#I feel like somebody did this before but I haven't seen it yet so here you go!!!

[lyraeeee]

a terrible father

[peopleareaproblem]

"It's the only name I can say."

So last ep, Kalina dropped this line after saying "Ragh Barkrock" again. She's really trying to get the Bad Kids to deduce who she could be referring to via Ragh. We've found out about the Spy's Tongue Curse since she last dropped Ragh's name, so it's clear that she's implying that she cannot say the names she wants to say and is dropping Ragh's name as a clue. I've been seeing a lot of theories about this line that are convinced it's implying Lydia Barkrock. I disagree: I think she is referring to Arianwen, Jace and Porter. Here's why.

First of all, and most obviously: Kalina says Lydia's full name in Sophomore Year episode 6.

Kalina: But you do have some time to talk it over because I'm gonna head out and kill Lydia Barkrock. So take care.

I don't think Brennan or the D20 Lorekeeper would have missed this. Kalina doesn't have a Spy's Tongue Curse with Lydia.

Secondly, the gang already investigated Lydia and got relevant clues from her, and Brennan did not encourage suspicion towards Lydia in any way. This repeat of the clue really feels like a "you guys didn't get it yet" type thing. Last time they assumed Lydia and that wasn't it. Try again.

Thirdly, Ragh's only real interaction with Kalina is about a single time he saw something he shouldn't have: Jace, Porter and Arianwen talking to someone invisible (Kalina) on Prom Night. I believe that if the Bad Kids just asked Ragh what Kalina could possibly have meant by "Ragh Barkrock" and "It's the only name I can say," he would absolutely bring up this fact. But they haven't!

That's why I am convinced that Arianwen, and to a lesser extent Jace and Porter, are who Kalina was referring to.

Below the cut are some bits of the trancript from Episode 4 of Sophomore Year, where Ragh reveals this to the Bad Kids.

Ragh is describing the aftermath of the fight with Kalvaxus:

Ragh: I ran into the school. And I went and I saw there was this conversation, and I was going, 'cause a lot of the teachers had been trapped in the crystals and had come out again. And I saw Jace, the sorcery teacher-- Adaine: Mm-hmm. Ragh: Talking to this woman that I didn't recognize. She was an elven woman, she was wearing sort of like black, dark robes, it looked like, they were very light. She was blonde, she had glasses. Adaine: She look like this? [points at her face] Ragh: She look like you? Adaine: Mm-hmm. Ragh: I mean, yeah. Yeah, she looked like, yeah, she looked like you. But older. She didn't look like-- Adaine: Right. Ragh: Um, you know, I mean, elves never look that old, but she looked like, you know, not a high schooler. Um. Jace and them were talking, and they were talking to somebody else who I couldn't see. I just assumed somebody was like, invisible. Um. Later, um, Jace and Porter came and talked to me--

Ragh goes on to describe Porter healing him, despite Ragh not feeling "that injured, honestly", and after that he can see Kalina despite not being able to see her moments before:

Ragh: And after that, I was like walking home, and I saw this cat woman, this tabaxi. And she came up, and told me all this stuff about my mom, and she said if I ever talked to anyone about it, she would kill my mom.

This indicates that Porter infected Ragh with the curse, on purpose. Probably to allow Kalina to threaten and manipulate him so he wouldn't tell anyone what he saw. She really doesn't want him telling anyone that he saw Arianwen there.

Ragh: She told me if I ever mentioned to anyone what I had seen about that elven woman-- Adaine: Mm-hmm. Ragh: That she would kill my mom.

They have a short conversation about wether Jace is suspect, but dismiss it. Adaine shows Ragh a photo of her mother and he confirms that it is the woman he saw.

[joocomics]

ಬ fuck buddies: part three

part one | part two | part three

pairing: fuckbuddy!yangyang x f!reader x loser!winwin

genre: smut wc: 2.2k

contains: sub!reader, hard dom!winwin, love triangle, friends with benefits trope, toxic relationships, jealousy, unprotected sex, exhibitionism, voyeurism, (consensual) angry sex, masturbation, face fucking, gagging, hair pulling, face slapping, degradation kink, name calling

“come on, just show me!”

“why?!”

“why?” yangyang's lips pucker up as if he's thinking over your question carefully, but he’s simply just acting like a fool. “because i want to know what you liked so much about it.”

his tongue makes a clicking sound of disappointment when he sees you rolling your eyes at him.

“oh, c'mon, you must have wondered the same about some of the girls i hook up with. you should understand what i'm talking about.”

“yeah, i have, but i don't ask you to fuck them in front of me.”

“i would, if you ask me to,” he replies with no hesitation. “anytime.”

“did you plan this? together?” you turn to winwin who hasn't uttered a single word since he walked into the room.

he stutters once as he assures you he knew nothing about this and looks down at his lap when yangyang opens his mouth again.

“it was all my idea, don't blame the poor guy.”

after that, for a moment the three of you just sit still in a sudden silence with your mind not leaving you rest for a second. you stand up on your feet and start walking around the room trying to figure out if agreeing to this would have the affects you want on yangyang. you want to show him that you can feel pleasure without him; that you can act like an even bigger slut for others and enjoy it.

but this means using winwin as a pawn.

“are you seeing her boobs for the first time? you haven't stopped staring.” yangyang looks at his friend with a smile - not a genuine smile, but a mocking one.

you turn around and answer on his behalf.

“no, i've sent him nudes a couple of times so he's seen them already.”

it's the truth.

you haven't met with winwin after what happened that night, but you kept answering every text of his although you know the right thing to do is to ignore him, because you don't want to have any kind of romantic involvement with him, and based on his messages, that's exactly what he's hoping for. for that, yangyang was right - obviously, winwin gets attached very easily. you should've seen it coming since he hasn't been in a single long term relationship, but you didn't expect him to obsess over a girl who's been ignoring him since day one, and has been talking nothing but shit behind his back.

you knew it was wrong to lead him on and yet you didn't stop flirting back. when he sent you a photo for the first time, where he was gripping his boner through a pair of sweatpants, you asked for more. the exchange of pictures continued until he asked you out and you declined the offer. then he asked you out one more time, but your answer stayed the same and that’s when he stopped reaching out. several days later - you’re here.

the only response yangyang gives is a short, mirthless laugh. except annoyed by this new information which winwin didn’t let him know about, he’s also surprised to hear that you’ve started sexting somebody so early on. it’s not like you.

his gaze moves with each step you take towards the bed. it concentrates more on your body as you straddle winwin’s lap and intensifies the moment you strip him from his shirt.

you adjust winwin’s glasses before forcing him on his back. as you lean down into his face yangyang earns a proper view of your ass once it rises up in the air.

“are you mad at me?” you peer into winwin’s eyes while recollecting your last conversation. he’s staring at you too, and you can see he’s hurting; and looking so charmingly as he does so. “i know you are, i’m sorry.” your whisper caresses his skin as you guide your lips to his neck; pressing open mouthed kisses and sending warm waves into his body through kitten licks. “i want you to let it all out on me now. just like last time. don’t hold it in.”

the kiss feels like another apology, but in a different form. winwin cannot resist the delicate touch of your lips and the way they lead his like they want to make up for the time you spent away from each other suppressing your desires. he forgives you, but he cannot lie, he does want to show you how much exactly you drive him crazy, because you seem to not realise it.

once you’re flipped on your back with no panties to hide your excited clenching, he removes the rest of his clothes, meanwhile yangyang leans back comfortably in his seat, anticipating to see how the scene will unfold. he needs to know what exactly keeps you thinking about his friend who’s always had the loser etiquette attached to his personality.

you’re laying between winwin’s legs as he levels his cock with your mouth which is watering at the appealing sight of his toned figure. you feel yangyang’s focused attention on you, but it cannot shift away yours that’s fixated upon winwin’s flushed tip that will soon separate your lips. once his length fills your mouth inch by inch you look up, but not for long as he begins to push further into your throat… again, then again and again until you squeeze your eyes shut and try to keep breathing.

the lewd gagging noises excite yangyang who quickly realises he’s never fucked your mouth in this position. he observes with interest how winwin keeps his hips moving rapidly as if your mouth is a sex toy he can use for as long as he wants while his one hand pulls at the roots of your hair almost angrily.

“shit,” yangyang exclaimes quietly, “make her choke, man.”

winwin is not fucking your throat, he realises, he’s abusing it. until soon enough your nails sink into his thighs and he pulls out, groaning loudly above you.

“fuck, win—“ you pant heavily after coughing while rolling onto your chest. you feel dizzy and sore, but so aroused.

the hazy feeling in your head increases when you turn around only to earn a slap on the cheek.

your cravings are being met one by one... and the exhilarating feeling this brings into your heart is what makes you worry that it will be hard to distance yourself again after this.

winwin’s demanding fingertips dig into your cheeks, signaling you to refocuse on him. once he catches you making an attempt to speak he tilts your head with another slap so you only end up staring at him, with drooling lips and chest rising excitedly.

there it is, he thinks to himself, that weak submissive gaze of yours that he never thought he would ever be able to see again. he’s ready to do anything to own it.

“you’re not gonna say a word, okay?” he says and the way you nod without thinking twice brings him indescribable satisfaction. “i really don’t want to hear your fuckin’ voice right now.“

his fingers move from your reddish cheek to your heat; your whole expression transforms once they slip inside you, finally turning that lingering desire in your core into blissful reality. an erotic sound escapes you while he forces them deeply inside, allowing yangyang to hear how wet you are for someone that’s not him.

“yeah, you can moan as much as you want, but no talking.” he states, emphasising on the word no with a firmer change of tone and one last warning glance at you.

your teeth grab onto your lip furiously when he enters you with one strong push. he slides all the way in through your arousal, smoothly, but with slight pain that makes you cuss shakily. it already causes you a new slap which lands stronger than the last one.

yangyang’s hand tugs down his underwear to get a hold of his erection, almost unconsciously, because he’s in trance with what’s happening in front of him; in his own bedroom. now he understands why few days ago you asked him to slap your face. he only laughed, because he thought you couldn’t be actually wanting it…

the grip on his leaking cock tightens the same moment winwin’s hand reaches for your throat. his friend’s voice shakes a bit, but it still manages to sound demanding when he speaks up as yangyang starts to ease the pressure by slow steady strokes.

“keep your eyes on me.” winwin notices you can barely keep them open as he pounds into you with force. this brings him pleasure almost as big as the way your mouth hangs open because of the gradual lack of oxygen. “look at me while i fuck you dumb... yeah, there you go.”

the moment the climax washes over you, hitting you in one overwhelming wave of buzzing delight, your scream clashes with yangyang’s frustrated groan as he forces his hand to delay his orgasm - winwin is not yet done with you.

he has your legs shaking while you stand poorly on all fours, spreading wide and whining from the on going sharp thrusts. you put all the effort you can to keep your body steady, but you fail, so winwin tightens his fist around your hair to keep you from falling forward.

“i’ll fuck you till you turn into a brainless whore,” he hisses once you’re pressed against his warm chest. “because that’s how you like it.”

every time he utters something at your ear, the burning rush doubles inside you; each word is another intoxicating sensation that makes you anticipate what you’re going to hear next.

“and you’re still going to run back to me, wanting more of this…” for the first time his hips slow down, letting his cock glide calmly through your squeezing walls - steady mellow rhythm that can’t compare to the thumping of his heartbeat against your back. it's like he wants to make sure you will register properly everything he has to say. “you want me just as bad.”

you almost agree, but you remember on time that you’re not allowed to speak. his last sentence before your head gets pushed down into the mattress sends shivers down your spine: choose wisely.

yangyang didn’t hear most of what winwin told you just now, but he did hear those two words, and they make his blood boil, because he agrees with them.

he rests against the back of the chair and quickens the pace of his fist. he keeps it sliding along the mixture of spit and pre-cum; his size keeps twitching at the sight of your bent body getting overstimulated from behind, your head shoved into his sheets that are getting soaked by your tears, his friend’s hand pressing against your skull with roughness that he himself has never used on you; calling you names that he's never thought of calling you before.

before he knows it, his cum shoots all over his bare stomach from the way he’s been synchronising the movements of his hand with the intense speed of winwin’s hips. quiet cusses slip from his lips as the freeing warm feeling settles beneath his skin; it frustrates him how good it felt.

you, on the other hand, are waiting for the after effects of your second orgasm to fade down as winwin alternates between pulling out and gliding his cock up between your slick butt cheeks. you finally open your teary eyes for the first time in a while, provoked by his hand that suddenly pulls your hair; not roughly like earlier, but just enough for you to know you should move.

your fluids trickle down your inner thighs as you kneel still, watching yangyang appear in front of the bed. for a moment the fog which is slowing down your brain was so bad that you completely forgot the complicated situation you found yourself in.

winwin takes your wrists to hold them together behind your waist, like he wants to prevent you from touching yangyang who's now on the bed too. that's how it feels, but he remains silent and lets his friend lean forward. he lets his face get closer to yours, lips centimeters apart.

“so that's what you're into now?” an intrigued grin forms on yangyang's face as his eyes explore your fucked out features stained with smudged makeup. you look so hot that he gets the strong urge to run his tongue along your messy skin.

this makes you remember an old conversation you had with him once. you both agreed that you enjoy fucking different people, because you get to explore different parts of yourselves.

“i like this just as much as i do what i'm usually into,” you reply with voice sounding almost drowsy. hopefully, he understands the exact meaning of your answer.

he simply nods while pressing his lips together. his jaw tenses as the seconds pass.

“me and winwin didn’t like sharing our toys when we were kids.” yangyang looks up at his best friend behind you.

in a way he is still the same guy he's known his whole life, but at the same time he sees unfamiliar parts of him that he's never expected to have to confront one day.

there’s a glint of spite in the eye contact, but also a mutual understanding. they’ve both came to the same conclusion and they don't need to exchange a word. they've learned to read each other's expressions years ago, and now their determined faces signify more than enough.

winwin nods silently and yangyang moves his gaze back to you.

you know where this is going and you feel your heart clench before he even says it.

“i don’t think we will start now, baby. i warned you, didn't i?”

! please do not repost, copy or translate my works

! please keep in mind that english is not my first language. i apologise in advance for any mistakes i’ve might missed

[notmorbid]

poor deer.

dialogue prompts from poor deer: a novel by claire oshetsky.

enough of your pretty lies. it's time to tell the truth.

here, the boundary between the practical and the supernatural is razor-thin.

stop stalling. it's time to confess what you did.

don't go far.

time for you to go home, then.

i'll be very sad if you go to a better place without me.

what an old stick in the mud you are.

you're the same liar you've always been.

what are you staring at? go.

didn't you ever come to bed?

a nap will do you good.

you are full of surprises.

time moves sideways, through the most important moments of our lives.

it's been so long since i met any new people.

i don't know how to behave, or where to put my eyes.

i admire your panache.

you haven't been out of this room all day, have you?

run away. run straight home.

you ought not to be alone. please stay.

come here, funny bunny.

do you miss ____?

that was a wicked thing to say.

you are never to repeat that awful lie again.

i just want to shut my eyes and sleep forever.

i hadn't expected to meet you.

why are you so kind to me?

whenever i'm happy, something bad is sure to follow.

i don't understand you one bit.

my little changeling child.

you don't have a shred of compassion.

did your mother tell you that?

[name] isn't an angel. [name] is in the ground.

i will never think what those other people think about you.

please, dear. please look at me. i love you.

you know as well as i do what true memories feel like.

buck up. the worst is over.

do you understand what you did? do you even know what you've done?

you can't lie to me. you can't hide from the truth.

you'll be seeing me.

everything is always better in the morning. i promise.

everything is the same as it ever was.

cat got your tongue?

what you need is a good hug.

you're home now. you're safe.

the days kept happening. the world kept turning.

would you like to tell your story to me? i'd love to hear it.

you can be a remarkable little liar sometimes.

you're old enough to know heaven is just a pretty story, aren't you?

go home to your mother. your mother will know what to do.

some things are forever, and other things are never again.

you can't help me. i know that now.

this is my secret hideout. i made it.

what happened to you?

do you think you're being charming?

it looks like it's going to be just you and me, for the time being.

i think we should go on a little vacation somewhere special. just us two. what do you think?

i'm not asking your permission. i'll be back when i'm back.

any old fool can drive a car.

given enough faith, you can do the impossible. and don't you forget it.

you will change the world for the better, i know it.

can you tell me, please, how to get to [place]?

you once said i'd be the death of you, and you were right.

i've always imagined purgatory was the kind of place you could stumble into by accident.

will you ever let me try to make it up to you?

i've traveled this route before, in my dreams.

it couldn't have been ___ you saw. you must have seen somebody else.

i'm running out of time to find my happy ending.

did the light wake you?

you are the strangest girl i have ever met.

there is very little goodness or love in this story.

you never need to worry about ____, ever again.

your story isn't over yet.

are you my angel, or my devil?

you're still young. when you're my age, you'll understand.

you never can tell what a child will grow up to be.

i admire you for accepting life as it comes.

you're never coming back, are you?

i'm here. i'm not going anywhere. here is my hand.

is that you, out so early?

we're approaching the end of our necessary small talk.

i've come to ask for your forgiveness.

you're welcome to stay as long as you like.

one day, i might forgive myself.

[butchsophiewalten]

Twitter Space Recap July 28th 2024

Last Sunday Martin, Eva, Kyle did a Twitter Space, with intermittent appearances from Coral! Here are some of the Q&A answers and other interesting things they talked about:

-Someone asks if TWF5 is going to be longer or shorter than TWF4, and Martin says that he currently predicts it to be "a bit longer".

-Somebody asks how Laura Peony (Rosemary's sister) looks. He says that she looks similar to Rose, probably, but that he honestly doesn't have much of a design in mind for her. Something fun to me is that he calls her "Sophie's aunt", rather than calling her Rosemary's sister, which is interesting when remembering one of Martin's previous statements that Rosemary doesn't have a very good relationship with her family.

-Someone asks about something Martin said in a Q&A a while ago, about Jenny going through many redesigns before her current and final design, and if we could see any of them. Eva ends up sharing one of Martin's old drawings of one of these designs, even though Martin says that he really hates it.

He mentions that she looks "too normal" and that she "looks like she's straight."

-Someone asks, "Who or what was the thing behind Bon and Sha in the TV in TWF2?" and Martin answers that it's Susan. (slowed gif relevant)

-Someone asks about how the Relocate Project trio all met each other, and Martin explains how in his original vision for the characters, they were this really close and inseparable group of long-time friends, but that he's recently kinda revised that idea, thinking it'd be more realistic if they were just work friends, who met each other through their jobs and all had full, separate lives and maybe weren't so inseparably close.

-Someone asks how old Kevin is in TWF2, and Martin explains that the relocate trio's ages are something that he's kinda retconned. He brings up an old image of Ashley that gets passed around by the fanbase sometimes which says she'd be 19 years old in 1978, saying that in his mind now, she'd be 22 at the time. He says "-and there's a reason for this, there's a reason for this. There are things about, uh, Ashley, and some things about the rest of the episode 2 crew that we haven't seen yet."

-Martin and Eva joke back and forth about an idea they both like, which is that Bon can create or mimic noises with his animatronic voice box, and that he likes to do stuff like bark and people in K-9, just to freak them out. Martin says, "Wait, did you know that this actually happens, in one of the episodes? In episode 2, Bon fucking plays rabbit noises, to mess with Ashley. When the lights go out, Bon-- he's imitating a rabbit."

-Martin says, "Somebody asked if the baby doll we see in Souvenir and TWF4 will have meaning in the future. Ah, yes it will."

-Someone asks, "Are we gonna get wholesome Rosemary content in the upcoming episodes?" and Martin and the rest of the crew shoot the shit for awhile, alluding ironically to the torment (emotional and otherwise) she will almost certainly be met with in the upcoming episode.

-Martin mentions that he's working on something related to TWF7, and says, "I genuinely think that episode 7 is going to be the most hated episode of The Walten Files ever. I've talked about this with Eva before." Martin and Eva refer to it sneakily as the "yuri" episode, and we know from previous Q&As and spaces that TWF7 is most likely going to be about Sophie and Jenny's relationship, possibly detailing how they met. Martin says, "I think- it's not because of what is in it [that it will be hated], it's more like, it's the least 'Walten Files' episode of The Walten Files."

Kyle says, "To be fair, I feel like season 2 is going to be such a tone shift and it's gonna do so much, that it's gonna be like, "Woah!" You're gonna send people back, like, 20 feet in surprise."

-Somebody asks if Jack is addicted to smoking, and if Felix gets on his ass about it. Martin says "I don't think Jack is addicted, I think Jack just smokes because he thinks smoking is cool. I wouldn't say addicted, but I'd say Rosemary smokes out of like, a place of, like, stress and anxiety. Instead of just as a hobby, in a way."

-Someone asks if Susan is skinny. Martin says, "I don't think Susan is very skinny, I would say Susan is more--" and Eva fills in with "Muscular..?" to which Martin replies, "Yeah, I was gonna say that, I couldn't find the right word. Yeah, considering she usually helps build the stuff, and shit like that, while Charles sits on his ass and stays on his computer all day, like a fucking lazy bitch. Just programming shit."

-Martin openly laments that Charles doesn't have more of a fanbase for him as in individual character. He goes, "Do I have to wait for the next two episodes to drop, so I can fucking have a Charles fandom? That's so sad."

-According to Kyle, Charles' favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character would be Knuckles. Martin says he doesn't know a lot about Sonic, but that Jack's favorite character would be Doctor Eggman, because he's the only human character.

-Martin and Eva talk for a bit about who would win in a fight between Bon and a bunch of different animatronic characters from Five Nights at Freddy's, with him losing terribly to most or all of them. Eva determines that he could definitely win against normal human William Afton, and Martin says he could, at least, probably win against The Puppet. Martin says, "Y'know how dogs grab, like, a toy? And shake it around? Bon just fucking bites-- and starts fucking shaking the animatronics around."

-Somebody asks, "Do Brian and Kevin know each other?" and Martin says, "No, they don't. I don't think Brian knows anybody from the rest of the series. Why would he?"

-Martin says, "I like to think- in the apartment [Jenny and Sophie] live in- It's really funny to me, the idea that Jenny knows everybody in the building and is friends with everybody, and Sophie isn't. Like, it's like, imagine in everyone else's perspective, its like 'Ohh, there's Jenny!', and she's like this really sweet person, and then there's just Sophie, this fucking-- this silent, weird girl that's always seen next to Jenny."

-Martin asks Eva, "What to you think of episode 7?" to which she replies, "It's very yuriful." He responds saying, "That's true." Eva later appends saying, "It's also a very good episode."

-Someone asks, "Will there be a Walten Files 5 & 6 trailer soon?" and Martin replies, "I have an idea for a trailer, but I know know if it's necessary, considering I don't want to show what happens in the episodes. I want people to go in completely blind."

-Eva reads a question that she likes, but is worried is too spoilery. "What's Sophie's relationship with her medication? Does she resent having to take it? Does Jenny know that she's on it?" Martin responds, "We cannot answer that. Because the medication Sophie's on will be expanded on." appends later going "I love how my original idea for Sophie's pills was like, it was never addressed it any way. It was just like, 'oh, she's just taking pills.'"

-Somebody asks about Hidie the Raccoon from the Showstoppers Cartoon, and Martin says that he's a burglar who pretends to be a collector for charity, but just steals the money.

-Someone asks about Madness Meridian. Martin says, "It was a book that was like, a more realistic version of The Walten Files. And it was like, 'what if The Walten Files was, like, completely made up by Sophie?', and it was like, it was really bad. And I remember I worked a lot in the book, but I lost it on an old computer, so."

-Someone asks if we're ever going to see the Showstoppers singing for real, instead of just performing over a preexisting song, and Martin says yes!

-Someone asks about the Findjackwalten page that was recently discovered, /jennyslair-dot-com-worldwideweb, which is currently password protected. Martin says that it will be a page soon, so the page's content is probably not currently meant to be accessed.

[ya-bug-boy]

someone needs to make a subbottom or powerbottom Guzma x Male Reader since they always write him as a top, when He's obviously now nothing but a whiny loser. So, can I request hate sex with Guzma?

Bottom Guzma x Top Male Reader: Hate sex then fluff

One of Guzma's most trademark and notable traits about him is his immense ego and pride. Sometime going from bar to bar, acting like he's a big shot who owns the place, looking for some hot tourist who wants to fuck with an Alolan native. He's got a big dick, it's a waste not to fucking use it!

There's a new bar that opened up in Melemele Island. He's gonna hit the scene, looking for the right kind of trouble.

Turns out it's a LGBT bar. Alright, nothing wrong with that. Maybe there's a bi or pan girl he can find.

Until he fucking runs into you. You're right up his alley, flaunting your exposed chest in a loose buttoned up shirt. Usually it's Guzma buying a drink, dropping the hints, but he wasn't expecting to hear it from another dude! At first, he thinks it's cute that someone is into him like this so hard and heavy right off the bat but it gets annoying when you're the only person in the place talking to him!

At first Guzma brushes you off, thinks you're a bit too on the spot to be asking for sex like this but you bluntly point out that he's the same! You've seen him in other bars doing the same thing you're doing to him. You even make fun of him for the time he drank too much and had to be escorted out right before barfing everywhere. That pisses him off, he can't believe someone remembered that. He gets snappy with you, telling you to beat it.

You just grin and give him one last offer, saying it'd be the best dick of his life if he gave it a try. Before he can get a word in, intense music starts playing as drag queens come from a back room. People start cheering and you join the crowd. Turns out it was some kind of performance night.

Guzma tries to ignore you. Fine. Whatever! He can swindle his way into a girl's pants no problem.

Until he doesn't. The girls at the scene were already partnered up with somebody else. He doesn't remember there being this many lesbians but maybe he just never really noticed until now.

Damn it. Fine. Whatever. I'll just go get another drink, he thinks to himself.

He turns around to walk over to the bar, where he sees you smiling from a distance, sipping on an exaggerated silly straw. You've just been WATCHING HIM FUMBLE THIS WHOLE TIME?

Now he's pissed. Stomps over to you. Asks you what your deal is.

Plain and simple, you want to dick him down. You offer him a night at your place.

At this point, Guzma ain't too sure about he even likes anymore. Yeah he might fuck a guy in the ass every now and then but not the other way around!

But it was getting late and he hasn't made a score yet. It ain't like going back to his Hala's place smelling like booze is gonna win points with the old man.

He reluctantly agrees but demands that HE'S the one in control. You give him that much. So now you go home.

Guzma pretty much knows how to make people melt in his hands. But he's stiff as a board when you start giving him that kind of attention back.

You start by kissing him, to make him relax. You're back at your place, turns out you moved in here recently.

Clothes are removed eventually, Guzma didn't expect much but he wasn't expecting your dick to be as big as his. He always did kind of wonder in the back of his head what it'd feel like receiving it but he wouldn't necessarily say that out loud to anyone.

You stimulate him first, with a lubed up middle finger as you lazily trace circles on his asshole. His breath hitches and he glares at you when he sees you smile. Tells you to shut up but you haven't even said anything yet. You continue playing with his ass, gradually working your way up to push farther.

He makes a few groans and whines but nothing openly loud just yet. You work your way up to having three fingers in there, thinking that he's had enough.

You lube your dick and line it up to his hole, tapping your member twice on him. Guzma opens his mouth to protest but before he could, you slip inside. The head slips in with relative ease, you take in your time to push far enough to bottom out.

Guzma lets out a shaky breath, having held it, before finally letting out a loud, "FUCK-" when you piston your hips.

You go at a slow pace, this being Guzma's first time, you didn't want to ruin the experience. You're praising him, cooing at how well he's taking you, taunting that he likes this before he just yells at you to just SHUT UP and fuck him. So you give him exactly what he wants.

Slamming your hips against his, you watch Guzma's strained face as he clenches the bed sheets beneath him. He watches you with a hazy glare as his own dick bounces with the way you fuck him.

His own cock is just throbbing hot, it wants attention too, you tease. So you smother your hand with lube too, jacking him off as you fuck him. At this point, Guzma's changing his mind about the ordeal, not that he'd admit to you right now though. But to be fair, there's not a lot of thoughts going on right now when all he can think about is cumming.

When he cums, you don't relent, you drag him by the hips to the edge of the bed, fucking him hard. He finally moans, submitting his body to you until you finish too, pulling your dick out right before it shoots cum all over him.

With Guzma dicked down so nicely, you clean both of your bodies with a clean warm rag. He figures it's after care sex when you offer him a water bottle.

With the two of you laying down next to each other, you tease him if you're allowed to talk now. With a smirk, he says maybe, if there's something good to eat. Because he ain't gonna move outta this bed for the next couple of hours. In a joking tone, you tell his majesty that you'll order a pizza.

Yeah, okay, you were decent. You were alright in his books. But you're gonna get what's coming to ya, with you begging for his dick next time. You ask him if he wanted seconds immediately.

[kathleenkatmary]

Theory about what actually went down between Agatha and Rio/why they hate each other

Just a little theory that popped into my head. Not too sure I'm actually sold on it, but I think it would fit so I figured I'd share it. I don't know if anyone else has already had this theory because I tend to avoid the show's main tags for fear of spoilers, so if others have already theorized this, please point me in their direction so I can talk about it with somebody.

I'm going to put this under a cut because there's spoilers here for up to episode 4, so if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to be spoiled, go no further.

I know that the popular theory right now is that Agatha never actually walked the road herself before, that she's lying about that. But what if she's not lying about it?

So far most of the theories I've seen talking about what happened between Agatha and Rio and why they hate each other (or claim to hate each other) feel like they give a good explanation for why one hates the other, but not why the hate seems to be mutual.

Based on the most recent episode, it seems to be all but confirmed that Rio is either the avatar of Death or is deeply entrenched with the process of death, and that Agatha's son died and as such she had to take him, even though she didn't want to. Which gives a good explanation for why Agatha would hate Rio. But I haven't read any theories yet that, in my opinion, adequately explain in a way that makes sense why there's so much hate on Rio's side when she clearly feels really bad about having to take Agatha's son.

So I think there are two possible ways this theory could work. The first is that Agatha's son dies, Rio has no choice but to take him, and so Agatha decides she's going to walk the road to get him back. But then when she does succeed, instead of asking for her son back, she asks for the Darkhold. In this scenario, Agatha would obviously hate Rio for taking her son, and Rio would hate Agatha for making the choice to take the Darkhold for herself rather than undoing the thing that Rio didn't want to do, the thing that made Agatha hate her.

The second possibility is pretty much the same, but it just happens in a different order. Nicholas's death wasn't a sudden thing, but the result of a longer illness. They knew he was going to die, that Rio would have to take him, so Agatha decided to walk the road in the hopes of curing him. Which Rio would have supported because she didn't want to have to take him. But, just as in scenario one, when Agatha completed the walk instead of asking for her son to be cured, she asked for the Darkhold. So without being cured, Nicholas did eventually die and Rio did have to take him. In this scenario, Rio would hate Agatha for having the opportunity to not force her to take Nicholas but choosing the Darkhold instead, and Agatha would hate Rio for taking her son.

But why would Agatha ask for the Darkhold instead of saving her son? Hubris. That really was her downfall in WandaVision. The arrogant assumptions she made about her power and what she could do with it. Maybe she assumed that if she had the Darkhold she'd be able to save her son or bring him back from the dead, so she went with the option that she thought would not just grant that wish, but give her more power overall. I feel like this would fit the most with what we've heard on the show so far, because it would mean that the rumor that Agatha traded her son for the Darkhold is somewhat true in essence, but that it, and Agatha's motivations, are far more complex and not so impossible to sympathize with.

It also accounts for the mutual hatred, and in a way that adds a little bit of guilt mixed in with the anger and hatred for one of them, depending on the scenario.

[purplelockscreen]

Demoted

(X finally found Cooper, and he isn't too happy)

Peeps: @oscarsgallery @doakarma @respiratory-kristem @fukuzawa-armeddaddyagency @city-of-c0rpses

Somebody.........save me please....

I need help. Everything hurts. I don't know how much blood I lost but I can barely get up. I need medical attention now. Or else I might die.

I'm not ready to die. There's still much I haven't seen yet. But everything still just hurts right now. Both physically and emotionally.

It's like when I first got here everything has been down hill for me. I get shot and beat up by some kids, got my shoes stolen before having to buy new ones, thought I finally got a boyfriend only to be backstabbed, got stabbed in the ribs before getting shot in the legs as well. Nothing is going to well for me. I even got my hat stolen. All because I fell down those stupid stairs.

It's like this world knows I don't belong here and is trying to spit me out. I just want to go home at this point. That's if I can live for another minute. Everything is starting to fade to black.....

"There you are. Perhaps need another chance?"

That comforting voice, I know that voice. Could it be? It most certainly has to be boss.

I felt a warm and blissful feeling spread throughout my body as it heals rather quickly from his ability. I look up from where I been laying at and see my boss, X. I could almost smile for a moment and run back into his arms, but I froze when I saw that scowl on his face. My hat was dangling in his hand, the sight of it made my breathing hitched, I could only look down.

"So this is where you have been this entire time? Out here making a fool of yourself now, are we? I expected better from you, Cooper. Not for you to run around and start pointless fights that you know you can't win. What are you, a child? Not to mention the fact I little birdie told me about the rest of your behavior here. I'm disappointed in you." He glared me down before getting closer. He held up my hat close to my face.

"Do you want to know why I gave you this hat in the first place? Not because I thought it looked nice one you, though it does, but I gave it to you because I could have trusted you to be my subordinate. My right hand man. But you have lost my trust. Therefore, you will not be receiving your hat back."

My eyes widen to his words. I get up quickly to my feet to rush over him. "Boss wait-" Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my legs and I scream out in pain, collapsing back to the ground as his ability undo the healing in my legs.

X sigh and came closer, kneeling down. "I'm not done talking, Cooper." He said harshly. "What has honestly gotten into you? Do you have any clue what a fool you have been making for yourself and for the organization that you represent?"

I don't answer, just continuing to look down at the ground. Please make this stop. I don't want this to happen. But I have no way of explaining my behavior.

"Care to explain yourself? Or did you run out of bs excuses?" He asked, crossing his arms, standing there, waiting for me to answer.

"I'm sorry boss...... I let my emotions controlled me more than they should have had. There is no excuse to justify my actions. " I mumbled, looking at him with shame. Hoping that he will spare so mercy on me.

X sigh, I could hear the disappointment. I shut my eyes ready to feel a slap or a strike on the head but instead he pats me on the head. My eyes snapped open, as I felt the comfort. How much I missed the physical affection of his hand. I felt like I couldn't survive another day without a head pat. I leaned a little, not wanting to lose that comfort.

"There there, I can't stay too mad at you, now can I? At least you admitted you were in the wrong. This is what I warned you about no staying by my side at all times. You let your emotions get the best of you and people are wicked enough to use you for that. You should only stay with me. I know what's best for you, Cooper." He sighs and tilted my head up a little. "Though I cannot let you go unpunished. I'll show some of my mercy upon you though but for now......"

Boss pulled out a collar and a leash before clicking it around my neck. "You have been demoted. You will stay on this leash until I find you trustworthy to not make foolish acts without my supervision. A little discipline that's all."

I froze, rubbing my hand across the collar before giving a sad defeated nod. I could feel my legs heal once again and X giving a light tug on the leash. I get up and follow him. Back home to the universe I originally came from, thanks to a portal X created by another ability user back home.

Goodbye Yokohama city.

[ladyamanda123]

imgonnagetyouback

… Lilac short skirt

The one that fits me like skin

Did your research

You knew the price goin' in

… And I'll tell you one thing, honey

I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean

Standing at the bar like something's funny, bubbly

Once you fix your face, I'm goin' in

… Whether I'm gonna be your wife or

Gonna smash up your bike, I

Haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… Whether I'm gonna curse you out or

Take you back to my house, I

Haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… I, I hear the whispers in your eyes

I'll make you wanna think twice

You'll find that you were never not mine

You're mine

… Small talk, big love

Act like I don't care what you did

I'm an Aston Martin

That you steered straight into the ditch

Then ran and hid

… And I'll tell you one thing, honey

I can take the upper hand and touch your body

Flip the script and leave you like a dumb house party

Or I might just love you 'til the end

… Whether I'm gonna be your wife or

Gonna smash up your bike, I

Haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… Whether I'm gonna flip you off or

Pull you into the closet

I haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… I, I hear the whispers in your eyes

I'll make you wanna think twice

You'll find that you were never not mine

You're mine

… I can feel it comin', hummin' in the way you move

Push the reset button, we're becoming something new

Say you got somebody, I'll say, "I got someone too"

Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leaving here with you

… Bygones will be bygone eras fadin' into gray (fadin' into gray)

We broke all the pieces but still want to play the game (oh)

Told my friends, "I hate you but I love you just the same"

Pick your poison, babe

I'm poison either way

… Whether I'm gonna be your wife or

Gonna smash up your bike, I

Haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… Whether I'm gonna curse you out or

Take you back to my house, I

Haven't decided yet

But I'm gonna get you back

… I, I hear the whispers in your eyes

I'll make you wanna think twice

You'll find that you were never not mine

I'm gonna get you back

Observations:

-Gender neutral pronouns

-Using the word “bubbly” to describe her muse…..is so sapphic and 1000% screams Karlie

-“once you fix your face I’m going in” I mean….sure guys can wear make up and be bubbly but come on. This isn’t sounding like any of the beards. This is Karlie or another woman at least.

-whisper in your eyes….whispering eyes is queer

-the “I, I” before whispering eyes sounds EXACTLY like Dress BUT incomplete. Only two instead of 4….because they’re stuck in between. In Dress they were in the moment of the dress coming off and then….

Here the ending isn’t known yet….will this end in a fight or will the dress be coming off when she takes her home?

- “bygones will be bygones, eras fading into gray” Is this indicating that they will be publicly “burying the hatchet” so to speak and be seen together again towards the end of the eras tour?

ANOTHER Thought….

I feel like this album has fully ninja’d my brain! Every day new things jump out at me! But this one completely went over my head until I saw a tiktok Jordyn did about it….

🎶Whether I’m gonna flip you off or Pull you into the closet

I’m sorry, WHAT!?!?

🤯

This album is SOOO loud!!!!

[lararutherford]

I SAID I WOULD BE, SO I AM:

Seven nights she was, and one night she wasn't. Date: Various evenings post-shooting. Warnings: Emo shit.

ONE -

It'd always irritated her when she heard people say how much they hated hospitals.

So did everyone else?

Tonight's agonising wait was unlike the others, though, she supposed. St. Catherine's empty halls echoed only with the quiet voices of the night shift; not another visitor in sight so far as she could see. And Lara Rutherford shouldn't have been there, either. In more ways than one. But having friends within the hospital, acquaintances who would bend over backwards to appease her every want, meant that she didn't have to follow the rules this time. As if they could've stopped her.

They'd given her the go ahead after some stalling to suggest how much of a favour they were doing her, but she would've waited all night. It mattered little.

Given how long it'd taken her to make her way into the room, it probably irritated the staff immensely that she could barely stand to be there more than five minutes. How many times had she been at the bedside of somebody she cared about? Too many to count, and yet this felt more harrowing than all but one.

It was hard to say he looked peaceful because he didn't. He looked distant and lifeless and the sound of the machines working around him seemed louder than they should have been. Drowned out everything else, really. Was he hurting?

Lara fidgeted with her hands, rolling tangled fingers amongst themselves.

What had she thought to gain from coming here? Did she think it was going to make her feel better?

It didn't. And like a coward, as she stood in pathetic silence and aching misery, she resigned to looking anywhere but him.

The only words she spoke as she reached for the exit:

"I don't break my promises."

TWO -

"Rutherford perks? They don't check for contraband."

If only he knew how difficult it'd been to find a purse big enough to fit a bottle of alcohol that also matched her impeccable pantsuit...

Lara fished out two glasses she'd wrapped in Hermès handkerchiefs to stop them from breaking against each other, and placed them down quietly on his bedside table. All she could offer was a sideways glance, still finding taking in what he was instead of what he should have been too difficult to bear. But she compartmentalised, set it aside, and got to work filling them a few inches with the liquor she'd snuck into the room.

One for him, one for her.

Lightly she tapped hers against the other.

Then she polished it off in a desperate gulp.

"You look terrible, by the way," she eventually offered, hoping that humour would be the only avenue she could stomach taking to finally accept it. "Don't do this again."

THREE -

"I still can't believe I threatened him in his own office. I got back to the car and almost threw up. Literally gagged, right in the seat."

Though if she'd known that Konstantin's future plans would result in Laurent ending up in this condition, she might've considered doing more than threatening.

"You'd have probably enjoyed watching."

The Rutherford rolled the glass in her hand slightly, warming up the contents against her palm as she thought back to a moment that could've very easily spelt her end if she'd played it wrong. A split second later, though, her eyes quickly shot up and she raised a finger to point at him accusatorily:

"The threatening, not the gagging. Don't even go there," she interjected, as if cutting him off before he could make some dirty joke at her expense. Nothing I haven't already seen, he'd snicker, and she'd throw him a look like she despised him on a cellular level. But they both knew she didn't really. Not now.

As her hand hovered in the air stupidly, slowly lowering like she was a deflated fucking balloon, she was met with nothing but silence.

What she wouldn't have given to be the butt of one more joke...

FOUR -

It was hard to get comfortable in the awful hospital chairs, she'd learnt, but that didn't mean she couldn't find a way to enjoy a good book with her slightly less impressive glass of alcohol. She should have been checking the time—God forbid she stay past her welcome, and be greeted by a Commandant come morning—but she'd got lost somewhere near the middle and time had escaped her entirely. The Rutherford took one more sip of her drink, glancing toward her watch to check...

...thank God. It'd only been an hour.

Something drew her gaze from the gold face, though. Lara's eyesight had failed her entirely in one eye, and sometimes the light played tricks, but she was so damn sure... For a moment, she could've sworn she saw his hand move.

Symptom of semi-blindness or not, her stomach had flipped so intensely, she was glad she hadn't taken more than a few sips from the glass beside her.

It was hard to tell how long she'd watched after that. Waiting. Just in case. Do it again.

"If you're trying to get my attention, I'm not reading it to you. You have a startling lack of taste for a Parisian, and I shan't be taking belated book critiques from someone who considers Westminster Insider good literature."

Nothing.

If she'd been smiling at her own attack on him, it'd faded away shortly after, just like the brief glimmer of hope that she hadn't been seeing things.

Things were as they were before. Laurent was still.

Her eyes closed for a second.

She flipped back to page one.

This time, she read the words aloud.

FIVE -

"I didn't tell you about it yet, but my sister got married," she mused softly, the corner of her mouth lifting into a genuine smile. "She looked so happy."

The Rutherfords were a dysfunctional mess, and maybe had been for as long as she could remember. But that day was different. They'd set it all aside and come together to be there for her—it hurt to note, but she was to blame, some family's surprise that Lara was included in said support—and it'd felt like a massive weight lifted. This wonderful, good thing that they were so rarely able to celebrate together. And it'd been a hard day for her, much harder than any of them could've known, but she refused to let her life get in the way this time. It was Yvonne's day. Yvonne's future.

And she was glad she'd been allowed to be a part of it when she didn't deserve to be.

"I thought maybe something in me would feel bitter about it, but..."

Lara shook her head. No, it hadn't.

A chuckle left her lips at that because to be surprised by it should have seemed absurd. But for a relationship that'd been so tumultuous for so long, it meant something. It meant progress. For them, for herself... To find real happiness in knowing her sister felt exactly that was something she had to say out loud, and right now, she had so few important enough to share it with.

The chuckle died, then, even though the smile remained stubbornly behind. There was no humour left as her eyes welled with tears. As her chest tightened with the closest thing to physical agony she could imagine stemming from emotional turmoil. As her face slowly fell into hurt, and her lips pressed together into a thin line as though it might stop the words she was about to say for one more moment:

"And then three hours later, I sent Henry and his daughter back to Porto Velho for good, and I broke my own heart."

Again.

SIX -

It was hard to imagine somebody more averse to showing their feelings than herself, but Laurent St. Pierre hid behind anger like nobody else.

When they'd first seen each other after she'd been attacked at Fight Club, it seemed like anger on her behalf was all he could manage. Wasted, when she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it, the thinly veiled regret, or the man who offered both.

Lara hadn't understood why he'd not given up trying back then, but she learnt eventually. And the moment she finally gave him an inch, he unravelled in an instant; the first time, but certainly not the last, in which he had been honest about his feelings. 'I just wanted to be with you.' But the Rutherfords wouldn't let a Frenchman within a two mile radius after one of his own had tried to hack her face to pieces. It wasn't his fault, but he carried the weight of it as if he was solely responsible for abandoning her.

It'd hurt her to see him that way. It'd hurt her more to know that even if he had moved heaven and earth to find his way to her side, she probably would have turned him away again.

Would he feel that same way if he knew she was here with him now..?

'I wish I could have been there for you.' 'You're here for me now, Laurent.' 'It's not the same...'

Lara didn't often make promises. She got the idea that he didn't either. And yet both of them had made one that morning.

She finished what remained of the second glass.

And as if justifying her presence at his bedside, she spoke into the quiet void:

"I said I'd be here. So I am."

SEVEN -

The exchange with Odile in the hall had taken more out of her than she cared to admit.

'I can't do this. You're happy, and that's what matters to me. It matters.' Lara's mind drifted back to Launceston tonight. A time when everybody had thought her dead, utterly unreachable, and somehow, Amir had still found his way to her.

There was a brief moment that day where she'd thought that was it. It was finally time for her to fix her mistakes. To undo the worst thing she'd ever done. To him. To herself. But when he'd kissed her, he made himself into the same person she was. Amir was doing to Revati what she had long loathed herself for doing to him. And no matter how many sleepless nights she had spent wondering about this moment, about having him with her again, she just couldn't. Wouldn't let a good man do that to himself.

Because she loved him. More than her desperation to be happy. More than the pain her loneliness caused.

Being here tonight, watching the slow movement of Laurent's chest as he clung to life for somebody else, she realised she was hurting people. His happiness, if Leyla ever found out about it.

And in that moment, maybe she finally knew for sure. Because it mattered.

Lara reached out and took the first of the glasses, finishing it in one.

Then the second.

Fighting the war of emotion in her chest, she eventually got to her feet, and it felt like the most laborious thing she'd ever done. She adjusted her blazer. Tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear nonchalantly. Took one moment to look at him, really look, as she hovered near the edge of his bed. And then she did one thing she hadn't until tonight. It'd always seemed like a boundary not to be crossed, but given the spaces her mind wandered that evening, it seemed as though one more wouldn't hurt. Lara brushed her fingers gently against his wrist, and it felt so warm, so alive, it was hard to reconcile it with the man she'd spent so much time beside of late.

Eventually, she found his hand. Squeezed it gently. Longed for it to move in hers.

It didn't.

"This is the last time, okay?"

And so, it was.

EIGHT -

"Have you ever tried cognac?"

Ayaz stared back at her blankly. Of course he hadn't.

Tired eyes glanced down at the glass she cradled in her hands, contents untouched. Just to the right, the phone she had since muted. Half an hour before—maybe longer, it was hard to tell—the screen had sprung to life with the one message she had resigned to never receiving. One she didn't deserve to. He's awake.

Usually, he was good at masking his concern; Ayaz knew she hated nothing more than anything that could be perceived as pity. But as she threw back the two very full glasses, the last of what'd remained in the bottle, she could sense it.

He stayed silent. And she was glad.

"Well, you're not missing anything. It's awful."

[deareststars]

she'd give until there's nothing left if i wanted it (shane x reader)

title taken from lost by soccer mommy. continued under the cut. cross-posted from my ao3, which you can find here.

tw: everything entailed by shane's 6-heart event. thank you for reading!

A knock at your door. You stir, barely peeking your head out from the blankets. Everything hurts, you still feel soaked through to the bone even though you took a shower and changed your clothes and made some tea and did everything right.

Somebody calls your name, his voice soft. "Are you in there? Harvey said you, uh...went back home pretty fast after...everything last night."

You clench your hands into fists. Cotton curls under your fingertips, and you wish you still had nails to dig into the palms of your hands. Bitten to the pink from anxiety, but maybe that's a good thing because you would definitely be drawing blood by now.

"He said that I'm alright. At least, as alright as I can be. He had to work quick, pumping my liver and everything. I was barely conscious for most of it, but he did say that I was lucky that you found me when you did. Aside from the toxicity, with how bad it was, I could've easily rolled off the cliff and—"

Stop. Stop talking.

He seems to hear your silent pleas. He always was good at figuring out what you wanted to say before you could get the chance to.

He lets out a long, shaky sigh. Something knocks against the wood. You can picture it: him pressing his forehead against the door, hair messy and eyes heavy with sleepless nights. You wonder if he'd gotten a change of clothes, too; if that green polo and shitty purple jacket were still damp and messy with alcohol and rain and mud.

"I'm sorry," he croaks.

You pause in your mindless self-rambling to listen.

"I...I don't know..." He huffs out a short breath, and you swear you hear a curse or two. "I can only imagine how that must've felt. Going from that amazing night to...to finding me half-dead. We'd shared such a sweet moment, and I-I fucked it up. I know I did, and that's not fair to you. I don't ever want you to think that you weren't good enough. It just all hit me, all at once, like a huge truck. I was so tired of feeling."

Aren't we all?

"It's not an excuse for what I put you through." Another shuddering exhale. You wonder if he's crying. You wonder a lot about him these days. "I-I just hope you can...forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. I thought that it would hurt more if you...had to keep putting up with me."

Somewhere deep in your body you find strength to move. You swing your legs over the side of the bed and get up. You weren't even the one drinking, yet you feel like you're hungover, headache and nausea and all. Even though your hair is a mess, even though you're wearing pajamas that barely fit you anymore because they were the first thing that you grabbed last night, even though your breath stinks and you haven't eaten and everything is horrible—

—you open the door.

Shane stands there, mouth slightly agape; what was he about to say? Either way, he closes his mouth fast, and stares at you like he's never seen you before in his entire life.

You've never been good at words. So you stare at him, trying to communicate the breadth of your hurt and relief and anger.

It seems he picks up on it because his eyes water.

"I don't think I've ever been more glad to see you angry at me," he says. It's a poor attempt at a joke, but it's the dry humor that you've missed.

You carefully fold him into your arms, squeezing him tight around the torso as you bury your face into his chest. You don't know if Harvey's work had done any damage—judging by the slight hiss he lets out, the pumping definitely left a lasting impression—and you'd rather play it safe than sorry. But he hugs you back with all the strength he can muster, as if he had never been to the clinic in the first place.

You hum and shake your head.

"Are you upset?"

You nod.

"At me?"

It takes a second. You give a noncommittal shrug and squeeze him a little tighter. You're here now. But that doesn't mean I'm not mad.

He lets out a shaky laugh. As you stand there, you realize so many things have been shaky because he's shaking. "I figured. I...I really did mean everything, though."

You think back to...two nights ago. Two whole day cycles. With your hands interwoven with Shane's, with your skin pressed against his, no contact missing wherever possible. Sweet, honeyed, and careful. You'd never been treated so gently by anyone before.

And then, one night later. Marnie had come to your door in the middle of a downpour. Shane had never made it back from the saloon, and she hated to bother you so late into the night, but she was so worried and Jas was on the verge of tears and would you please help them —

—and then you'd seen him, right there on the edge, beer bottles strewn about—

—and you hadn't been able to say anything because words always escaped you even when you needed them most—

—but he had read you loud and clear anyway and asked you to take him to Harvey.

You'd never seen Harvey so serious before. Everything, all of the medical words and his frown under that bushy moustache and Shane looking paler and more lifeless by the second, had scared you away.

You realize now that it wasn't really anger. Yes, you were upset that Shane had seemingly thought nothing of your time together. Yes, you were mad that you hadn't gotten there before Shane could. Yes, you were near hysterical, bordering on a panic attack as you'd sat there for as long as you could stomach it.

But maybe, all this time, you'd just been scared. Scared of losing him.

It takes you a little too long to realize that you're on the ground and holding onto Shane like he's a lifeline and you're drowning in the middle of the ocean. You can hardly draw breaths and you're crying so hard that your throat hurts and he's rubbing circles into your back awkwardly.

You hiccup. You hit his back with your fists without any true anger, only because you don't know what else to do with your hands.

"I-I'm sorry," he's stammering. "I can go, I can understand why you're so upset—"

You shake your head viciously. It only makes the headache worsen, and you're certain you look like you've gone mad, but you want nothing more than for him to stay with you, right here.

You mime writing, and he helps you stand up. Even as you walk, you're holding onto him. There's some irrational part of you that's scared all of this has been a hallucination, and the moment you let go of him, he'll vanish and it'll be Harvey or Marnie instead.

You grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Your hand is shaking so bad that you can barely write, but it's legible.

Not mad at you. I'm scared of losing you.

His brow furrows. "You were hitting me like you were mad at me."

You scowl. I didn't know what else to do. Stupid.

A little gasp. He looks affronted. You stick your tongue out at him and continue writing.

I was scared that all of this didn't mean anything to you. Got confused and thought I was mad. I'm upset that you thought you had no other option.

He lurches forward and grabs your hand. "No, no. I know I'm stupid, and I know I make you upset sometimes. But nothing has ever meant as much to me as this"—he uses his free hand to gesture between the two of you—"does, right now."

You squeeze onto his hand tight. Never do that again. I'll help you find help. But never scare me like that again. Please.

“That’s why I came here, actually.” He lets your hands hang between the two of you, resting gently on the table. “Harvey got me connected with an old friend of his in Zuzu City…a therapist.” He says it like it’s some kind of curse, but his expression betrays a careful optimism. "I’m gonna start taking things a little more seriously from now on. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone anymore.”

You scribble fiercely on the paper. The pencil leaves little bits of lead behind. If you were in a better state of mind, you could wax poetic about it, but maybe the metaphor is there without needing to describe it. You’re not a burden. I’m glad you’re getting help. And I’m glad you’re still here. As an afterthought, you hastily write, With me.

His smile, soft already, somehow grows even fonder. “Me, too. I’m glad you found me when you did.” He lets out a heavy sigh, and with a dull thud, he rests his head on the table. Carefully, you thread your free hand through his hair. “And…I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’re stuck with me, for better or for worse.”

You don’t need the paper to communicate the breadth of your relief. You rest your head next to his, and he opens his eyes to look into yours. He squeezes your hand tightly, and you return it, digging your fingers into the back of his hand until the skin blanches.

It’s a silent promise. This time, you’re certain he won’t break it.

[therummesoccupied]

FANG THE HUNTER: ISSUE #4 - THOUGHTS

I know! I'm very late! I'm sorry!

It's just... I can't think of a ton to say about this one that I didn't already say about the other three.

The writing is good, there are lots of neat character moments, art is stretchy and fun with plenty of visual inspiration from the games... yeah, it's cool!

Some specific points I'd like to note, though...

I do really love this scene where Fang just straight-up yoinks the Heavy Shinobi's katana and KO's him with it. It's the kind of thing I wouldn't normally think SEGA would allow, since we haven't really seen any character use a sword in canon since Black Knight (if Black Knight is even canon, for that matter).

Perhaps its the anime kid in me, but that was rad as hell.

I've seen a few folks complain about this moment - namely after Fang's proclamation that "Nobody takes what's mine" back in Issue 2, but... I dunno, I think it's fine.

Firstly, the situations are not equivalent. This isn't really a case of somebody "taking" Bark from him as much as him choosing to leave Bark behind.

Secondly, a big part of this comic's story has been the growing strain on the Hooligans' relationship as the story has gone on. His feelings about the other two have certainly changed since then.

Thirdly, I think he pretty clearly... doesn't mean it?? Like, all it takes is Bean looking at him funny and he decides to go help Bark out.

I dunno, this does not seem like a huge deal to me.

I also really like the fight between Bark and the Heavy King.

With the detail they add to Bark accruing damage over the course of their brawl and the little bits of lighting and shadow they add to him, they manage to make Bark look... kinda badass?

Like, I get he was always meant to be a cool fighty guy, but he's also always had that Silly Classic Sonic verneer over him that keeps him from seeming too... I dunno, COOL!

I'm just glad they even went the length to add this little bit of visual intensity.

Speaking of Bean and Bark, though, I must regretfully acknowledge that what I predicted did ultimately come to pass...

The Hooligans have broken up.

(Also I keep seeing Sonic YouTubers refer to them as the "Hoodlums?" That's... not their name? Whatever, it's just weird.)

Anyway, I actually really enjoy this move. It's not often in IDW we get to have a tale end in tragedy, so it's nice to see the conclusion here be so bitter. These are three characters we've been used to seeing together for YEARS, even before IDW Sonic began, and now, they're no more.

Maybe they'll have a heartwarming reunion someday, but thus far, this split has even carried over into the games, as we've seen in Sonic Superstars.

Speaking of Superstars...

That's how our comic ends - with Fang setting off for Northstar Island to begin the plot of Sonic Superstars!

In the time since this issue came out, I've learned this move was fairly controversial, but I dunno, I found it neat! This is the first time I can think of that we've had the plot of IDW play directly into a specific game!

They haven't firmly established if or when stuff like Team Sonic Racing or Sonic Frontiers happens within the comic yet (my personal headcanon is that neither have occured up to this point) so it's cool to see the IDW story so clearly connect itself to the games this way.

It's also neat to see IDW's Classic Era link itself to the Modern Era with Fang ending up in possession of the Warp Topaz, which of course, we will later see appear in the hands of Dr. Starline. I already did my big rant about how much I LOVE the Warp Topaz being here and how it has firmly gotten me onboard the Unified Timeline now, but it's still a very cool note to end on.

It does leave me asking a few questions, though?

Firstly, if Fang has the Warp Topaz at the beginning of Superstars' plot... why doesn't he... use it? I can't think of a single time he teleports or warps around in that game. Heck, his ace in the hole is a big mech of himself that doesn't appear to do anything of the sort.

Then... how does it end up in the cave where Starline finds it? Was there some form of confrontation between Starline and Fang we'll never get to see?

And wouldn't that be SICK??

As weird as the choice to end the story with Fang in possession of the Warp Topaz was, I'm pretty happy with how this miniseries came out! I really hope that, in the future, we get more arcs like this centered around specific members of the games cast.

I like the IDW cast just fine, but... c'mon. You KNOW that's not who we're picking up the comic to see.

The book tells me everything I need to know about them just by the way it puts them in the story.

The reason I love arcs like this and Scrapnik Island is because they take the characters I'm already familiar with from my time with the games - Fang and Mecha Sonic - and tells me things I didn't know about them, puts them in situations I've never seen them in before. Takes stuff I know from the games and EXPANDS upon it!

All in all, this is up there with Scrapnik Island and Chao Races & Badnik Bases as my favorite arcs in the series.

With Fang in the rear view, we head back to the Modern era for the Phantom Riders arc, the first issue of which is already out, and I hope to talk about it before the next one is released this time.

Thanks for reading!

[thelocalconstellation]

Hetch is an interesting character to me. If not because of his actions in how he casts Ranboo, in how he acts and behaves with the actors, and in the fact that he himself wears a mask, I also feel like I have to look at his character from the perspective of a writer a little bit.

I need to preface this with I haven't seen the streams since the few weeks they came out I haven't rewatched them yet

I have to wonder if he ever detached himself from his job, ignoring the humanity of the actors for the sake of his own survival. He's not in charge of the entire organization. There's higher ups for Hetch still. He still wears a mask, although different from that of everybody else. He has a special role. He's the casting director, he's the director of the show, he tests the actors and lets them try their hand, and Hetch does this because what, why does Hetch do this.

Why does he deliberately cause hardship for the actors just to wash it all away, false beliefs and lies leading them into a trap to determine their death or enslavement.

Well, my memory may be wrong here, but Hetch has higher ups. May Hetch have been an actor once? Somebody forced to dance the show that showfall demanded he did, released to the choice of condemn others to his fate or continue to face it. Should the audience dare lose interest in Hetch, was it his choice to have to condemn others to his fate or lose his life for audience enjoyment, never to return. Is that why Hetch wears the mask?

anyways

I have to wonder if he pushed his job away, out of sight, out of mind, and ignored his recollection of the experience to preserve his own life. If he told himself that the moment Showfall took the actors, the moment they were condemned into the sets they were no longer the person, but the character programmed in instead washing away who they were, who they are. Something that occurred, a way to pretend he wasn't hurting the actors.

When I write, I do something similar. I stop thinking about the characters as people, something I tend to do, and I start thinking about storylines and plots and exactly how to break down a character so they can be built back up the way I want them to be, the way I need them to be for the story. At that point, they stop being people to me, they stop being characters. They become more of a doll I can puppeteer into the scenario I need them in, so that way they can be built back up into what I want them to be

And knowing that, in how I look at characters I usually perceive to be more humanoid than they are in reality but the moment I am making a story, they cease to be who they started as but are now whoever I need them to be, it sounds kinda like what Showfall does. Taking the actors, and playing them into whatever characters are needed, before dancing them into the situation of the day like a marionette.

but yeah, at some point, I think Hetch ignored the humanity of the actors and saw the characters they'd be overwritten with. I think Hetch might have been an actor once, and so he wears the mask to pretend that this isn't his fault. that the actors aren't themselves, and are no longer people enough to matter long term, because the actors have never had free will in Showfall Media. it's better for them if they didn't.

[rocketturtle4]

Not Me some more - Eps 6 & 7

@plantsarepeopletoo @anon451 @shouldiusemyname @thegalwhorants @wen-kexing-apologist @slayerkitty @fanfictionroxs @pandasmagorica

First post here

You're getting an update sooner than I thought because I skipped nearly allll my Sunday shows to take advantage of me and the watchbuddies all being on the weekend! (Oh My God Love in Translation finale brb - update will wait) (Finale was good am back, I feel so warm and cozy, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah how amazing Not Me is)

Episode 6 was a lot and episode 7 was AMAZING

There was NO Todd in either ep so I have no additional thoughts on him.

The plan in ep 6 was bonkers but it was crazy for White to switch it out right at the end!! Strangulation was a bit much though...

[Image of Yok saying: Your plan sucked]

I did adore the crosswalk metaphor in 6 1/4 though, walking into traphic because you're in the right doesn't mean you won't be killed, and if you are killed will your death have made a difference? mmmmm I really want other people I know to watch this show...

[Image of White saying: Your life is worth more than you think}

interestingly one of the only things I had already seen was that moment under the pride flag

not with sound or words, just the hand grab and the jumping and, with no context, I had assumed it would be much later in the series, a moment where the characters accept their relationship to each other...but nope, Instead it was a moment of shared celebration before that shift in the relationship, I might love that even more!!

Episode 7 felt like it shifted tone a little though to what I'm not quite sure yet.

We did get apparent resolution/explanation for the Eugene/Gram stuff

[Image of Eugene saying: Knowing nothins is the worst thing ever]

Seriously, she was dumped and then drawn in and then dumped again, very rough for Eugene.

I'm still not sure whether Graham was in love with Black or her though...

No more evolution on the theory of who hurt black and why specifically, except it's either the obvious answer (Tawi) or Tod...

Also, gosh! First was distracting this ep! Like how am I supposed to read the subtitles when I can't look away from his eyes??

[Multiple images of Yok staring at other characters]

Excuse me sir, please put your eyes away so I can focus!

[Image of Yok with his hand on Grahams face as they stare into each others eyes]

ALSO WHAT KIND OF TEASING WAS THIS ^^^ First Graham and Black now Graham and Yok? Somebody better kiss Graham soon (I mean he did kiss Eugene but STILL).

The nuance of Yok's mother being negatively impacted by his actions... ahh I do adore it.

@plantsarepeopletoo made a comment when we were watching about White being thought and Black being action and the halves of the whole they make up. All these people influenced by Black's action now being exposed to White's thought...

[Image of Sean and White asleep together]

Also again, OffGun is still working for me no matter how much I want White and Graham to kiss...

PLUS

Cop/Yok progression!! (I haven't learned Gawin's characters name yet)

[Yok saying: Will you uncuff me so we can have a proper conversation]

(Gawin also showing off his eyes this ep!)

(also Yok loves him for his skill as an artist?? Be still my beating heart)

I have been promised GOOD things for next ep :D

[Yok saying: It's my turn to draw you]

Also commentary on the police!! The actions we don't see and the difference between individuals and an organisation. SO MUCH IS BEING SAID IN THIS SHOW. Working both inside and outside organisations is required to make change. Also the way officers are granted automatic respect/lack of suspicion.

[image 1 with Yok saying: being both a cop and an artist that runs from cops. Image 2 with cop saying: I want to make things better than they are now]

Plus the confirmation from multiple characters this ep around knowing that their actions might lead to death or jail and choosing it anyway... Youth is such a passionate time.

[Yok saying: I never considered myself a hero who fights for justice]

[Sean saying: I do whatever needs to be done]

I think that's all for now, I am curious how the rising up of more people might challenge the more extreme actions of the gang, since White was working hard this ep to make them understand that alienating the people would only hurt their cause...

Also how long before Black wakes up? And at what point does the gang find out? Is White in place for the whole series?

Also didn't get any dad these two eps either so White hasn't been White for a while...ugh patience

This ended up with a lot of Yok images again... no idea why that keeps happening.

[ashes-writing-corner]

So...I've been agonizing over whether or not I should post this, since I'm kinda new to this whole thing. I've written fanfiction in the past, but I haven't written a reader insert like ever, and I'm not really big on the whole CoD franchise, though I do find the characters intriguing.

That being said, I'm just gonna put this out here, and hope somebody likes it. I've seen a lot of knight Ghost AUs but I don't think I've seen anyone do this just yet: Dragon Ghost or Dragon-Shifter Ghost.

This was heavily inspired by the movie I am Dragon, which is an amazing film and I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. It's in Russian but the version I had was an English dub but you can also watch it with subtitles too I think. So a little bit of spoilers for the movie here. Sorry...

Warnings: swearing, Ghost drops the f bomb, and brief mentions/hints of burning alive but non-descriptive.

Hope you like. Please be nice, as this is a first for me.

Ghost of the North

Imagine the tales they would go on to tell. Older, less open minded folks would say it was a shame. A bride choosing to fly away from her wedding in the claws of a monster. But yet, you chose him nonetheless.

Your heart nearly soared as you saw him fly over the gathered crowds of people in your small kingdom. They parted as he approached, running in fear and terror. But not you.

Not you.

You knew better.

You parted your arms to the great black scaled beast as his talons seemed to extend, grabbing your waist to carry you off.

It didn't matter what you yourself wanted now. There wasn't any going back. You had sung the song, summoned him, and now only his ancestry spoke to him. It was time to take a bride, to continue the cycle of his people, the Ash-Born.

He carried you off like a rag doll, the world falling away at your feet as the dragon took you higher. From his talons you couldn't see his face, but you had seen the signature white scales that seemed to form a death's head when he came for you. You knew this was him. Your beloved Simon, the so-called Ghost of the North.

He carried you all the way back to the island you had become so familiar with, you could call it home. Your heart pounded in your chest as your beloved dragon flew into one of the caverns to a chamber with a large circular flat structure. You had done your damndest to avoid this particular chamber when you were here, especially when he had told you what it was. One part a marriage bed, one part a sacrificial altar.

Ghost practically threw you on to it, hardly a care that the landing was rough. Cold hard stone met your back and you landed with a loud "oof".

"Think you could've done that a little better" you wanted to say as you winced from the pain in your back.

But now was definitely not the time for humor. Ghost peered down at you, his eyes glowing in the dark, but they still held something remotely human. His growl was a low rumble, as his chest and neck began to glow with flame. You thought it was beautiful.

You thought he was beautiful.

Ghost leaned his large scaled and horned head down, ready to set you aflame. His muzzle was only inches away. Your sacrifice was necessary to the survival of his kind. From his flame and your ashes, a new life would be formed…

Or so he thought before he felt your hands on either side of his face and your lips touched his mouth.

Ghost went wide eyed, the glow in his neck and chest fading from the shock. What the hells did you just do?! What were you thinking?! Why did it feel so ni-

No! No! No! This was NOT supposed to happen! The dragon moved away, shaking his head from the shock, roaring and growling in discontent. No…no this wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen! You were doing this wrong! He looked away, wide eyed, roaring as he was struggling to process what in the hells just happened.

"Simon, stop! Please!" Your voice sounded with concern, getting his attention.

The name…his name. The name YOU had given him the first night he had brought you here. Ghost, no, Simon stopped his panic only a moment as you stood and slid from the altar. You were coming to him…

"Don't you FUCKING come near me!" He roared, though he doubted you understood him like this.

Your expression was so soft, borderline pity. He looked down and away, unable to bring himself to face you like that. He hated when you did that, even if it couldn't be helped. He growled low, a warning from deep within his throat.

"Simon…my poor, sweet Simon. You've been feared for so long that you really don't know or understand what it's like to be loved" you kept your gaze on the great black beast before you.

A beast you once used to fear. One that, by all rights, you still should have feared. But you knew Simon. Your Simon wouldn't hurt you. From the very beginning he hadn't wanted to. He had told you himself he had fought that instinct, as he could've burned you that first night.

Simon backed away, still growling. It wasn't you he was afraid of. The feelings you inspired within him were too much. Something inside seemed to switch, and he couldn't figure it out. Something was wrong. Something was broken and, for once, he couldn't fix it. Unable to fully comprehend it, the Ghost of the north lashed out again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Get back on that altar NOW!" He roared, and you stopped moving.

Good, at least he scared you a little.

However, it didn't stop you. You didn't see some monster when you looked at him, especially not like this. He was struggling, something in him was hurting, and you wanted to help. He needed your help, whether he admitted it or not.

"Human…dragon…Simon or Ghost, I love you no matter who or what you are" you told him, keeping your tone soft and even, a soft smile forming on your face as you finally told him.

The dragon stopped panicking, either from intrigue or fatigue you didn't know. But at least now you knew he was listening. You had his attention. He was still wide eyed and breathing hard, but he was listening, trying so hard to understand. It was like a puzzle with jagged edges.

You kept your breathing calm as you started to kneel on both knees before him. Your arms extended slightly. The soft smile never left your face, and the dragon felt his heart race. There was a longing there. Those feelings you had inspired…they were so nice, although he was hesitant to say so. And you were willing to keep giving them to him? It still didn't make sense in his mind like this, but it was coming to him. He watched you, his gold eyes still shining in the dark.

"We can do anything you want" your eyes were a little wet at that, "I just don't want you to lose yourself or leave me. And you're not alone anymore. Please, Simon…let me help you understand. I want to help you understand. I mean it. I love you".

His expression was unreadable, and intentionally so. He didn't want to hurt you. Deep down, he never truly did. He was simply following the ways of his kind. It was instinct. But maybe, it didn't have to be that way. Maybe he didn't have to hurt you.

Maybe there was something better…

Simon took a hesitant step towards you, and then another. His gold eyes found yours once more, and there was nothing but love in them.

"Simon…I can't live without you. I can't. I tried but even back home, you were all I could think of. My time here was all I could think of" you paused for a moment, a loud thumping in your ears, "you're my home, Simon, and I want to stay home. Please".

His heart was throbbing in his chest, loud and hard. He was certain you could hear it. You had become a central part of his home. For countless years he had lived solely as a dragon, believing that was all he was. But you, this little human, this little temporary thing, had taught him what it meant to be so vulnerable and human. Simon inched closer, his eyes now staying entirely on you. You didn't even flinch as he came closer, didn't move at all. Looking up slightly, you noticed a faint pulsing light in his chest.

His heart. His once untouchable thing. Somehow you had weaseled your little way in and made it your home. The sound it made was a beautiful one to you, a mix of a heartbeat and a warm, crackling fire.

He truly was fire made flesh…

You were surprised as Simon gently put his great head into your lap. He was so careful to not crush you or get you with one of his horns. He took in your scent, resting his head on you. A soft sound like a purr rose from him. Simon blinked slowly, now putting his entire trust in you, in your word.

"Give me more…please. Let me feel that again…" he practically begged in his mind.

That soft feeling you gave him was so intoxicating and Simon wanted to feel it again. You smiled softly, your hands gently running down the sides of his muzzle and head. He was absolutely melting inside, an unfamiliar bliss felt at your every caress filled his being.

"Simon…my Simon" you whispered softly, though it echoed alongside his heartbeat throughout the cavern.

Your Simon. He oddly liked the sound of that.

He purred more, nuzzling your chest and lap softly.

"Let's just stay like this for a little while. I just need a little time to get used to you like this" you said, leaning down and putting your own head on his as your hands softly caressed the striking white scales of his face.

"I'd like that…I'd like that a lot" he replied internally as he closed his eyes.

Peace fell over the cavern, and for the first time in a long time, two souls finally felt like it was home. And home was where you both would stay…

**********

So yeah I hope you guys liked that. As I mentioned I'm seriously nervous about this, as it's my first ever reader insert. I tried to make it as neutral and non descriptive as possible so that anyone can hopefully enjoy it. Thank you for reading. Likes and reblogs are highly appreciated.

I will be going back to In the Heart of Winter very soon. I've just very much needed a break cause life has been super busy lately. Thank you again!

[croissantlover24]

Six weeks left.

OOOOOO?????

"Little lamb," your employer called, "come here."

Like a lamb to the slaughter........

"W-What was that?" you stuttered out. Surely, you had misheard him, right?

LMAO POOR READER

"I said," Moon repeated, "come here, little lamb." "'Little lamb?'" you quoted, eyebrows furrowed. "Yes," Moon replied. He ran a hand down his face in annoyance. "Just—get over here. I have supplies you need to buy."

He can't buy them because he has 97 mental illnesses and is banned from most public spaces /ref

You were barely next to him for a second before he shoved a list of things into your face. You grabbed the paper with a flinch and narrowed your eyes as you attempted to decipher his ragged handwriting. "Go get those for me at the closest mechanical shop," Moon drawled, already returning to adjusting the settings on his invention. "I'd get it myself, but I haven't been allowed in town for years. Something about being a danger to society."

BAHAHAHA HE IS BANNED FROM MOST PUBLIC SPACES!

With each word that came out of your employer's mouth, you began to regret your choice of becoming his assistant more and more.

Oh poor thing.....

During your walk, your mind plagued you about what he meant with his… pseudonym. Lamb? A foolish, naive person? Were you naive to join him? Perhaps.

definitely. but you couldn't've known dear reader...

What else could he have possibly meant? You felt an inexplicable wave of anxiety at the thought. You were wasting your time, you decided, trying to rationalize the notions of a madman. He made no sense for a reason—he was a specific level of insanity you had never seen before.

TITLE MENTION ROLL CREDITS! /silly /j

You sighed. The things you'd do for a somewhat comfortable wage.

Yeah...

The bustling of the streets dragged you out of your thoughts. Christmas songs buzzed in your ears from a local store's radio. Was it approaching that time of year already? Yes, it was—the holiday was only six weeks away.

IIIIIIIII DON'T WANT A LOT FOOOOR CHRISTMAAAAAAAS

six weeks.... mm-- OH GREAT HEAVENS <- thought about the implications of something that has yet to be revealed

There was a chill to the air that you only began to notice when the wind swirled around you. You held back a shiver as you pulled your coat closer. People flooded the sidewalks and tightly grasped their bags most likely full of either Christmas decorations or Christmas gifts. The cacophony of their conversations bounced around your skull. The noise seemed louder than usual, for some reason. Perhaps the song on the radio was amplifying the sound's effect on you.

oh me too reader. overstimulation is a bitch god I hate going out in public its So Loud

You shook your head to clear your mind and entered the closest mechanical shop as per Moon's instructions. "Welcome," an employee greeted, "and happy holidays!" "Happy holidays," you halfheartedly murmured back as you struggled to read the list you had been given. "Here, let me help you with that," she replied. Pulling the paper out of your hands, she gasped in terror at the sight. "I recognize this handwriting," she murmured. She turned to you, eyes wide as saucers. "Who did you get this from?"

Moon :]

"My employer," you replied vaguely. You chided yourself internally when you realized she was asking for a name, feeling foolish. You quickly added, "Moon."

LMAO

She grimaced. After looking around to make sure no one was listening, she grasped your arm and pulled you into one of the aisles. "Why are you working for him?" she demanded in a tone that could rival a snake's venom, though her voice wavered. She shoved into your hands one of the devices on the list.

His reputation is So Bad and for good reason I suspect

You struggled to keep up with her and answer her questions at the same time. Why was she so distraught? He wasn't that bad… right?

heheheheheheheh

"I… needed a job, desperately," you admitted lowly, face scarlet with embarrassment at the fact that you'd ever admit this to somebody, let alone a stranger. "Trust me, no one needs a job so badly that they'd accept one of his offers," she whispered with an almost crazed fear in her eyes. You were bewildered. She insisted, "Get out of there while you can."

Oh Reader......

"Um, okay," you replied with little conviction in your tone. "I'll… keep that in mind." You took the list back and paid for the items she helped you collect. "How odd," you murmured to yourself as you walked to the next store.

Reader....

You decided to focus on the beauty of your town's architecture rather than that employee's ominous warnings, for your own mental sanity.

Oh hell Yeah I love architecture

The buildings around you were like apartments in a densely-populated city: there was no space between them. Both sides of the street were long lines of marble and concrete and other stones you couldn't identify that made up the local stores. Windowsills were in perfect symmetry with one another and framed by the swirls and swoops of carved granite more fitting for a painting than a building. Poinsettias were wrapped around giant marble pillars that sloped upwards and connected both sides of the street. You knew from an old occupation of yours that they were hollow—wires were inside to give all buildings working electricity. Street lamps were all within perfect distance of each other and wrapped in red and green ribbons.

Almost Christmas!!!! :)

The sight made you calm. Perhaps something you were used to was a nice change of pace that you needed more than you thought you did. The convenience store's bell rang out as you entered. "Welcome!" An employee smiled at you. You felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

Déjà vu!!!!!! I've just been in this place before!!! Higher on the street!!! And I know it's my time to go!!!!! (lyrics)

"Hi," you said back with a smile. You looked over the list again, prepared this time so you didn't look so foolish and discombobulated. You went down the aisles and grabbed what you needed, eager to get out. Placing your items on the counter, you dropped the paper in your rush to pay the cashier.

oh dear....

"Let me get that for you," he offered with a smile. He leaned down and grabbed the page before gasping. You winced and ran a hand down your face. Not again.

LOL

"Is this for… Moon?" He handed you the list back, his hands shaky. "Yes." You raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?" He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it and shook his head. "No," he said instead, handing you your bags, "have a nice day."

Reader, internally: Finally someone who minds their own damn business

His smile was clearly forced. You narrowed your eyes as you left the shop and began your trek back to Moon's laboratory. Why were those two workers acting so… weird? What had the maniac possibly done to make them so upset?

A lot of things!

You mentally facepalmed. You saw firsthand how "off" he was. Your brain promptly conjured a long list of all the things he could've done.

I can almost guarantee he tried half of those things you just conjured up, dear reader

The idea that he was fully insane and not just differently developed because of his robotic origins continued to further ossify in your mind.

They really gotta get out of that job,,, and soon <- I know full well they won't

Twigs crunched beneath your shoes as you walked through the forest. A red leaf fell onto your face. You pulled it off and held it up to the sun, eyeing its beautiful hues.

Leaves! I loveeeee admiring nature its so gorgeous!

That's when you had a revelation. Little lamb. Lamb to the slaughter. You were a lamb to the slaughter.

DING DING DING!!!!!

Final thoughts: reader is so doomed fr

LOL

Six weeks left :)

The implications!!

Reader is indeed doomed! (<- if I stick to my idea)