if you want.” You nod your head, you have no energy to move yet.

“Okay.” he says with a soft smile as he takes the now mostly empty glass from your fingers. “I’m gonna go get you another one of these,” he says motioning to the glass now in his hands, “you go to the toilet, there’s a spare toothbrush under the sink, get yourself ready for bed and when you get back we can cuddle.”

You still have no words, just dociley nod and agree. You wobble slightly as you try to stand, blood rushing back to your limbs and his hand reaches out to steady you. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” You say as you sway slightly and wave him away.

He just chuckles. “Whatever you say, trouble.”

You crawl into bed beside him 5 minutes later, tucking yourself into his side as his arm wraps around you. “You really are Professor Brat Tamer huh?” you joke as you nestle into his bare chest.

“And don’t you know it.” he smiles, pulling you tighter into his side so he can place a kiss to the top of your head.

You wake just after 6am, sneaking from his bed with a smile on your face as you pick up your clothes before doing the walk of shame back to your student halls. The sun is just coming up and the leaves are just starting to change, you can still feel the alcohol in your system as well as the after effects of your orgasms and you know, although you’re tired, today is gonna be a great first day… or was it?

________________________-

@tarzinnia @withahappyrefrain @xenasolos @sincericida

Is this a one off? I don't know. Is there a lot of room for this to turn into a collection of shorts... yeah, maybe.

[the-soliloquies-of-sadists]

#368

“Where are you off to?...  The mall?  Well, your friends will need to wait.  We have something to talk about. 

“I have looked after your step-dad, my brother, for his entire life, and I have gotten to know your ma just these past few years.  I trust Doyle with my life.  So when he and your ma ask a favor to have you live with me while they work out their problems, I can’t say no.  I told them that I don’t expect any problems from you.  And they assured me that you are a good boy and that you would follow my rules.  Well, after a long twelve-hour day at the job site, I want to relax with a Scotch Whisky and a nice Macanudo cigar.  Well, imagine my surprise that the bottle of Johnnie Walker, that I opened earlier this week, is well over half gone.  I know how much I drink; that bottle would last me a month and a half at least.  Care to explain?... 

“Well Vinny, don’t ever insult my intelligence again.  That is a battle you will never win.  You drank my Scotch.  Now you have to deal with the consequences. 

“C’mere!...  I said ‘Come here!’  Lay your sorry ass across my lap; you’re getting a good old fashioned ass whooping. 

“…I don’t give a shit that you turned 18 only a few months ago.  You ain’t too old to be put in your place….  Don’t you dare head to the door….

“…I told you not to underestimate me.  Hold still.  I was a state champion wrestler in High School.  I was also a cop before my heart problems.  I know how to take down a bitch like you.  Quit squirming.  Let’s get these sweatpants off you….  Going commando, hunh? 

“…What?  Don’t have something stupid to say?  It’s time for you to pay for your fuck up.  This is a nice ass.  So smooth and pale pink.  Too bad I have to welt it up.

“That’s one.  One of twenty… on each cheek.  Two…  Three…  Now this cheek.  Fuck yeah.  My hand is going to be sore for a while, but I don’t care.  Six.  Seven.  You are starting to go red here.  Boy you got a hot ass!  Ha! Literally it’s very warm. 

“Your crack needs some color….  What the fuck?  You are wet in your crack.  It doesn't stink.  Fuck!  This is lube!  What the fuck?...

“Ha! You were going commando to the mall in sweatpants and your ass is lubed up?  No, you have something lined up to get fucked.  Ha! Ha!

“And I bet…  Don’t try to fight me on this, you have enough lube here for me to easily glide in my finger… like this.  Oooh, there’s your prostate.... I can tell you are cleaned out.

“So, let’s start this conversation over.  Stand up….  I thought that’s what I felt.  Your pecker is hard from you being spanked.  Ha!  I love it.  Look I am totally fine with you being a sperm burper.  Fuck, get laid whenever you want.  So want to tell me where you were really going?

“Have a hook up?  That’s nice.  Is it from one of those apps?...  Let me see his profile….  Give me your phone….  Which app was it?...  Let me see.  This him?...  So you like 43-year-olds?  That’s cool.  I’m a little bit older than that.

“Oh, your chat with him is interesting.  Very interesting….  So you like sucking on ‘Daddy’s toes?’  This is fucking great…. Quit protesting.  I do love it… all of it.  I love that you are rock hard. 

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.  I am rock hard too.  Yeah, I’ve played with boys before. 

“Here let me take it out for you.  Boy you got me leaking.  Grab a hold of it.  It’s a sizeable piece hunh?...  I see you licking your lips.

“Shut up….  One moment….  There!  I just sent him a message saying that you are going to be twenty to thirty minutes late because your uncle needs some help unloading some things.

“On the bed….  I don’t give a shit.  You got me hard; you are going to take care of it.  I want that red ass of yours.  Atta boy.

“Spread your legs as far as you can.  Just lay there.  I prefer when my holes don’t move around.  And if you can, don’t moan.  Just be the hole you are destined to be.

“Fuck!  It is like silk in here.  I am going to enjoy using this hole daily….  I said don’t say anything.  You live in my house with a hole I can fuck, you better believe I’m going to beat and breed this hole.  You got that?  Beat and breed.  Beat and breed.  I hope your mouth is as good as this pussy hole of yours.  If not, I’ll train ya right.

“Oh man, I’m gonna cum.  I’m gonna flood your guts.  Here it cums.  Here it fucking cums.  Get ready boy.  Uhhh!  Fuuuuuck!  Hell yeah!  Fuck!  Goddamn!  Fuck!

“Goddamn!  I love your ass.  Clamp down as I pull out.  Fuck yeah.  I can tell this isn’t your first fuck….  Don’t worry, I won’t tell your ma or my brother.  They don’t need to know. 

“Get up.  Clean me off….  What?  Look at my cock.  It needs to be cleaned up.  Get your mouth on my dick now.  Don’t question me on this….  Atta boy.  You are going to learn that living here requires you to follow my rules.  Rule one, you are getting beat then seeded when I want.  Rule two, you clean me up after yourself.  My cock rules this house and those in it.

“Ok.  Get dressed.  No, you cannot use the bathroom.  You are going to your hook up with a messed up ass, loaded up good.  If he should ask, tell him your uncle unloaded a week’s worth of baby batter in your pussy.

“Now go.  I want to hear details when you get back.  Oh and Vinny, in the future, if you want some Scotch, just ask.  Considering I’m going to beat your ass one way or the other, you kinda earned it.  Now go. 

“And take care of my babies.”

[luminouslywriting]

Hi, I'm here to make a request, first of all I AM OBSESSED WITH RONALD SPEIRS!!, so I was wondering if you could make some headcanons about what it would be like to marry him, basically what the wedding day would be like and everything it would include, (please Let it be a big wedding...I think I have a problem with exorbitant celebrations 😭😭)

You could also add about what role each Easy boy would take at the wedding and everything. Also that the reader there was part of the company

^^Gif not mine^^

A/N: Love, this is a wonderful request and I'm so sorry that it's taken so long for me to get to it. I'm sick so I'm taking my sick day to respond to a few of my requests haha!

Cut for length, paragraph form, more below the cut, some light spice included:

-Ronald Speirs and a wedding is a surprising match made in heaven and you can't convince me otherwise. He's happy to go to a courthouse and elope if that's what you want. But if you want the whole white wedding in full tradition? He's also happy to oblige such a request. I think that in general, he's the type to let you plan to your heart's content, but if you want him to be involved, he will in fact, have an opinion about the color of napkins and the amount of flowers haha.

-If you're stressed out in the days leading up to the wedding, rest assured that this man is a GREAT stress reliever. He knows exactly how to get your mind off of things—and if those wicked ways happen to include his fingers or his mouth, then he's all too happy about it anyway.

-Knowing the fact that you want the full traditional wedding means that he is going to need some groomsmen and there's no way that he wouldn't invite the men of Easy Company to the wedding

-That being said, the invitations were out well in advance and while everyone was pleasantly surprised to be invited to said wedding, they're also very jazzed about the entire thing

-Lipton is obviously his best man

-Everyone else had to be fought over in a wild game of rock paper scissors to decide who ends up on what side of the wedding party

-Other groomsmen for him include Dick Winters, Babe Heffron, Perconte, Martin, Donald Malarkey, David Webster, and Joe Toye.

-Your side of the wedding party got Lewis Nixon, Bull Randleman, Joe Liebgott, Buck Compton, Eugene Roe, Floyd Talbert, Shifty, and Bill Guarnere.

-Put Nixon in charge of the bar for the reception, I beg of you

-Winters had a lot of fun getting to plan so much and being involved in everything

-The others were a little chaotic, to say the least

-The rings were held onto by Lipton

-Anywho, the wedding goes off without a single hitch (mostly because poor Dick Winters and Carwood Lipton are working overtime behind the scenes to ensure that it's the best and most smooth operation to date)

-The vows definitely make a few people shed tears (and yes, Speirs is all too pleased by that)

-The reception would last for hours and hours, well into the night

-And when the two of you slip away while everyone is drinking so you can leave to the honeymoon and the only two people you get to say goodbye to are Winters and Lipton, neither one of you truly mind haha

-10/10 would have these men assemble a wedding

[a-ikuoliver]

Mercury your event is SO cute I’m actually obsessed! I’m such a beer girlie, but if I had to pick a drink it’s gotta be a jägerbomb! And for the character you pick because I want you to be as free as possible I’m ready for anything👀

ehehehe i was a lil cheeky with this one, i leaned more into the leave you wanting more vibe with the jagerbomb also im sorry for the lack of beer i've never met a beer or cider i've liked LMAO i was going to make this endeavor but the more i wrote it the more it worked better with bakugou but i hope u like it!! teehee birthday bash intro + rules + menu | event masterlist

anyone who wasn’t a couple jagerbombs deep could tell you how bad of an idea jagerbombs are at an work party, but when you work at one of the most popular bars in musutafu, it’s more a rite of passage.

not even here a year, your work-best friend was the very first to inform you of the notorious annual work party, how messy they get, how she’d gone home with the chef one year, and how many servers had crashed in the booths over the years. finally, the time had come for the party, your friend already abandoning you to flirt with the chef again, although, you couldn’t play the morally high act about it when all your attention was on your boss behind the counter.

walking behind the bar, you perused the liquor on offer, mostly mid-tier stuff, but god, did the imported stuff look good right about now, something smooth to take your mind off of him. fuck, why’d he have to roll his sleeves up like that? his forearm muscles enough to make you wonder what else lies beneath that damn shirt, an endless expanse of muscles underneath a wife-pleaser singlet, thick thighs caged in his expensive slacks.

“need some help?” lost in your daydream, bakugou is beside you before you realise how long you’ve been ogling him, your indecisive daze in front of the alcohol drawing his attention (any excuse to talk to you, really). you’re nowhere near drunk enough for him to be this close, to get this messy. yet.

“you don’t have my beer on tap.” his eyes nearly roll back at your sweet tone, your gentle teasing that’s been driving him up the wall for months. he stays steadfast, dark garnet eyes unwavering, despite the top you’d worn specifically for them to wander.

“let me make it up to you,” he takes another step closer, the expensive scent of his cologne filling your lungs when he reaches around you for the distinct green bottle, trapping you between his biceps for a fleeting moment, “we’ll do something i used to have in my party days.”

grabbing two pint glasses and two shot glasses, you watch him work with the kind of swiftness and expertise decades behind a bar could give a man, every twist of his wrist calculates, not a single drop of jagermeister or redbull spilling, even when the latter threatened to bubble over the top of the glass.

“you used to do jagerbombs?” you can’t help but sound incredulous, your eyebrows shooting up to your hairline when you accept the drink from him. mesmerised as he pours his own, you try to imagine him younger, chugging back the bomb, swallowing shot after shot, stumbling home in the am. even in your daydream, his hair had speckles of salt through the blond of his hair, the silver fox look worked too well for him to see him any other way.

“why are you so shocked? i was twenty once.”

“it’s hard to imagine you… like that.”

“like what?”

“you know, a party animal, i can only see you drinking bourbon on the rocks.” he chuckles at the memories, of sleepless nights, of horrendous hangovers.

“i could still drink you under the table.” he challenges, already reaching to pour another, you try not to laugh in his face, the image of your all-powerful boss drunk and stumbling was something you’d pay to see. with a smile you could only describe as evil, hot, you clinked your drink with his before knocking it back, “sure you can, old man.”

after too many bombs, an assortment of other shots, some cocktail bakugou poured you and a sip (you weren’t game enough to have more of it, there’s a reason you weren’t a bartender) of the one you poured him, the pair of you stumbled into his office at the back of the bar. half the buttons are undone on his shirt, your hands sliding beneath the hem of his shirt even when he pulled away from you long enough to unlock the door, pulling you inside with him and nudge it closed once more before turning all his attention back to you; the way you stared up at him with glassy eyes, the way your lipstick smudged under your bottom lip, how your chest heaved (the way your tits looked when you did), how your dress rode up when you pulled yourself onto his desk, tugging him in by his belt loops.

he can’t even find it in him to care about the time-sheets crinkling under your ass when you bite your lip, can’t care you’re his employee and his mind goes blank of everything when you wrap your thighs around his hips. fuck, you’re irresistible like this; arching into him, kissing and biting his jaw, one hand tugging your dress further up your thighs, the other working off his belt to slide into his slacks, searching for more and more, more he wants to give you.

you’re just so, so, so hot… and he’s soft. he’s fucking soft. he finally has you under him and he can’t get it up.

let’s hope the alcohol buzzing through your blood is enough to clear your memory of this in the morning.

[moraxsthrone]

Keeeel I have brainrot ;w;

Just... Zhongli taking care of his little mate after fucking you so good/hard/much that you can't really move much, legs weak, body sore. Him massaging your muscles whispering sweet nothings and nuzzling you, carrying you to the bath and pampering you and you whine a little still sensitive 🥺💕

It's extra asdfchbklj bc you're an adventurer who fights monsters in the regular, go exploring and climbing and sure your body gets a little pushed to the limits once in a while but he, heeeee, Zhongli is the only one who manages to tire you out like this. Drooling and sweating and panting in pure blissful pleasure, legs twitching in the aftershocks of a few too many rounds crying out his name. And he's so proud of himself for being able to leave you like this, sweet and pliant in hazy pleasure (and proud of you too for being so good to him!) his inner dragon purrrs happily against your skin leaving soft kisses.

AFKSFCGVJBJNKL /w\ omggggggg

Just Zhongli fucking you stupid and then providing the sweetest most tender aftercare 😩🥴🥰💕💕💕

crys, my dear, thank you for leaving this precious gem in my ask box. 💛🧡🤎🖤 i saw it this morning and could NOT stop thinking about it all day and THE SECOND i logged off from work i made a MAD DASH to my pc and started typing FURIOUSLY. i needed this so bad! 😩😮‍💨

I AM HERE FOR THE ZHONGLI BRAINROT!!

be warned: nsfw. mdni. x f!reader. rough sex. hair pulling. please let me know if i missed anything, i have a meeting in 8 mins and i'm trying to get this out beforehand bc we've waited long enough.

but also: zhongli provides impeccable aftercare, breathe if you agree

wc: 500+

okay so let's get one thing out of the way: zhongli knows How To Fuck™️

the archon has you on your belly, your thighs pressed together as he straddles them and rides you like a lazy horse. his beautiful cock is coated with your creamy need; he loves to spread your asscheeks apart and watch your swollen hole stretch around his girthy cock. the striations of your slick spread the length of his shaft as his hips slap your ass so hard the wet, rhythmic smacks echo off your bedroom walls.

he’s got your hair wrapped around his glowing fist and you can hear the occasional grunt or deep, aggressive growl coming from behind you as he fucks you harder. you’re panting, crying, whimpering his name; from the corner of your watery eyes you see his arm that’s planted on the mattress next you, sinewy muscles flexing and rippling under his dark, gradient skin. he’s already fucked multiple orgasms out of you and now,

it’s his turn.

zhongli leans forward, hunching over you, his rock hard abs, sticky with sweat, pressing against your back. his pelvis is snapping on sheer instinct, faster now, forcing his engorged cock deeper into your womb where, with one final thrust of his hips, his seed floods your cervix in thick, white spurts. his orgasm is so powerful he can hardly contain his dracontine nature as he fills you with his musk, head thrown back as a guttural roar erupts from his throat.

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

your lover's postcoital disposition is in stark contrast to his mating style. your naked, sweaty bodies are pressed together, some of his thick seed dribbling out and coating your still-trembling thighs as he holds you close. with your head tucked neatly under his chin, you're soothed by the steady beat of his heart, grounded by the depth and subtlety of his voice against your ear as he quietly praises and reassures you.

"you are safe, my love," he says, lazily tracing his name on your back with warm fingers. "you did wonderfully, darling. you always do. you are the most precious thing to me. you are beautiful, intelligent, strong, and one of very few people who laugh at my jokes." your soft chuckle fills his heart with warm love because he knows you're okay and that you are with him.

when you're ready, you look up at him and he smooths your hair away from your lovely face so he can get a better look at you. his tired eyes are hooded, darker now that they're not glowing as fiercely.

"what can i do, love? can i get you some water, something to eat? would you like me to fetch the duvet off the floor and wrap you up in it?"

you smile and shake your head no, verbalizing just long enough to say, "just...need to stay close to you, zhong. please just hold me and talk to me?"

"of course, my love," he hums, "whatever you need." he lays his head down next to yours and murmurs sweet, loving everythings into your ear as he nuzzles your hair. you can feel the low timbre of his voice in every fiber of your being, comforting you, and you know that you are safe. you know that you are loved.

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

[beneathsilverstars]

@horatiocomehome replied

ooo how about jewelry taste. dangly earrings vs studs, do they wear bracelets, rings, flashy vs elegant, etc

mirabelle has so many cute trinkets! we know she loves accessories that go ding ding, and she'll layer a ton of necklaces so they knock against each other. sometimes they all match nicely, sometimes it's eclectic chic! she adores metal charms and carved beads, especially charmingly unusual shapes like an itty bitty fork, ducky, book, etc. as well as classics like lockets and bells! she tends to fidget with rings and lose track of them, so she avoids those. post-canon she decides to stop wearing earrings, so she turns her novelty earrings into bracelet/necklace charms! and gives her more basic studs to isabeau so he'll actually own some basics.

isabeau is all about shapes and contrast, so he likes chunky beads in materials like turquoise or jasper that have different shades marbled together, metal geometric shapes, wire-wrapped stone, and unique arrangements of elements. he likes funny noises too, but will go for one complicated necklace instead of multiple single strands. he definitely tends towards statement necklaces and earrings — he used to run into trouble because he only had statement pieces, so they would clash terribly, but then he started buying more matching sets. he loves bonding earrings as a romantic, but is a little torn because there's no way any two earrings could match all of his fits...

odile is the kind of person to pick a nice look and stick to it, so there's not much variety in her accessories. she has her glasses gems, a pair of pearl studs, a pair of silver studs, and a couple sentimental rings that she keeps somewhere safe instead of wearing. we know bonding earrings are popular in ka bue but not as universal as in vaugarde; i think it would be cute if ka bue had a whole language of earrings and rings, with different gem types/cuts/colors denoting different sorts of relationships and emotions. so she's got, like, a [daughter, you are the most important thing in my life] ring from her dad, and a [lover, we change each other] ring from an ex.

siffrin is all about sentimental pieces!! it doesn't really occur to him to buy himself jewelry, but isa or mira will see him looking at something in the market and buy it for him and suddenly the aesthetic appeal that sif had mildly enjoyed doesn't matter at all compared to They Gave This To Me. siffrin tends to be drawn towards solid shades or starry dots, and smooth, swirling shapes. isa also gets them stimmy pieces like a bumpy bangle or spinny ring, and mira gets them cute things that remind her of them like star pins or kitty charms. he's just so fun to give trinkets to, even bonnie and odile have gotten him some, so he's working up quite a collection! he carefully rotates through everything, and keeps some pieces in his pockets when he can't fit everything he wants onto his body or doesn't want to wear any jewelry that day.

bonnie's bracelet is smooth wood, and they're going to be very upset the day it no longer fits over their hand. they prefer non-rock materials like wood, shells, bones, and sea glass, because that's just way more fun! they made shell necklaces with nille all the time, so many that it doesn't matter how often they lose them.

loop goes full magpie! since they don't have to buy necessities like food, they're less careful about spending money than siffrin, plus they're more desperate to capture any scrap of joy. they also have a bit of "everyone else is an npc" brain and "i am both above and beneath normal rules", so they're more comfortable with stealing than siffrin is. they like drapey chains, black and white beads, and unusual pieces. they like the pressure stim of very heavy necklaces and the clack of many bracelets. once when one of their favorites broke they procured the tools to fix it, and started modifying the stuff they own and stringing trinkets onto chains!

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I’m So Tired of Being Lonely) || Chapter 13a (Angel) || Chapter 13b (She’s My Addiction) || Chapter 13c (Patience) Chapter 14a (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14b (Where Do We Go Now?) ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 14C: Where Do We Go Now?

Soundtrack: “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses, 1987 [click here to listen]

Where do we go now?

Where do we go now?

Where do we go?

- Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)

Tucson || July 1988

AA met every Thursday in a church hall not far from the studio. She’d borrowed Bobby’s Trans Am to drive Jamie, holding his hand the whole way, hearing about his chat with Alec – who had graciously agreed during their January trip to New York to be Jamie’s sponsor.

She kissed him when he went inside. Needing some peace and quiet of her own, in the car, as she waited.

She had tried NA off and on, but it hadn’t really clicked. She was so very happy that AA really worked for Jamie – it was always much easier for him to open up to perfect strangers – and she was grateful that he could get the support he needed, at a moment’s notice, in any city.

Not to mention that the Friends of Bill took the “anonymous” in Alcoholics Anonymous quite seriously – meaning, in those meetings Jamie was just Jamie the alcoholic, not Jamie Fraser the frontman of Print, not the rock star. Just a man who fought daily battles with addiction, who was trying to be better, who just so happened to have the number six record in the country today.

It was hard. It was always going to be hard. But he was worth it. The life they had together was worth it.

She pulled out the folded envelope. Smoothed the creases against the steering wheel. Reading and reading and re-reading the return address.

Listening to Guns N’ Roses and Def Leppard and Poison and Cheap Trick on the radio.

She didn���t see Jamie cross the parking lot. Jumped when he slid into the passenger seat, smiling, with a kiss.

“Hey.”

She offered a tight smile. “Hey. How are you?”

“Much better.”

His gaze found the envelope.

He didn’t need to say anything.

She couldn’t say anything.

But now that he was here, she opened it.

Held out the single sheet of paper.

They read.

Dr. Claire Beauchamp

via Colum Laird, Broch Productions

Dear Dr. Beauchamp,

Thank you for your letter and providing a forwarding address. Three months ago, the BMC board unanimously voted to terminate your employment. For legal reasons we will not provide further details, and the board’s decision is final.

However, we have communicated to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that your medical license should be restored, with the provision that you no longer practice medicine in any kind of high-stress environment. You may contact the medical board at the below address to request a copy of…

Jamie watched Claire read and re-read and re-read.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” played softly on the radio.

A long, long moment.

The song shifted to the bridge.

Where do we go now, sweet child? Axl Rose murmured.

Jamie took a breath. “Where do we go now, Claire?” he whispered.

She folded the paper and put it back in the envelope. Laid it on the dash. Reached beneath her shirt to pull the long chain up over her neck. Settled her left hand on Jamie’s thigh, skin hot through his jeans.

Jamie unclasped the chain, letting his grandmother’s engagement ring slide free. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Brought her hand to his lips, kissing so softly.

“I’d like us to have an extra day in Boston when we’re there next week. So that we can pack up my apartment.”

She was looking through the windshield, face turned to him in profile.

“Yes. What else?”

“I’d like a little house in the mountains of North Carolina. Not too far from The Ridge. It’s so beautiful and peaceful there. I’m sure Dougal and Gillian can help us find something.”

Gently he bit her knuckles. “Something small. Kitchen and living room. Bedroom for us. A room I can use for music. And a room for your medicine.”

She nodded. “I’ll transfer my license – I’ve already looked into how to do that. I can file the paperwork when we get to Boston. I don’t know if I want to be in a private practice, or just volunteer in a clinic, or maybe something else. We’ll get settled, and then we’ll decide.”

“We will. I – are you happy, Claire?”

She smiled tightly. “More…relieved. And yes, I’m happy, Jamie. Happy to be free. Happy to be marrying you.”

They sat in silence for a long while. Listening to the final notes of Slash’s guitar. And then the first two minutes of INXS and “New Sensation”.

Memory flared – the last time she heard this song was the one time she’d seen Jamie nude, changing into his leather pants backstage in Orlando, when she’d entered his dressing room without knocking.

She swallowed. “I want the house to have at least one spare bedroom.”

He laced their fingers. “Of course – for guests.”

She flushed. Finally met his eyes.

“Yes. And for children.”

He released a suddenly shaky breath. “Oh, my love. Yes.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m never taking this ring off again.”

He leaned across the console and kissed her. Kissed her. Kissed her.

[onskepa]

Hello! I saw ur post about requesting a part 2 for one shot so that's why I'm here. This is not a need, it's a MUST!! Can we get a part 2 for Tsyeytsyip?? The little girl who's smaller than Neteyam's hand. Maybe one day where he has to carry her in his pocket or something else, the choice is yours

Of course! I hope this is everyones liking! This might be a short one, idk. I type as I go. Enjoy!

Tsyeytsyip

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

Tsyeytsyip: Little pouch

“In the pouch? Again?” Tey ask, groaning a bit in displeasure. Standing on the right shoulder of neteyam as he opens his pouch made just for her. It was big enough to move around, she can put her things inside and still have space. 

“I am going hunting, you know you have to be in the pouch if you want to join me” Neteyam patiently replies. Tey groan a bit but gives in. Twirling a bit she jumps down to the pouch. Landing safely, she makes herself comfortable. 

“See? Not so bad, I added fresh soft cloth. Even placed some of your favorite berries too” Neteyam adds. Tey gasp happily seeing her precious berries. Chomping on them happily, she gives neteyam a tiny thumbs up. Good, little bite is satisfied. 

And feeling satisfied himself, he goes to begin his hunt for tonight. 

The pouch is something neteyam had since he was a child. A small bag to hold his little things, to hold his small medicines in case he got hurt, seeds, beads, or a rock he thought was pretty. It was useful for a time. 

It is made out of the skin of a thanator, strong and sturdy. Despite so many years passing by, the pouch is still in good condition. But now the only use he has for it is to carry his little friend around. Not always does tey get in. Usually she just sits on his hand, shoulders, or his hair. But like now, when he hunts. The pouch is very much needed. 

To keep her safe, away from any harm should neteyam have to run or fight an animal. And of course, make sure she is with him at all times. Having her in one place and that she is secured brings calm to neteyam. 

“What are you going to hunt today?” Tey asks as she peaks her little head out from the pouch, still eating her berry. Getting comfy on her spot, enjoy the view that neteyam sees. 

“Anything I can find, but hopefully some sturmbeest or hexepede. Not just for the meat, but for many things they can provide for us” He answers easily. Of course he was whispering now, but his voice was loud enough for tey to hear. Humming at his answer, she ponders. Tey can save the conversation for later. She will let her big mighty warrior do his work. 

Going back inside the pouch, she snuggles into the smooth cloth. Finishing her berry she lays and starts to mess around with the threats to make something. Not really having an idea in mind, rather letting her hands do the thinking and craft whatever it can make. 

Perhaps the pouch has its benefits. Gives her space but at the same time being with neteyam. Waterproof so it can also work like a little boat sailing in the river. 

But would tey admit to it? Absolutely not. The little pouch is merely a convenience for her. That is all.

Aaaaaaand that is it for this one! It was a short but sweet chapter! Hope you all liked it! Until next time! See ya!

[colibrie]

Reflections, part I

Art (and some writing!) courtesy of @trilobitepunch

Found sumthin…”

Donnie jumped, biting down on the urge to hiss as the sound of Raphie’s voice, soft as it tried to be, raked a knife sharply across his nerves. His insides writhed with the need to scream, or bite, or tuck himself into a dark corner and rock until the world disappeared. But he couldn’t do that. The master’s had always disapproved when he did. They had scolded him to “center himself”, to “release the feelings to the Force”. And he had tried too. So, so many times, he had tried to do as they said to control his body and mind. It had never worked. Only his family had… But the masters were gone, and so were most of his family. There was only one left. Only Raph. Raphael and Donatello against a cold world that did not care about them, and so Donnie had to find that stupid center and pull. Himself. Together.

He bit down hard on his lip, the pain helpfully grounding as he squashed those writhing, icky needs down and locked them away, smoothing his face into practiced neutrality before turning to look at his big brother. Raphael stood a few feet away, nervously shifting from foot to foot. His head was wrapped in makeshift bandages torn from the relatively cleaner portion of his inner robe, partially covering a patch of rust red crusted over the left side of his face. Small flakes broke away as his beak pulled back into a tentative smile, fluttering down to join the detritus of the alleyway as his hands triumphantly presenting their prize for Donatello’s inspection.

It was, in short, not much. Two slightly smushed ration bars in torn wrappers and a hunk of visibly stale bread. Not the most filling spread, or the most nourishing. But neither of them could afford to turn down the calories.

“Well done, Raphie,” Donnie nodded, something in his heart loosening when Rahael beamed at him. “You should take your portion first.”

“Nuh-uh! You go first Donnie!” Raph denied, puffing out his cheeks when Donnie shook his head.

“No Raphie, you require a greater level of caloric intake.”

“Raph doesn’t know about calor-a-whatitz, but you said I was your big brother, yeah? That means it’s my responsibility to take care’a you.”

“I am not that hungry,” Donnie protested, his tummy twisting uncomfortably as he stared at the food in Raph’s palms.

“That’s wha you said earlier, but I also know you haven’t eaten in a while. You gotta eat if yah wanna get big an strong Dee.”

“I…”

“Just try. Please?”

“…Sigh. Very well.”

The way Raph’s face lit up with pride and relief gave him the strength to reach out and take one of the ration bars. He broke off half, then grudgingly took a little bit more when the chasm between Raph’s eyes grew. The texture, like pavement gravel, dried sand, and fake fruit, made him want to puke, but he forced his reflexes back enough to swallow. Neither of them could afford to waste food.

“Come on, lets sit fer a few minutes, yeah?” Raph said, one hand landing on the back of Donatello’s shell to steer him closer to the ally wall.

“We shouldn’t stay in one place,” Donnie protested, even as his traitorous legs trembled beneath him, “the lower levels of Coruscant are dangerous.”

“An we’ll run faster if we take breaks when we can, right?”

“That is…unusually logical of you Raphala.”

“Really?”

Donatello’s heart sank at the hopeful look that Raph shot him as they curled up together behind a dumpster.

“Yes. You’ve always been a more, in your words, gut based turtle…I…take that to mean your memories have not returned?”

“Not beyond what you’ve told me,” Raph shrugged, looking down as he gnawed the bread. “I’m Raphael, your big brother. We’re Jedi, or we were? Somethin happened in the temple, an we had to run away. Then the tunnel collapsed when the bad guys caught up to us. Did I forget anything?”

“No, that is the gist of events,” Don confirmed, forcing himself to eat another tiny piece of the ration bar. “I will admit, I was hoping to see more come back independently.”

Hope was perhaps an incorrect term for the unidentifiable mess of emotions that churned inside him, but Donnie didn’t have the energy or inclination to try to pull those impossible threads apart. Not without…

“Well, maybe you could tell me more?”

More… a dangerous concept.

“What specifically would you like to know?”

“I dunno. What the temple was like? Did we have any other family there?”

“The temple?”

His face pinched slightly. He couldn't really fault his brother for wanting to know what he couldn't recall, knowing full well he'd want to extract every detail he could regain if he were in the same position. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t if it meant… It was a horrifying thought he quickly backed away from, ducking his head and drawing in a breath as he prepared his response, reluctantly letting his thoughts dip back into simpler, more pleasant times.

Vaulted halls supported by towering pillars and dappled with sunlight. The lush humidity within the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the blissful hush of the Archives. The soft, colorful walls of the creche, covered in drawings made by little hands. Food smudged on tiny fingers, colorful patterns swirling over a tiny shell…

“DeeDee! DeeDee I dwew this fo you!”

“It bwoke DeeDee, can you fix it?”

“I luve you DeeDee!”   

"The temple.... was the only home we knew. It was huge, and somehow both busy and quiet. People were always coming and going, especially after the war started. Jedi come from all over the galaxy, so we lived in the creche with others, and we had lessons in all matter of subjects. As for family…”

“Dee! Pst, Dee! Bet I can block more than you!”

“It’s gonna okay DonDon, don’t listen to them. Do you want to squeeze my hand?”

“That’s never gonna happen to us, Donatello. It’s going to be you and me, always. I promise.”

"...the Order was more or less family, but the Jedi didn’t encourage bonds and connections between its members," he finished, pretending to nibble at his ration bar to hide as he swallowed hard around the knot in his throat.

It was hard to keep that mask on with the pain of everything lost still so fresh. When that messy cyclone of emotions twisted and knotted even tighter inside of him. As his thoughts circled continuously around those last moments in the sewer tunnel, and those lost beneath the cave in. Master Yoshi, Michelangelo, Leo...

 He didn't even try to swallow another bite of his rations as something hot and sour and wrong flooded his throat, coating his tongue and teeth in bitterness. His stomach roiled, every little ache seemingly magnified as the emotions in his chest screamed their names over and over and over and-

“Well, at least we still got each other, right?”

Raphaels words pulled him from the maelstrom, gave him the strength to look up as one big arm wrapped around his shoulders. He stared as Raph smiled, the same smile overflowing with the warmth and reassurance only his eldest brother could provide. An eldest brother free from the enormity of all they had lost.

“…Yes,” He replied, bowing his head as he carefully tucked those names, and the memories they brought with them, away within his own memory.

“It’s for the best,” his mind whispered. “He doesn’t need to feel this. He doesn’t need to miss them. I can bear it for the both of us.”

“Come on then, lil bro,” Raph’s arm gently guided him back to his feet, taking the remains of his ration bar to tuck away for later. “Let’s try to look for a good place to sleep.”

……..

"What have we here?"

[lady-of-imladris]

How to recognize AI "Art"

A post I have wanted to make for a long time because I think it's important to know! Please mind that this is not 100% accurate and I am by no means an expert on AI art. My knowledge on the topic comes from a semester of research on the development of AI art and how it has improved over the years. I wrote a pretty intense paper on it (I got an A on this!) and I am now using this knowledge to help identify AI art.

I often ask myself "did an actual person make this art or did they just generate it?" because I WANT TO SUPPORT ARTISTS WITH A REBLOG BUT AI "ART" IS NOT ART!!!!

Image description and tags, other posts by the same user If there is no image description by OP, that's usually a bit sketchy. Also read tags other people have added in their reblogs! And look at other posts from the same user!

Features blending In an image where a person is wearing glasses, do they maybe merge into the skin a bit? (see Image 9)

Circular artefacts TBH I forgot why they happen but one paper I studied discussed ways to remove them because they are an obvious giveaway that an image is artificial (see Image 10)

Image 1: Circular Artifacts [1]

4. Problems with text or other "logical composition stuff" (sorry I'm bad at words) AI is bad at generating text! It looks like words, but it makes no sense. In Image 3, where does the cat's paw come from? (Also note here that DALL-E puts those coloured squares in the bottom right corner).

Take a closer look at the hands of the women in the image on the bottom right. How many are there? Hands are also a good indicator!

Image 2 [2], Image 3 [3]

Image 4 [4], Image 5 [5]

5. mismatched earrings/eyes... ("long range dependencies") Human faces are symmetric, we (usually) have two eyes, two ears... That's a problem for AI. Earrings and eyecolours usually have to match. Either side may look perfectly fine, but when you look at is as a whole, it does not always work.

6. seems "too smooth"? I've noticed a lack of texture. Brushstrokes are missing, everything seems just a little flat. There are definitely generative models that can emulate brush strokes, but watch out for backgrounds. They sometimes give it away!

7. read this article for a lot of additional information!

8. something I found in this article that is not mentioned: the harsh contrast I have taken the below pictures from that article, and you can see some very "harsh" areas around the irises in the pictures with the eyes, or around the kids

Image 6, 7, 8 [6, 7, 8]

In the two images below, I have just marked some areas that seem off and I will briefly discuss why:

Image 9, Image 10 [9, 10]

Left (Image 9): In Halbrand's hair, there seems to be part of a crown or some other adornment, but it's not quite there. You can also see the general "smoothness" in this image. Another suspicious looking area is Galadriel's neck. Between their faces, you can see the mountain range in the background continue, but it stops exactly where the strand of hair is. On the right side of the image, there are some bright spots on the rocks that also look a bit weird.

Right (Image 10): I have marked some spots that I think look a bit like circular artifacts (that have probably already been "treated" by the generative model). On the bottom left side I have circled this jar? vase? Whatever. You can see that the lid and the rest of the object don't align.

Once again: DISCLAIMER - I could be wrong! This is really hard because the generative models get better.

Sources:

[1] D. Stap, M. Bleeker, S. Ibrahimi, and M. ter Hoeve. Conditional image generation and manipulation for user-specified content. arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.04909, 2020.

[2] A. Ramesh, P. Dhariwal, A. Nichol, C. Chu, and M. Chen. Hierarchical text-conditional image generation with clip latents. arXiv preprint arXiv:2204.06125, 2022.

[3, 4] Generated by me using DALL-E for research purposes.

[5, 6, 7, 8] from this article, accessed on August 15 2023

[9, 10] posted by Tumblr user @ fandomfatale, accessed on August 15 2023

[metalnecklace]

Outpace The Dawn

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader (plus size)

Words: 6968

Warnings: Discussion of violence, Discussion of death, Slight knife play, Threats of violence, Reader is slightly kidnapped?, Joel has kinda kidnapped her (you’ll see), Very loose plot, Use of (Y/N), Unprotected sex (mdni) (wrap it up, folks), Oral (f receiving), Fingering, Reader is tied up, P in v sex, Slight choking, Hair pulling, Cock warming, Soft dom!Joel, Raider!reader

Notes: I don’t even know what happened. This was supposed to be short and dirty, and it turned into this. Takes place shortly after season 1. Plot is suuuper loose here, I got very carried away with an idea I had and this is what came of it. Also I am going to be just publishing whenever I’m done writing so I’m no longer working on a schedule but I do have some stuff lined up that I’m almost finished! Thanks to everyone who keeps reading, if you wanna be tagged let me know!

Summary: Raider!Reader is on the run, turns out she finds even more danger ahead.

Masterlist

The air was sharp as my lungs expanded over and over again. My feet were pounding against the ground, the staccato crunch of the fall leaves reaching my ears every few steps. I was afraid. Terrified. The roaring in my ears wouldn’t settle enough for me to listen for anyone following me, but I couldn’t chance slowing down.

Soon enough I came across a broken down cabin. It was small, unassuming, and nestled in amongst some trees. It would have to do.

I glanced around me, taking in my surroundings, and didn’t see anybody lurking in the shadows. The last thing I needed was to be followed and pinned down in such a tight spot. Luckily I couldn’t see anybody.

My legs felt like jelly after running for so long, but the thought of being able to rest pulled me toward the door of the cabin. I lifted my hand to push the door open but froze when another larger hand clapped over my mouth. My immediate scream was muffled and as I tried to break free an arm wrapped around my arms, pinning them to my middle. I was pushed through the door, my captor still holding tight, and I thrashed the entire way over to a wooden chair in the middle of the room.

“Hold still!” A voice grumbled behind me, the gruffness reminding me of smoothing my palms over the rough edges of rocks by the seaside. Just like his voice, his hands weren’t gentle as they pushed me down onto the chair and whipped a rope around me with incredible swiftness.

I pulled and tugged but my arms were trapped against the chair. The voice grunted as the ropes pulled once more, tying me completely to my seat.

“You put up quite a good fight.” Boots thudded heavily on the ground as my captor paced slowly behind me, making me wonder how he snuck up on me. They stopped. “Where you from?”

I chewed my bottom lip and closed my eyes, hoping I would be given a swift ending.

“Not wantin’ to talk?” I heard his footsteps pick up again, matching the pounding of my heart. He was walking beside me, then stopped again. Goosebumps erupted over my skin as I felt him lean closer, his breath fanning out across my neck. When his voice came again it was right beside my ear. “Don’t worry, I know how to help you get over this… shyness.” The last word was whispered and sent a shiver, ice cold, down my spine.

I opened my eyes when the scrape of a chair assaulted my eardrums. The man was towering over me as he pulled a second wooden seat across the floor. It came to a stop directly in front of me, and he swung his leg over and sat down with his arms folded along the back. My breath hitched in my throat when his dark eyes landed on me.

He was beautiful, in the strangest way. Before then I couldn’t imagine myself admiring not only a man who kidnapped me and tied me to a chair, but also a man like that. He was definitely older than me, the salt and pepper streaking through bits of his hair and beard. His frame was broad and took up my entire line of vision so all I could focus on was him. Scars littered his knuckles, and a few were etched on his face, but his lips looked so soft. It was like there was an underlying gentleness that cracked through his rough exterior in certain parts.

“Let’s try this again,” he spoke so calmly it was unnerving. “Where did you come from?”

“I c-can’t tell y-you,” I stuttered. My voice felt rougher after I had run for so long, the crisper air dragging over my vocal cords. “P-please, I really can’t.”

He sighed, shaking his head while looking me up and down. “Well you couldn’t have come from very far with the way you were runnin’.”

I furrowed my brow, offense taking over my fear. “What do you mean by that?”

He stood up, walking over to a bag on the floor before kneeling down. “You were runnin’ pretty fast out there, figured whatever you were runnin’ from was pretty scary, adrenaline would’ve probably run out by now if you were any further.”

“I can run pretty fast, for quite a while, too. I know I don’t look like much,” I said, following his form closely. I couldn’t see what he was getting.

He turned his head to look at me, confusion clear on his face.

“I just mean that not a lot of people expect speed or agility from someone built like me, is all.”

“I don’t care about that,” he grunted, turning back to his actions. “It’s none of my business what you are or aren’t capable of. I just meant that you didn’t look like you had been runnin’ for that long.”

“Oh.” Embarrassment clutched at my stomach, as a blush started to form on my cheeks. “Sorry, it’s just second nature to be defensive, especially around men.”

He stood and faced me with a look of disbelief before placing what looked like a tool belt filled with knives of different sizes down on the floor beside my chair. With a huff he resumed his position in front of me, and studied my face for a moment. The fear that had briefly hidden came rushing back, and I once again found myself trembling in front of him. I laid my eyes on his, trying to find that softness again, but found something else.

“You look f-familiar,” I said, my voice wavering no matter how much I tried to stay calm.

“Not sure where you’d’ve seen me before, sweetheart.” He leaned back a bit, then bent down to pick up one of his knives. It was a smaller one, dwarfed in his palms with his fingers wrapping around it easily. “I use these to carve wood. A new pastime of mine. They’re pretty good at making small cuts, delicate lines. I’m sure they’d be good for carvin’ up somethin’’ else.”

I gulped, causing a smirk to grow on his face. “Please.”

“If these don’t work, though, I do have other ways of gettin’ you to talk.” He looked up, fear racing down my spine at how calmly he spoke about torture. “I don’t even need these tools. Most of the damage I’ve done to a person has been with my bare hands. Though, I haven’t dealt with a woman in this position before.” He looked me up and down once more, eyes lingering on the low neckline of my shirt, revealed by my missing top button. “Not in this type of scenario, anyway.”

“I can’t tell you, I really can’t.” My breathing was getting shallow, rapid puffs of air escaping my lips.

He tilted his head, his lips still held in a playful smirk. “Why not?”

I shook my head, closing my eyes while trying to arrange my thoughts again. He was intimidating up close.

“Eyes on me,” he growled, a hand coming out to cradle my jaw. “Focus on me.”

I obeyed, my eyes snapping open. His thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger held my jaw firmly so I had no choice but to do as he said.

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“I don’t want the children to get hurt,” I confessed in a whisper. It was true. Though I didn’t care about the men who chased me through the woods, I still cared about the friends I did have back at the camp, along with the children who had no choice in what they were born into.

“I see,” he said, letting go of his hold on me. I sighed with relief but my skin buzzed from the loss of warmth. “A savior, then. They’re quite lucky to have you, aren’t they? But they don’t have you anymore. You’re here with me.”

He had a point. I didn’t owe them a thing, in fact, I should have been wanting to sell them out after they refused to stick up for me. But I wasn’t that type of person.

“So why were you runnin’?” He crossed his arms over the chair once more, knife shining in the sun streaming through cracks in the boarded up windows. “You could at least tell me that.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t agree with their ways, anymore.” I hung my head, ashamed I was giving him any information at all.

He arched a brow when I looked back up at him. “What ways?”

“The killing, for no reason,” I kept going, like a runaway train. “I was already uncomfortable with the stealing, but we did it to survive, you know?”

He nodded, both in understanding but also for me to keep talking.

“Well, the men in charge decided we needed to do what it takes to steal, even if that means killing innocent people for their stuff.”

I let my words settle between us, trying to gauge his reaction, but not even a twitch graced his stoic expression.

“We’ve all done what we had to in order to survive,” he finally said. “You don’t think I’ve killed people too?”

I dragged my eyes down to his knuckles, seeing evidence of his violence embedded into his skin. “Have you killed children?”

His hands tightened into fists. Finally, a reaction. “No. Not unless they were infected.”

I nodded, looking back up to his face. “That’s where I put my foot down. But one of our leaders didn’t like that. He confronted me one night, one thing led to another…”

His eyebrows raised slightly. Not sure if it was in shock or intrigue.

“I killed him.” I lowered my eyes once more, unsure why I was running my mouth to a stranger. “Turns out that was where they drew the line. We can kill children as long as it’s our gain but the second a man harasses a woman in her own home until she resorts to violence…”

“And you won’t give them up?” He asked.

“I can’t do that to the ones who didn’t ask to be there in the first place.”

“I see.” He nodded and leant down with a sigh to place his knife back in the belt. “What if I told you I wouldn’t go after them? Just the ones who chased you.”

I thought for a moment. “How can I trust you?”

“You can’t.” Simple as that.

“Can I at least get your name?”

He sat back in his chair and paused. “Why would you need that?”

I shrugged as much as I could in my bindings. “Maybe then you’ll feel like you can’t go back on your word.”

“You’re too innocent for all this.” He chuckled. “Name’s Joel. Joel Miller.”

My blood froze, my heart rate spiked. He could’ve pulled a gun on me and I don’t think I would have felt such a strong sense of danger as I did when I heard his name.

A memory seared itself into my mind. We had just finished looting a safe house after killing the two men who were inside. I was loading up my horse when one of the other men shouted for us to run. Gunshots rang out as I leapt up into my saddle and rode off with three of our men, leaving two behind us to fend for themselves. I heard another gunshot and turned to look behind me, seeing an older man with no emotion on his face as he aimed his pistol at one of the men riding next to me. I turned back to the front as a cry rang out beside me before a body hit the ground.

We barely escaped that day, and when we returned back to our settlement there were whispers. The name Joel Miller was on everyone’s lips that night, and continued to be spoken as we said a prayer for our fallen friends.

I had heard stories about that man from nearly every person I came into contact with for an entire week after. He was a bad, bad man, who was too good at doing what it took to survive.

The same man that was in front of me.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” his voice rumbled through my veins, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I know you.”

He smirked. “Is that so?”

“You killed some men that I was working with on a raid.” I was completely shocked. Mostly shocked to be alive while he sat so calmly in front of me. “Just over a month ago.”

He hummed, looking off to his knives on the floor. “Yeah, I think that rings a bell. You killed two of my men who were posted there.”

I slowly nodded, keeping my eyes trained on his every move.

“You’re lucky I didn’t get there sooner.” His voice was like ice shooting into my bloodstream. “Two good men died that day for no reason other than greed.”

“W-we needed supplies.” I hated the way my voice wavered.

“Their families needed fathers,” he countered. “Did you kill them? Or just those same men.”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I swear. I c-couldn’t.”

“How can I trust you?” He echoed my words earlier back to me as his eyes bore into mine.

“You can’t,” I whispered.

“If you tell me then I’ll spare you.” Joel reached down and picked up another knife, longer, sharper. He leaned forward and traced the tip of the blade down my cheek to the underside of my jaw. “Where were you settled?”

“They need those men to provide.” My breaths came out shallow, and sweat began to bead on my hairline. “If I tell you then good people will die.”

“And if you don’t tell me it seems like good people will die anyway.” He had a point. I was at a standstill. Joel stood up and turned his chair around before sitting back down, still facing me but properly. His thick thighs were lazily spread, his jeans tightening over muscle, while he examined his knife. “I have nowhere else to be today, sweetheart. Take your time.”

I was slightly ashamed at how my eyes trailed up his body, calculating how his clothes stretched tighter in certain places. I wondered what his arms looked like without the flannel covering them. His jeans were thin and testing the seams, clearly older.

There was no doubt that he was handsome. In fact, he was downright beautiful. I thought that the moment I saw him, and even after knowing who he was my opinion hadn’t changed. Something about him just didn’t scream ‘killer’ to me. There was something else beneath his skin, but I couldn’t quite see it.

“(Y/N),” I said. “My name is (Y/N).”

“Well, (Y/N),” he smirked, “what should I do with you?”

I bit my lip, feeling suddenly like my skin was on fire. It had been a long time since I had been with anyone, or even been touched at all. I lived alone back in my settlement, and although some men and women had approached I never felt the draw that I felt in front of Joel. He was magnetic, terrifying, and everything I didn’t know I needed in that moment.

“What were you saying about your bare hands?” I batted my eyes at him, hoping he’d get what I was hinting at. I wasn’t very skilled with flirting, but didn’t care enough to not try.

He chuckled, his smirk turning into a hint of a smile. “You’re headin’ into dangerous territory, sweetheart. Where’s this comin’ from?”

That nickname again. It was like he was stoking the flames starting to lick their way into my belly.

“That’s the plan,” I smirked, trying to pretend I was as cool as him. Calm, collected. “You need me to talk, right?”

He stood up, chuckling to himself as he leant down to put his knife back. “So, what? You tryin’ to seduce me? Distract me?”

“Maybe. You’ll just have to find out.”

Joel turned back to me. “No. That’s not how this is gonna work. You’re gonna tell me where to find them, then we’ll see.”

I narrowed my eyes, feeling braver. “I’m not telling you shit.”

He walked over, kicking the chair off to the side and leaning down until he was eye to eye with me. His hand came up to the back of my head, threading his fingers through my messy hair. I gasped as my head was pulled back so I was forced to look down my nose at him. He moved so he was hovering directly over my face, inches from me.

“Tell me.” His voice was so low, so deep that I could feel it rattle my bones.

I smiled. “Make me.”

A beat of silence. Then his lips were on mine, claiming me as his the moment they met.

I moaned into the kiss, unspoken permission for him to deepen it. Our lips were chapped, rough as they pushed together, but his tongue was soft, gentle, as it slid into my mouth. The hand that wasn’t still in my hair reached up to cradle my jaw, his thumb lightly pressing my bottom lip down to give him more room. Even though I was completely tied up I felt like I had finally reached heaven.

I had never been kissed the way that man kissed me. Demanding, soothing, aching. I felt fulfilled, but like I’d never have enough.

Joel pulled away and leant his forehead on mine, our lips parted while we panted in our shared breaths. I hadn’t realized my eyes were closed until I felt his forehead move away, my eyelids fluttering while I tried to right the world once more. It wasn’t long before they closed again as his lips smudged kisses across my jaw and down my neck.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against my pulse. “I saw you runnin’ through that forest and I knew I just had to get to you.” His teeth nipped a line down to my shoulder. “Even if you didn’t want me, I just needed to see you.”

His confession had me breathless, as if I was still running through that forest. I wasn’t just a target to him, I was his prey.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,” he paused, stepping back to look in my eyes. His hand was removed from my hair and I whined when his other was removed as well. “In fact, I won’t do a thing until you’re begging me.”

Fuck. He had me there. I could tell from the way his lips quirked up that he would be enjoying this kind of torture more than anything in the world. I was in trouble.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please touch me-”

“I don’t think you understand what I mean, sweetheart.” He cut me off, shaking his head and chuckling at my pathetic attempt. “I didn’t say ask for permission, or ask nicely. I said fuckin’ beg.”

“Joel, please,” I tried again, my voice not coming out as weak, but still not as strong as I’d like. I still felt nervous in his presence, but so drawn to him.

He leant down and picked up a knife, much longer than any he had shown me at that point. “Don’t make me use my usual methods.” I could feel my lower lip tremble as he stalked around me until he was standing directly out of sight. His hands landed on my shoulders, causing me to jump in my seat. My eyes caught on the knife clutched in his right hand, blade pointing away from me but still too close for comfort. His face pressed against the side of my head, his lips almost touching my ear. “Beg.”

“Please!” I heard myself cry as if my voice was somewhere else. I had no control over the way I was reacting to him. “Please touch me, I need it so bad. Need you.”

Joel chuckled, his hand holding the knife slipping down to my button up shirt. It slipped past the missing top button, and with slight resistance the blade of his knife ripped through the threads holding the second one on as well. Then the third. My chest hitched as I struggled to breathe through the tension he held within the air. I wasn’t ready for the way the knife clattered to the ground, making me jump yet again.

“Why so jumpy?” He breathed against my temple before laying a kiss there. “I’ll take care of ya, I promise.”

A whimper left my lips, completely without my permission.

“Patience,” he said, sliding both hands to the rest of the buttons on my shirt. He worked quickly, causing me to no longer wonder how weapons such as his fists could become gentle enough for wood carving. Once my shirt was open he pulled it down my shoulders as much as my bindings would allow. “I’m keepin’ you tied up for now. You don’t need your upper half for what I wanna do.”

“W-what do you mean?” I asked, out of breath from the way he was making me wait.

Joel had the calmest look on his face as he walked back in front of me, which seemed impossible with how badly he was already tearing me apart.

“You think I’m just gonna give you everythin’? Just because you said please?”

I nodded hesitantly.

He barked out a laugh. “Absolutely not, darlin’. I don’t think you deserve it.” He stepped forward, once again bringing his face down until it was inches from mine. “You see, you didn’t give me what I want, so I’ll be doin’ the same. You’re not gettin’ a thing from me until you’re beggin’ me to touch you, beggin’ me to taste you. Until you tell me where your settlement is. Then, and only then, will I even think about letting you cum all over my fingers. If you’re a really good girl then you might even be able to cum on my face.”

“B-but that wasn’t part of my-”

“I don’t give a shit about your plan. Sweetheart.” His voice lowered even more, sounding like gravel turning over itself. “We’re going to be doing things my way.”

His hands landed on my thighs, squeezing me in a vice like grip through my jeans. The heat from them seeped into my skin through the ever thinning fabric, and I felt my mouth water and a heat stir deep in my belly. They reached up until they bumped against the button of my jeans before undoing it. The zipper seemed to take forever as he slowly dragged it down. He looked into my eyes, looking for permission until I raised my hips as much as I could. Our eyes continued to hold together as he slid the fabric down my legs, then my panties.

It seemed like he wouldn’t allow himself to look at the skin that was revealed to him, not until I deserved it. Not even when he lowered himself with a grunt to his knees and pulled off my boots and then the rest of my lower garments. His hands slid back up to my thighs, his thumbs rubbing so carefully against the sensitive skin it sent goosebumps rippling over my body.

I continued to look into his eyes. The dark pools of them held so much more than just the brooding, dangerous stranger that first held me captive. There was an underlying sense of need, care, and love unlike any other. My heart ached suddenly, like he had reached into my chest and squeezed it himself. I felt an urge to know him, a need to see what secrets he held deep within, locked so tight only a select few would ever see him as he truly is.

“Promise me,” I started, “promise me you won’t hurt them. Just the ones in charge. I don’t want the children getting hurt, and most of the others there are innocent. Please, Joel.”

His face softened briefly, like a flash that I would’ve missed if I hadn’t been watching his every move. “I promise.”

I lowered my head, concentrating on the strong fingers wrapped around my thighs. “Five miles east, turn left at the small pond. The entrance is a cave that spits out into a small camp hidden away. That’s us. You may come across the men you’re looking for first, but if not then they’ll be held in the larger gray cabin.”

He waited until I looked back up into his eyes, the softness returned once again in a flash, then they went dark. “Good girl.”

A moan ripped from deep within my chest as he forcefully parted my legs, placing them up onto his shoulders and shoved his face between them. Joel devoured me, inch by inch, as his tongue swiped at the wetness gathering at my opening,his forehead bumping against my soft tummy as he pushed himself as close as he could to push his tongue inside me. He pulled away and groaned as he slipped a finger inside instead, making my legs twitch against the flannel stretched across his broad shoulders.

“So tight, sweetheart,” he panted before sealing his lips over my clit. I squirmed and whined as his tongue rolled over the sensitive bud again and again. He pulled off with a wet pop. “S’been a while, hasn’t it? No wonder you folded so easily for me.”

I whimpered at the sensitivity when he rubbed his thumb against my clit while sliding another finger inside. “P-please Joel.”

“P-p-please Joel,” he mocked, his smile downright cruel. “So desperate for me already, I’ve barely touched you.”

“Feels so g-good,” I moaned, writhing against my restraints.

“You gonna cum for me?” He sunk his teeth into my thigh, making me cry out. “I want you to cum on my face. Need it, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?”

I nodded. “Yes, Joel, please. I can do it.”

He attached his lips to my clit once more, sucking it onto his tongue. My orgasm hit me with no warning, and I practically screamed for him as he continued flicking his tongue over my clit and fucking his fingers into me. I tried to close my legs since my arms were useless, but he continued his actions until tears sprang to my eyes.

“S’too much, Joel, please.” I thrashed my head around, trying to move away from him to no avail.

“Gimme another,” he growled against the wet heat between my legs. “Come on, darlin’, one more.”

I came with a shout, another orgasm washing over me until black started to crowd my vision. My lungs constricted after the breath was knocked out of me, and when I finally relaxed boneless against the chair I sucked in as much air as I could. My eyes fluttered open and I was met with Joel’s.

He leant down and kissed me, the taste of myself smeared across his lips. When he pulled away I felt a flush of embarrassment creep its way up my chest. What was I supposed to do?

Joel answered that for me while he untied me. “I’m gonna go after those bastards. When I come back I’ll deal with you properly.”

I shivered, imagining what that would be like. He helped me pull up my jeans, but when I realized I didn’t have my panties he just held them up and stuffed them into his pocket.

“For safekeeping,” he said, smiling.

He bent down with a grunt to pick up his knives, and walked over to his bag. I watched him while he gathered up his things, checked his gun, then slung the bag over his shoulder and turned to the door.

“What if I leave?” I asked, focusing on rubbing the soreness out of where the ropes were digging into my arms. I looked up to see him watching me, his gaze enveloping me completely as he stood in the doorway.

“Don’t worry,” he finally said. “You won’t.”

The door shut forcefully and I sat completely still, listening to his footsteps becoming lighter and lighter until they were out of earshot.

It felt like I waited for hours, my eyes shutting like they were weighed down as I fell in and out of sleep. What finally woke me up for good was the gentle sound of rain starting to fall on the wooden roof. It was such a sweet sound that I suddenly had the urge to stay awake so I wouldn’t miss it.

The door burst open, causing my whole body to jolt in my seat. Joel stood in the open doorway once again, pinning me in place with a look of hunger, and a hint of surprise.

“You stayed.” It wasn’t a question, more of an observation on his part.

“Yeah,” I said. “Just like you told me I would.”

He ran his hand through his hair, slicking back the strands that were damp from the rain. His clothes were also wet and they looked heavy as they clung to his body. When he lowered his hand I noticed the streak of blood that smeared over his knuckles.

He noticed me looking. “You won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

I nodded, trying to swallow as my throat went dry at the thought of what fate those men met when Joel Miller stepped out of the shadows.

“Did you move at all?”

I shook my head. “Too tired.”

He walked to the counter where he placed his bag and retrieved something out of it once more. My heart rate spiked when I remembered what he pulled out of there last. When he turned back to me I nearly sighed in relief when I saw the sandwich he held in one of his hands.

“Want one? I’m sure you’re hungry.” He held it out to me but I didn’t move.

“I think my legs are asleep,” I confessed. “I was so tired when you left, I couldn’t really move.”

“That’s my fault,” he said, walking over and handing me his food. “I was gonna tell you there was a bed, but I expected you to explore a bit. Should’ve known you would crash like that.”

I moaned after taking a bite, the flavours bursting on my taste buds after eating the blandest food, if anything, for so long. “Where did you get this?” I asked, so amazed by such a simple thing.

He shrugged. “Made it. I live in a town not too far from here. They’ve got things a little more figured out. I’m heading back there in the morning.”

I nodded, practically inhaling the sandwich. If it were before the outbreak I would’ve probably been embarrassed or self conscious about the way I was eating in front of him, but I no longer cared about that as much. Especially as I tried to tamp down the disappointment of knowing he was leaving in the morning.

“I was wonderin’ if you’d wanna come with me.”

I nearly choked on the last bite, unsure if I heard him correctly. Once I finally swallowed I looked up to find him rubbing his neck and staring down at his boots.

“Yeah? Would that be alright?” I asked.

He looked at me, a smile breaking out onto his face. “Yes, of course it would. I was also gonna tell my brother about your little place, see if we might be able to make some room for anyone that would wanna join us.”

The smile that spread across my face must’ve looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I leapt up and wrapped my arms around him, stumbling slightly when my legs wobbled from misuse, causing his arms to wrap around my middle to steady me.

“Woah there! Let’s take a second here before you hurt yourself.” He chuckled while stepping back but not letting go completely. His hands slid to my waist and held me in place. “Let’s rest up first, then we’ll head out first thing.”

“Okay. Thank you, Joel.” I beamed at him, my arms still wrapped around his neck after my hug. I bit my lip and watched as his eyes caught the motion, then flickered down to where I couldn’t button up my top after he cut it with his knife. “I think you said something earlier though, about dealing with me properly?”

He smiled, then nodded toward a room down the hall. “Go lay down, I’ll be right there.”

I stepped away from him, the slide of his palms on my clothes nearly enough to drive me insane, and I reluctantly did as I was told. The door to the room opened with such a loud creak I nearly jumped with how on edge I was. There was a bed wedged into the corner of the room, and it looked as though it had been made not long before we got there. I walked up and smoothed my hands along the blankets, sighing with the memories of comfort that were so long ago.

“This is one of our safe houses,” Joel’s voice rumbled from behind me. “I brought fresh blankets from home. It’s nice to have that luxury again.”

I nodded, still losing myself in the softness of the fabric.

“I thought I told you to lay down,” he spoke again, his voice no longer holding the lightness from seconds ago.

My hand froze in place before I turned to face him. “I’m sorry, I just got distracted.”

“Ah, distracted.” He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway. I noticed his hair was combed back slightly and his knuckles were no longer painted crimson. “Maybe you’re too distracted to continue then.”

“What? No, I’m not. I promise.” I walked over to him, placing my hands on his forearms. They moved easily as I pulled them away from his body so I could smooth my palms up his chest.

He quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Is that so? ‘Cause you’re still not listening.”

My lips parted as my breath hitched in my throat.

He leaned in closer, until his lips ghosted against the shell of my ear. His voice was a whisper, “I said. Lay. Down.”

Joel’s hands gripped my hips as he marched me backwards toward the bed. I fell back with a thump and watched as he stood tall over me. He slipped his flannel off his shoulders and his shirt was next. My eyes shamelessly scanned his upper body as it was revealed to me, and my fingers itched to touch him. Though, something in his eyes told me I wasn’t allowed to yet.

Scars were littered across his torso, mapping their way across his hard chest and shoulders, and one that looked fresher than the rest looked as though it had been punched into his abdomen. His stomach was softer, with hair dusting along the lower part heading into his jeans, where his fingers worked at the button and zipper.

Everything about him made me want to pull him closer to me and hold him until morning, while making desire pool deep and hot in my belly. I wanted to bring him comfort, relaxation, and pleasure. I wanted to be everything for a man I knew nothing about.

He kicked off his boots and nodded toward me. “I’m not going to be the only one naked here.”

I sat up embarrassingly fast and nearly ripped off my shirt. I reached behind me to take off my bra but his hand circled my forearm. He leaned down and kissed me, making my body melt into him. I didn’t even realize he had taken my bra off until a shiver raced through my spine when the air hit my skin as he pulled the straps down my arms.

“Fuck, look at you,” he whispered against my lips before pulling away to take me in. He discarded the fabric and his hands reached up and cupped my breasts, making me whimper and lean into the warmth of his palms. “So fucking soft.”

Though the skin of his hands was rough, his touch was gentle. My heart ached at the way he looked at me, care evident in his gaze, as his thumbs brushed over my nipples before his hands made their way to my jeans once again. He pulled my jeans down and off a lot quicker than before, almost as if his patience was finally running out.

His hand circled one of my ankles and brought his lips to the sensitive inner skin. He closed his eyes, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks, as he continued to place soft kisses all the way up to the inside of my knee. I moaned so quietly I was surprised he heard it as he hummed in response. My ankle fell to the side of him when he finally let go and smoothed his hand up to my thigh.

I found myself getting lost in his eyes, as cheesy as that sounded. It was like I was searching through them, confused as to how this man whose violence was like a legend in my settlement could touch me so gently. Could gaze into my eyes with a tenderness that poked and prodded at my heart until I felt myself letting him in after only knowing him less than a day.

“Joel,” I moaned, “I need you, please.”

He pulled back so he could pull his pants and underwear down, and my mouth watered immediately at the sight of him. He was thick, and so hard that his tip was red. A pearl of precum beaded at his slit and I wet my lips as I watched it start to drip down the head of his cock.

Joel kicked his clothes off to the side and finally climbed onto the bed. He cradled my head in one of his hands and pressed his lips to mine once more. The hunger from earlier returned and he practically devoured me. I reached my hands into his hair and tugged at the roots while he growled at the mixture of pleasure and pain.

His hand reached up to my throat, his fingers tightening enough that I felt lightheaded. I felt his other hand snake down my body to swipe through my heat.

“You’re still so wet for me, sweetheart” he groaned, pressing his forehead to mine. “All for me.”

“All for you, Joel.” I breathed him in and moaned when I felt the blunt tip of his cock nudge against my entrance. “I’m all yours.”

He pushed in slightly, his hips stuttering while he moaned. “You’re so warm, so soft, fuck.”

“I need more, Joel,” I groaned, throwing my head back onto the bed. “Please, please, please.”

My body felt like it was on fire, heat pooling in my belly, as he pushed himself further and further until he was seated fully inside me. We panted together, lips brushing, as our bodies grew accustomed to us fitting together. I slid my hands up his chest to his shoulders and dug my nails in. He pulled out until just the head of his cock was still inside, and then snapped his hips forward.

“Oh fuck!” I shouted, pleasure ripping through my veins.

He continued to pull almost all the way out before pushing his hips against me while I chanted his name. It was like his cock was made for me, hitting all the right spots, chasing after my high until I felt I was suspended over a cliff.

“Almost there,” I panted. “Need more, please, Joel, need you.”

“I got you, sweetheart, I got you.” He kissed my neck while wedging one of his hands between our bodies. His fingers slid over my clit, slick with how wet I was for him. “You’re doin’ so well, darlin’, you gonna give me another? After already given me two this mornin’. Fuck, come on, that’s a good girl.”

Lightning streaked through my bloodstream, and my toes curled so hard I was scared my feet would cramp up. His name was the only thing I could think of as I finally was hurled from the cliff.

“Oh, Joel, oh fuck, oh my god,” I moaned as my body writhed underneath his.

He sunk his teeth into the crook of my neck and groaned as his hips stuttered, pushing himself impossibly closer to me. I felt spurts of his hot cum shoot against my walls, and basked in the feeling of being the one to make him get lost in his pleasure. He held onto me tightly after we both settled down, and licked the spot on my neck that ached from his teeth.

“Holy shit,” I breathed, staring up at the ceiling. He went to move but I brought my hands up to his back and his head, scratching at his scalp while I held him close to me. He hummed in appreciation, and settled even further on top of me. “Stay with me, this feels really comforting.”

He chuckled and then flinched at the sensitivity of his spent cock still inside me. “Alright, darlin’. Let’s get some rest, we’ll go home in the mornin’.”

His words got quieter as he slowly drifted off, still weighing me down like the most comfortable blanket in the world, soothing the ache that had settled in my chest. I felt so connected, both physically and emotionally, to a man I hadn’t known just a day before, but found myself drifting off with our bodies still entwined. My lips curved into a smile at the thought of what he said before starting to snore softly. He spoke a word I didn’t think I’d ever feel comfort hearing again.

Home.

- - - - - -

Taglist: @sullyosully

[campbyler]

helllooo!!

i hope you’re all doing well!

just gon leave my overall thoughts on this spectacular, insane, gut wrenchingly beautiful chapter:

- first, thea your writing has me rocking back and forth insanely while sobbing with taylor swift on loud speaker in the background. it’s just. ugh. it’s so. you’re so talented <3

- michael. inhalers should be put in your silly little fanny pack at all times. just shove your snacks into your pockets if you’re that desperate

- lucas is always right.

- hopper knows

- i keep re-reading the asthma attack scene (beforehand) and i have no idea why will was crying - feel like i’ve missed smth but it really showed that mike does, in fact, — no matter how hard he tries to deny this — care about will and i think that perfectly sets their relationship into the ground if yk what i mean?

- will flinches a lot and this will probably be brought up again?? i think it aligns with his dad, lonnie, as in “follow the sparks (i’ll drive)” (which may i say is BEAUTIFULLY written by suni) it’s shown that will has a fear of cars driving past a certain limit - even though mike was driving somewhere around 85 (i forget now but i’m trying) because of lonnie. feel like this’ll be brought up again.

- “Like – what might Will do, if Mike were to kiss somewhere that wasn’t his lips? If he didn’t give Will a clean break; if he were messy about it when he pulled his mouth away from Will’s, if he trailed his kisses along Will’s skin instead? Would Will like it, if Mike used his mouth to trace along the length of his jaw, down to his neck, working his way into that nook of space behind Will’s ear? Would he get mad, Mike muses, if Mike bit into his skin where his neck meets his shoulder, or would he be okay with a bite like that? Would he push Mike away, or would his breath hitch, would his fingers tighten in Mike’s hair, would he bring his other hand up to cradle Mike’s head, too? Would he also have the thought that not all the marks they leave on each other have to hurt – that not all of them need bandaids to heal, that some of them can be smoothed over with a kiss instead? Will’s breath hitches, and all ten of his fingers are knotted into Mike’s hair, and Mike kisses the spot he’s sunk his teeth into so swiftly . . . Mike wonders if he’s gotten carried away, if he got so engrossed in whether or not he could do something, he hadn’t stopped to consider whether or not he should. He brushes another kiss against Will’s skin, apologetic and cautious, and then another – further up, back by his ear, right at the curve of his jaw.” okay, i LOVE the way you’ve characterised mike here. the fact that he’s an over thinker, he over thinks how will is feeling, he over thinks if he’s doing the right thing and overall is being tender with affection as he, quote-unquote, “doesn’t hate will — and that’s all he’s willing to admit”. gotcha buddy…

- “i like your bucket” i had a cheeky giggle

- “Mike thinks he would very much like to hate Will – he thinks his life might be a lot easier if he did. But he doesn’t, and that’s as much as he’s willing to admit.” excuse me. ex—fucking—scuse me?? evil. evil for that ending. you know. you know what you’re doing. and it’s painful >:(

- last, but oh ho-ho not the least. i kid you not when will kissed mike i had to pause. take a large, over exaggerated step back. blink. blink again. look around. then, re-read the first sentence. and scream.

no but seriously, this chapter was absolutely beautiful. again, thea, your writing is amazing and it’s so refreshing to read.

furthermore, please don’t feel like you have to get a chapter done by a dead line if there is something that causes a slower pace! take all the time you need! <3

HELLO!!! WE ARE DOING GREAT!!!!! i am Sat for this ask ty for leaving all your thoughts!! let me try to respond point by point:

SHSH HH . SHH. HSHHHHHSHHSHHSH . why would you say that. WHY WOULD YU SAY THAT!!!!!!! now iiii am rocking back and forth insanely while sobbing with taylor swift on loud speaker in the background!!!!!!!!!

he is more frequently hungry than he is having an asthma attack!!!!!!! he's a growing boy!!!!! let him live!!!!!!!!!

lucas IS always right.

hopper probably definitely knows.

it's not super obvious in the narrative because mike has an asthma attack before he can bring it up LOL but since i'm not sure if it gets addressed in ch05, as the Author, i will confirm: will is a frustrated crier! he is frustrated at himself for the circumstances they've found themselves in and because max and justin are both rightfully mad at him so he is assuming Everyone hates him. he didn't get the same pep talk from max that mike got from lucas so he's just in his feels a little bit! he's good tho fr :)

No Comment At This Time

we ummm. we all love writing mike as an overthinker because that's just #true so the kiss scene was fun bc it was like. mike's actions were being carried out through his thoughts and it was a neat little trick to balance as a writer :')

i personally actually fr say "any questions? comments? concerns? complaints? compliments?" to my team in shift meetings so that was fun to bring in here and it was a nice moment to diffuse the tension LOL

mwhaha and hehe and hoohoo and so on and so forth

thank you so much for your kind words and leniency with the chapter going up!! i am sure that it Will happen again so to have the reassurance of everyone's patience has been so nice :') <3

[moreespressoformydepresso]

I think I managed to come up with an idea on how the tributes can escape . In the movie (just in case it's different in the book) the zoo enclosure doesn't have a roof . I was wondering if maybe they could've stood on each other's shoulders until one of them manages to get on the other side of the enclosure and get the others out, so here is how this can go, during the late first night jessup and Marcus and reaper let sheaf and treech and one of the district 3 kids stand on their shoulders and the 3 of them jump onto the other side of the enclosure (treech and sheaf are chosen Bec of their agility and only one of the d3 kids so that they can hack the cameras and remove any footage of them) and manage to get out. The trio then keep sneaking around and search until they find a ladder or a rope and come back to the zoo to get their fellow tributes and give it to them to climb until the last one climbs out.

Or a second idea I had is that maybe they pull a toy story 3 escape plan where a few tributes pretend to be arguing and fighting until the peacekeepers get so annoyed with it they open the zoo cage to force them to shut up to Wich as soon as they do that they get knocked out hard by the rest of the tributes then they take their guns . Then reaper carries dill and all of them run as fast as they can

Either way the next day the capitol citizens and mentors are dumbfounded when they see the zoo cage empty and gaul is pulling her hair out and then it's the usual drill, the kids are on the run, treech gathers supplies they Bond and work together something something something found family

I am not sure if either of those are logical one of them depends on the peacekeepers not being present during the night and the second is literally pulled out from a cartoon so not sure how much this can be implemented in a (MOSTLY) semi realistic setting like the HG but here it is 😅

I think they could work but I have a few notes if you don’t mind! Before we start real quick: why did no one in the movie just climb the bars of the enclosure? Even if they were smooth (which doesn’t seem like it’s the case) it’s not terribly difficult to climb bars if you have others to use as stepping points. The movie’s attention to detail is great in some places and absolutely atrocious in others.

So first of all in the books they’re explicitly thrown in a monkey enclosure. Since they are handed food there’s no body of water to keep the monkeys in, meaning there’s either a roof or a net. The movie is just weird about this, but it could still work! If we assume there’s a net they can cut through it with a sharp piece of rock or their teeth if they’re desperate (and they’re gonna die, so they probably are). The next problem they’ll run into is the peacekeepers that are stationed around the enclosure. They’re gonna be there at night too, but since the tributes are in a cage we can assume they aren’t paying too much attention. Since some of the tributes are very sneaky I can fully accept they’d manage to not get caught cutting the net loose enough to climb through. In this version they can just use the net as a rope by cutting strategically.

If we go with the movie zoo, that’s not possible, but it’s kind of a needless risk to sneak around with the peacekeepers there. Maybe someone like Treech could get past them (since in the books he’s the sneakiest tribute, which is why he’s my favorite. Because of this I hope you don’t mind me having him be the one who’s let out first) and I’ll accept Sheaf too, but all three of them as a group is incredibly risky. They could split up, but that’s also a big risk. If even one peacekeeper spots them they’re all fucked, and there’s no way they can sneak a whole ladder with them. As for a rope, I have no idea how they’d effectively use a rope since it would slip off of the top of the bars. Aside from that, none of them have ever been in the zoo. They don’t know the layout and while they might find maps those don’t usually highlight where equipment can be found. They only have until the sun goes back up to do this, once it’s light out they can’t come back and if the mentors come then the tributes are in deep shit because one might be theirs. Urban was canonically a massive ick (considering Teslee “his”), Vipsania was probably a shit mentor since Treech didn’t trust her to feed him (no idea if you would be interested in me posting about it but I have a theory for that) and we don’t know anything about how Androcles was. Pup did care about Lamina and would probably notice she isn’t with Treech like she was the day before and maybe he’d try to spot him and realize he’s not there. So yeah the odds of their little “scheme” remaining hidden for a while day aren’t great, especially since three tributes need to remain unfound in a crowded zoo that entire time.

Instead, I suggest that the three of them knock out the peacekeepers close to the entrance of the zoo discreetly and take their keys. Then they just open the zoo. Have one person hide behind a tree or trashcan or something and have another make rustling noises in the bushes so one peacekeeper comes over, then ambush them. Or have the tributes instead sneak around to find a weapon, which is a far easier thing to find than a ladder or rope because literally anything can be a weapon if you’re determined enough. If you can bash someone over the head with it, congratulations! It’s a weapon. Once the enclosure is open they have the exact same issue as they would have if they got out any other way, which is sneaking a huge group out of the zoo. But since I assume the peacekeepers are only around the enclosure that’s a relatively easy fix. Just go to the side where they knocked out the guards. That’s safe for now. From there it’s just walking away from the enclosure until they come across one of those big boards with a map and a “you are here” arrow. Then get out.

I think the argument trick is a very dangerous gamble, because the peacekeepers are more likely to shoot at them if the don’t listen. But if the tributes all make sure they’re all in spots where they can’t be hit they could pull this off. They’ll need to do it at night and be careful to not notify the other peacekeepers, but they could do it. All their bad luck was used to get them reaped so they’ve probably got a lot of points in their favor. And the peacekeepers suck so lets just say karma came for her dues.

Oh my God I just realized something. If the games never happen Snow doesn’t kill Bobbin so he has no reason to actually start to believe Gaul’s theory. So her apprentice is not fully on her side yet. And imagine if the tributes, who obviously can’t just return to the districts like normal, use the tunnels and stay undercover as they resume their life as much as possible. Their whole districts help keep them safe from the peacekeepers. And they frequently meet up (Circ and Teslee made communication devices for everyone or they stole them in the Capitol or something) and whenever the games are set to happen they bust out the tributes and it’s this whole underground network. Eventually it turns into a full-scale rebellion, but first they find 13.

[nickeverdeen]

Heyy, can I ask for match up and sorting at the same request? I think it would be super annoying for you to read me talk about myself twice, so🙈 so, firat about the hcs sortings. The ones I'm gonna choose is Avatar The Last Airbender = sorting what bender you’d be and The Last of Us 1 + 2 = sorting which (human) group you’d be part of.

For the match ups: The last of us (Part 1 and 2) and MCU. I don't really care if it's female or male, I don't have preference.

So, for my description:

I'm a teenager and my pronouns are she/her. I'm a hufflepuff and my zodiac sign is aquarius. I love art in any way possible, but drawing is basically my roman empire. I'm always with a sketchbook and sometimes I look at random places and people and I try to imagine how would I draw them. I usually draw and paint listening to classical music and orchestras (I even used to play Erick Satie pieces on a kalimba!!!), but I also love Rock and Metalcore. I'm that type of person who has a headphone on her head 24/7. I'm very introvert and usually have difficulty communicating with other people, simply because I'm bad at continue conversations. My mom says it's because I spend so much time at the little world in my head that I forget how to get out of it, and as much as she doesn't mean in a harm way, I know this can bother people around me (I mean, somebody called me autistic in a perjorative way once. I'm don't even have autism, it's just my personality). Even tho I'm introvert, I can be very chatty around people I like and trust. I also don't like fighting, I hate fighting, and because of traumatic experiences involving bullying and problems at home, I start feeling anxious when I hear arguments. So I'm usually a very chill person and try to keep things smooth till I can, but I can also get exaggeratedly agressive when people step on thin ice with me, and that caused me problems before. I also love animals (at this point, I don't even have to explain that I prefer them to people, right?), I would totally be a vet if I wasn't so afraid of seeing injuries, and I could also study astronomy if I didn't hated physics/math. I'm not very patient, but I also change my mind easily, so I'm the type of person who tries something new and says "I won't ever do this again" and it goes wrong, but is trying again next day. I looove eating, and even tho I have some pet peeves with food, food bribery can work a lot with me lol. My favorite types of films are drama and science fiction (cry for a good story and think hard are my two favorite things). I'm a very perceptive person and I am very vulnerable to see through people, I know there's something wrong in the air usually before everyone else, and can see how people may be feeling even if they don't tell me right away, that's what makes me a good friend to the few people I'm friends with, because my intuition is good. I'm also very criative, and even though my imagination can get a little morbid and sad, it also gives me good ideas and experiences. On the other hand, one of my flaws is not doing things I'm supposed to do like fufill tasks, and I get over disappointed when things don't go exactly the way I plan. I'm also not that good at talking about my feelings, but I like hearing others. I don't like hot weathers and my favorite season is fall. My favorite holiday is christmas, and I usually spend the whole year deciding what to wear for halloween. I don't really get happy about my birthday, but I like the cheap excuse to eat cake.

Your ATLA bending is…

Waterbending

Waterbenders often have a calm, reflective nature that aligns with your introverted and artistic personality

Your love for art, particularly drawing and painting, reflects the fluid and expressive qualities of water

Your ability to perceive others’ emotions and your strong intuition are traits often associated with waterbenders, who are known for their empathetic and perceptive natures

Waterbenders can adapt and flow like water, much like how you easily change your mind and try new things

Your creativity and ability to imagine different perspectives also reflect the versatility of water

Waterbenders often prefer harmony and peace over conflict, similar to your aversion to fighting and arguments

Your efforts to keep things smooth and your anxiety around conflict align with the waterbender’s desire for balance

Your love for animals and preference for them over people is reminiscent of the water tribe’s close connection to nature and its creatures

Your preference for cooler weather and fall also aligns with the water element, often associated with cooler climates

—————

In The Last of Us you’d be part of…

Jackson Community

The Jackson community values safety, cooperation, and a sense of family, which aligns with your desire for a peaceful and stable environment

Your perceptiveness and ability to understand people’s emotions would make you a valuable member of this close-knit community

In Jackson, you would have the opportunity to contribute through your artistic skills, bringing beauty and creativity to the community

Whether it’s through painting murals, teaching art, or simply creating, your talents would be highly valued

Jackson provides a relatively safe and conflict-free environment compared to other groups

This setting would suit your aversion to fighting and arguments, allowing you to live more comfortably and without constant anxiety

Jackson is a place where your love for animals can thrive

There are opportunities to care for livestock and pets, fitting your preference for being around animals rather than people

The supportive and cooperative nature of Jackson would help you feel secure and understood

Your friends in the community would appreciate your perceptiveness and emotional intelligence, and you’d find a place where you could be chatty and open with those you trust

—————

Your The Last of Us 1 match is…

Ellie Williams

Ellie shares your love for drawing and would be fascinated by your art

You’d spend hours sketching together, sharing tips and admiring each other’s work

Ellie’s interest in music aligns with your love for classical music and rock

You’d bond over listening to and playing music, maybe even teaching her a few pieces on the kalimba

Ellie understands your introverted nature and wouldn’t pressure you to be social

She’d enjoy the quiet moments with you, appreciating the peace and creativity you bring

Ellie would be sensitive to your aversion to conflict, making an effort to create a calm and safe environment for you

She’d step in to defuse situations if they arose

Ellie’s love for animals would resonate with you, and you’d often talk about your favorite animals or even take care of pets together

(Let’s ignore the fact that she killed that precious rabbit)

Ellie would value your perceptiveness, knowing you can sense when something is off

This would make you a strong support system for each other

Ellie’s adventurous spirit would inspire you to try new things, while your creativity would bring a new dimension to her experiences

Ellie would enjoy your love for food, often bringing you treats or sharing meals to cheer you up

Food bribery would definitely work on her too

Ellie’s experiences have given her a darker outlook, which would complement your occasionally morbid imagination

You’d understand each other’s perspectives deeply

Ellie would be someone you could eventually open up to about your feelings, creating a mutual space for trust and support

—————

Your The Last of Us 2 match is…

Dina

Dina would be impressed by your artistic skills and love for drawing

She’d often sit with you while you sketch, maybe even asking you to draw something special for her

Dina loves music and would appreciate your eclectic taste

You’d share playlists, and she might even join you in playing music, appreciating your classical choices and rock favorites

Dina respects your introversion and would ensure you feel comfortable

She’d be patient with your social awkwardness, making you feel understood

Dina would be protective of you in conflict situations, stepping in to help keep things calm and support your need for a peaceful environment

Dina’s love for animals would match yours, and you’d bond over caring for any animals you come across, sharing stories about your favorite creatures

Dina would trust your intuitive nature, often seeking your advice or perspective on situations because she knows you can read the room well

Dina’s adventurous side would inspire you to step out of your comfort zone, but she’d always respect your limits and ensure you’re comfortable

Dina would love your enthusiasm for food and would enjoy trying new things with you, often bringing you snacks or cooking together

Dina’s experiences have given her a nuanced view of the world, which aligns with your occasional morbid imagination

You’d find solace in understanding each other’s darker thoughts

Dina would be a great listener, helping you navigate your emotions and encouraging you to express your feelings more openly

—————

Your MCU match is…

Peter Parker 1

Peter would admire your artistic talent, often asking to see your sketches and paintings

He’d be your biggest fan, encouraging you to keep creating

Peter loves music and would appreciate your taste in classical music and rock

You’d share playlists and enjoy listening to music together while you draw or study

Peter is empathetic and would understand your introverted nature, never pressuring you to be social and appreciating your company in quiet moments

Peter, being a peacekeeper, would respect your aversion to conflict

He’d step in to resolve any arguments, ensuring you feel safe and comfortable

He may not look like it, but Peter’s affinity for animals would resonate with you

You’d bond over your shared love for them, often talking about your favorite animals and maybe even caring for a pet together

Peter would value your perceptiveness, often seeking your insights on situations and trusting your intuitive understanding of people

Peter’s adventurous side would kidna want you to step out of your comfort zone, but he’s very careful with you

Peter would love your love for food and would enjoy trying new dishes with you, often bringing you snacks or taking you out to eat

He’d joke if you love him more than food or not

Peter’s experiences as Spider-Man have given him a complex outlook, which would align with your occasionally morbid imagination

He doesn’t like it, but he also has one

Peter is an awesome listener, always there for you and he lets you to even spar with him to let some anger out while he’d hold back, but not too much so you’d notice

He cares both about your mental and physical health

He’d appreciate your support in return, knowing he can rely on you