#I found it recorded in my voice memos

[doctorsiren]

HELP I JUST FOUND A JESSE PINKMAN SONG I WROTE BACK ON HALLOWEEN LAST YEAR (‘22)

[isildur-apologist]

Are you really a lotr fan if you don’t have a 2 hour voice memo on your phone ranting specifically about the siblings of middle earth and their dynamics and how they’re presented?

[thornappled]

grabs sam beam with both hands and shakes him until a new live album falls out

[willowrites]

heyyy so this is a request for colby. i thought that maybe he invited his “friend😉” y/n for a collab on his channel and theyre playing truth or drink and the questions get kinda spicy and he also gets kinda jealous fron some of her answers and stuff and maybe add some crazy smut idk its up to u😙😙

POUND TOWN

PAIRINGS. colby brock x fem reader

SUMMARY. amid a no big deal type of video of truth or drink some feelings and needs get mixed...

WARNINGS. drinking! smut, dominant male x sub fem (colby showing his dominant side fr), choking, spanking, rough sex, scratching, oral female!receiving, degradation, dirty talk, praising, unprotected sex (don’t do this!!)...

AUTHORS NOTE. i absolutely LOVED this request!! i usually don’t get a lot of these types of requests so u best believe i tried putting my whole heart and soul into it. hope you enjoyed bae !! SORRY THIS IS SO LATE BTW.

WORD COUNT. 4.9k

as you sat on the couch scrolling on instagram you heard your friend colby’s voice.

“we should do a special kind of Q&A huh?” he was speaking to sam but you still took the liberty to answer.

“how about truth or drink? it’ll still be a q & a. just more fun.” you raised your brows.

they both looked at each other and nodded. “fuck, for once she has a good idea.” colby scoffed.

“oh shut the fuck up dick. i always have good ideas.” you rolled your eyes.

“yeah, that tiny ass skirt not being one of them.” he looked at your outfit.

you had on a basic black fitted shirt which fell just above your belly button. a blue-wash mini skirt with black high-heeled boots that reach just the middle of your shin.

your hair was pin-straight because you straightened it and you had on your usual makeup.

“my outfit is fire you’re just a hater.” you eyed him.

“oh please, you could see your bare ass cheeks in that thing.” he gestured up and down towards your body.

“oh, sad you can’t see more?” you grinned and he immediately left the room.

you shrugged him off waiting for their queue to go to their little filming area.

it was 11:30 when they had started to get things ready. you headed towards the filming area and sat down on the couch.

“guys sorry i have to go. my friend just texted and told me it’s an emergency.” sam was panicking and you could tell. “maybe you can do this for your personal channel colby, but i gotta go. have fun.” he was quick to say bye and headed out towards the door.

you hoped everything with sam was okay but all you thought about after he left was how it was just you and colby and how you were bound to get heated.

“for fucks sake,” you whispered to yourself.

“don’t act so excited.” colby randomly appeared. you had no idea where he came from. he was carrying a bottle of tequila and plastic shot cups. “you ready?”

“i guess.” you fake yawned.

colby clicked on the camera making it start clicking.

“it’s counting down to ten then it’ll record. just in case you’re too stupid to realize.” he snickered after his rude remark.

“i know you fuckface.” you sneered.

you and colby always had this love-hate friendship. of course, it wasn’t real but it was just more interesting to be mean to each other. you both got the memo and never got mad about anything you guys have said to each other.

in the midst of your friendship, you found yourself finding colby more attractive by the day. you didn’t give yourself the time of day to really think or dwell but in the back of your mind, you knew you had just the tiniest bit of feelings for him.

were they as tiny as your little brain thought though?

“what’s up, guys! it’s colby brock here and welcome back to my channel! today we’re going to get…fucked!” he says to the camera. “i haven’t done one of these in a loooong time. oh shit…by the way guys this is y/n!” he pretends to shrug then grins.

“wow thank you so much for the introduction colby, hi guys!” you smile. you weren’t usually on colby’s channel so you wanted to make a good impression all the time.

“of course.” he fake smiles. “alright! you guys already know what this video is based on the title. view discretion is advised…if you do not have 21! don’t drink.” you both paused. “why’d i say that so weirdly.” he cringed.

“because you’re odd.” you stated. “what he means is if you are underage obviously don’t drink.”

“yeah, what she said. now i posted a little instagram story thingy asking you guys to ask us truth or dare questions but we are cutting out the dares and doing drinks!” he rubs his hands together. “so let’s get started”

he brought out his phone scrolling through it. “i’m so not prepared for the hangover i will endure tomorrow.” you groaned leaning back on the couch.

“me too, i haven’t drunk in like 3 days.” he wiped his forehead playfully.

“wow colby that must be a new record for you.” you patted his back.

“oh fuck off. here you read the questions.” he rolled his eyes passing the phone to you. “alright guys, the first question let’s get it.”

you were biting your cheek as you carefully skimmed the question. “woah! starting off strong huh. alright…what’s the worst ‘doing the dirty’ experience you’ve had.”

his eyes widened. “starting off very strong.” he laughed. “wow…um”

you thought about it. there were quite a few. “are you going to answer this?”

“yeah! i’m gonna…m gonna answer it.” he leaned back on the couch. “just uh..one time i had a female use a lot of teeth. and it hurt.”

you winced at that and giggled a bit. “yikes that’s uh…”

“yeah yeah it was really awkward and i just..yeah we never talked again.” he looked down in fake shame. “what about you. you going to answer?”

“yeah for sure um…well i’m not going to name names but this one guy i was with …let’s just say he didn't have the best hygiene and well it smelled so bad i genuinely had to leave.” you laughed painfully.

“that is so nasty y/n oh my god.” colby covers his face.

“you’re telling me! i wanted to die then and there. somehow i was the embarrassed one.” you covered your face.

“jeez alright alright well i am soooo sorry about that.” he chuckled.

he wasn’t sorry.

“next question!” he fake demanded.

“okay, which one of you has the better style?” you spoke.

“oooo that is a hard question…” colby pretended to think. “me!”

“oh that’s such a fat lie!” your tone playful but offended. “i have a much better style than you!”

“liar liar!” he sang.

“oh, whatever i’m better and you know it. next question.”

as you both bantered and went through questions some you drank some you answered you felt the alcohol hit you after three shots.

your brain went fuzzy and your actions became more free.

you looked at colby throughout your time and he got increasingly hot. you didn’t know if it was you or the alcohol but you wanted to jump his bones.

“colby why do you have a pair of handcuffs in your room?” your eyes widened on that one as soon as you said it.

you’ve never really been in colby’s room. only once to use the restroom so you never really looked around.

you turned to him and his eyes were wide and his face turned red.

“what the fuck.” he laughed in disbelief. “umm…why? i mean…?” he grabbed the bottle of tequila ready to go.

“no come on answer it!” you wanted to get it out of him even though you clearly knew why. “were they props for a video?”

“no.” he stated. then he got ready to put the bottle back. “you know what i use them for personal fun alright.”

“what the fuck does that even mean? personal fun?” you questioned, confusion written on your face.

“that should answer the question right?” he nods to himself while you’re shaking your head.

“no no, you need to go a little bit more in-depth with it.” you have a smug look on your face.

“oh my god, i’m getting embarrassed.” he smiles awkwardly at me and then at the camera.

“then go ahead and drink.” you raise your brows trying to use reverse psychology to make him spill…and it works.

“i’ve used them for sexual fun.” he says while about to pour the shot. “that counts right.”

you thought about it, your stomach doing loops. “fine.” you roll your eyes.

“ha ha…” he rubs his hands together. “next question.”

you scroll through and find the perfect one.

“ñame two dirty kinks that you have.” colby’s face as you read the question was filled with surprise.

“jeez…oh my god. sorry…m-mom.” he apologized.

“oh so you’re gonna answer?” you squinted your eyes in intimidation.

“w-what. you know what now i’m not.” he scoffed and picked up the bottle. he poured half the shot when you interrupted.

“you already said one!” you shrugged.

“oh so that counts?” he questioned.

“mhm.” you hummed waiting for his second response.

“ummm…” he paused putting his hand out in front of him and leaning against his knee. “i like to be dominant. alright, there we go.”

your eyes widened. even though you could tell what kind of guy colby was in the bedroom, it was more effective as he said it right in front of the camera not being afraid to express it.

“oh wow…” you said slowly. “not surprised.”

“oh really? now you have to answer.” he waits.

“mmm, or i could drink.” you snicker grabbing the bottle from his hands.

“nuh uh, cmonnnn…” he tries to convince you.

“oh my god ugh.” you whine. “fine, um…i like to be …praised?” you questioned.

“wow…a very good one. mhm…” his gaze on you was strong. you felt so small under his stare. “one more…” he says softly.

“and iliketobechoked.” you muttered as quick as you could.

“you what now? sorry i didn’t hear you! doesn’t count.” he fake frowns.

“oh my god. i like to be choked.” you sternly let out. “moving on!” you raised your voice trying to distract yourself.

little did you know, for the rest of the video colby was thinking of you in that position and his mind ran through all the other times you could’ve been with someone else.

he was envious.

envious of people who got to pleasure you and who got pleasured by you.

as the time went on you both got more drunk. you were a bit tipsy but thanks to your genius plan of just telling the truth the alcohol barely affected you.

same with colby, after that he realized he really had nothing to hide.

“okay well that’s it you guys thank you for watching…and thank you y/n for joining. ” as he was talking to the camera you were analyzing him. his perfect face. his jawline. your eyes trailed down to his hands.

you felt you dampen your underwear.

you felt embarrassed at the fact that he was able to make you feel these things so easily.

“of course it was fun! i definitely learned a lot more about you.” you laughed.

“yes, same here…” he paused and squinted at you. “but anyways i will see you guys next time!”

he ended the video and there was just silence.

“how tipsy are you?” he asked.

“considering ive told the truth more times than i took a drink, i’m sober.” you snickered. “you?”

“not at all,” he spoke. his tone is not something you’ve heard before.

“i’ll be right back im going to use the restroom.” you got nervous under his gaze.

you scurried off to the restroom looking yourself in the mirror. you made sure to fix anything about yourself and reapplied your lip product.

you then adjusted your skirt so that it was in a higher position. you didn’t know what possessed you to act so teasing but you did.

after you were done, you walked out confidently heading back to the main room.

“in here!” colby shouted his voice heard from the hall leading towards the den.

what you loved about sam and colby’s house was that it was always cozy. it wasn’t like a big celebrity mansion you always felt at home here.

to explain the sudden thought in your head, as you walked into the den there was a massive L-shaped couch that was basically a big bed. there were detachable seats where you could just slide them wherever to maximize the space.

the huge window on one side of the room looking out to darkness but covered with curtains that had fairy lights draped. the colors red.

then a fireplace with a large flat-screen TV above it. some plants scattered around too which also pleased your eyes.

“wanna watch a movie?” he was manspreading making you want to squeeze your thighs together.

“uh..thought you’d want me gone by now.” you playfully spat one hand on your hip and the other on your thigh playing with the end of your skirt.

you were never really flirty but maybe you’ll admit the alcohol is affecting you more than you mentioned.

“mmmm, see i would kick you out because being home alone is depressing. sam won’t be back until tomorrow he just texted.” he was looking down at his phone but then put it to the side and rested his gaze on you.

you were still in the door frame which was quite wide so you were being illuminated by the light behind you.

“turn the light off and come over here,” he spoke softly. you couldn’t tell but when you turned around to shut the switch off he admired how you looked in your outfit.

he was throwing a fit earlier because he was jealous he wouldn’t be the only one seeing it. he wanted to be the one to take it off too.

something you also didn’t know was that he was jealous. jealous that you’ve been with other people but not with him. he wanted to be the one who kissed you and loved up on you. he wanted to choke you while he fucked you at a relentless pace.

and he too, was more tipsy than he’d like to admit.

you made your way back once you switched off the light; the only thing illuminating the room was the flatscreen TV.

you sat on the opposite side of the couch starting to get nervous.

“you act like i’m going to do something to you.” colby chuckled his arm resting on the back of the couch. he looks so good, you thought to yourself.

you wanted him to do something to you.

“i’m just getting comfortable.” you settled on the couch and somehow some way the skirt barely covered your underwear.

colby looked and noticed which had him visibly become hard.

you didn’t notice because you were focused on his ring-clad hands and how they’d feel inside you.

you looked away to then look at the TV and see what he was putting on to watch.

“so what we are watching?” you questioned fiddling with your hair.

“mmm” he started to speak distracted by your thighs and how they’d look around his head while he…you know. “what do you feel like?”

“hmm, i’m not sure how long are you planning on keeping me around?” you look at him.

as your gazes met your stomach churned and you squeezed your thighs tighter.

there was pure lust in his eyes. you felt like he could kill you with his glare. he fiddled with his ring causing you to gulp.

“why do you look nervous?” he said disregarding your question.

“i’m not…” you denied. “you’re the one who looks nervous.” lie.

“how so?” he said starting to get up.

your eyes didn’t leave his body as he stood up to turn on the fireplace. he then came towards you. you froze heart beating out of your chest.

“what’s wrong?” he pouted. “stand up.”

what the fuck was going on.

you were confused but still followed his orders.

“how are you not cold in this tiny ass skirt.” he played with the end of it.

you lifted your head to meet his eyes trying to keep your composure.

“last time i checked im not outside.” you scoffed rolling your eyes at his comment.

“mmm, i turned on the fireplace because i thought you’d be a bit chilly. aren’t i a nice friend?” he grinned his hand making its way to your shoulder brushing the hair away. his touch sent chills down your body you couldn’t control.

“friend is an overstatement,” you whispered. he was now a centimeter away from you. his hand made its way behind your neck and caressed softly.

“not friends? funny.” he humorlessly laughed now playing with your hair. “you love my company.”

“do not.” you snort. he grinned knowingly stepping closer toward you. you were close to stumbling back onto the couch but kept your balance.

“then why are you so nervous? you’re shivering but you’re not cold…you get chills every time i touch you. you love my company.” he called you out. you were stunned to speak. what did you have to say to that? “and you love my touch.” he stepped even closer this time causing you to fall back onto the couch. you sat up in a sitting position looking up at him.

he knelt down meeting your eyes. “look at you in this skirt.” his right hand trailing down your thigh and the other on the couch. “do you have any idea how good you look? and how pissed the fuck off i was to see you wearing it not just for me?”

you had no idea where this behavior came from but it was turning you on.

your breathing became heavier as his hand trailed closer to your sex. “dressed like a slut to get who’s attention?” his demeanor changed but you could tell it wasn’t serious, even then it was still turning you on.

“certainly not for you.” you felt breathless.

“the way that your legs just opened at my touch; i'd say it was.” he bit his lip a little bit. “just ask and i’ll touch you, baby.”

his teasing had you wanting to drop to your knees.

you placed your hand protectively at the end of your skirt. “touch me? you think you can make me feel good?” you challenged.

“find out.” he replied tapping your knee. “cmon, open up.”

as if you were hypnotized your legs spread giving room for colby hands to go further.

“good girl.” all that he was able to see was your lacy black lingerie, he pressed the back of his palm right on top of your clothed clit. “ironic how you’re this wet but seem to despise me.”

he’s more harsh with his touch pressing firmly focusing on your clit rather than where you’re most damp. your face contorts as you’re experiencing the smallest bit of pleasure.

“fuck, just wanna taste you so bad. you have no idea how fucking long I've wanted to wrap my lips around your sweet pussy.’ he groaned rubbing back and forth on your sensitive area.

so the dirty talk has begun…

your legs spread further apart granting him more access.

“all needy, go on beg for it.” he pulls his hand away from your sex setting both on top of either of your thighs.

the pleasure you were just receiving seemed to have wiped your memory from all the previous comments he's made because you find yourself begging for his touch.

“touch me please,” you whine trying to grab his hand and bring it toward where you were aching the most.

“look at you, being such a needy whore.” he spat all of a sudden pulling you by your legs closer to him so that your legs were wrapping around his waist. “you sure you wanna start this baby? i don't know if you can handle it.” he egotistically chuckles.

his comment sparked something up in your brain.

your past relationships have been slightly rough in the bedroom but not to the point where you were fully satisfied. you found that you like it when you're belittled or manhandled, it turns you on like nothing else does. you enjoyed being choked and spanked and having your hair pulled. just imagining all the hints colby would do to you had you pulling colby by his shirt and connecting your lips.

immediately he took control grabbing you by your neck just the way you liked it. he slipped his tongue in your mouth swiftly dominating the kiss and his other hand pulled you closer to him, your pussy and his cock only being separated by a few pieces of clothing.

after a few more seconds of your heated make-out session, he pulled away placing the hand that was choking you on your chin and dominantly looking down at you. it was a few seconds before he spoke, “so fucking beautiful.” he said, aggressively connecting your lips one more time before picking you up, your legs still around his waist.

with no more words, he walked out of the den, through the halls, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. he tossed you on the bed then turned around and slammed the door shut locking it.

“gonna let me make you feel good?” he questioned quickly scanning you up and down. you both had lust unmistakably written on your faces.

you leaned up on your elbows looking down and noticing his prominent bulge signaling he was enjoying this as much as you were. “mhm” you hummed wanting to continue as quick as possible.

“good.” he quickly replied before taking off his black shirt in milliseconds revealing his rose tattoo. he then followed by taking off his belt and his pants, his muscles completely visible to you.

while he was doing that you went again and removed your boots while admiring the way his body moved and how it looked. the way he was moving had you wanting to suck him dry. “you're cute when you stare.” he mentioned before making his way onto the bed and pulling you by your legs toward him causing you to lie down on your back.

you moved the hair out of your face to get a better look at him. “can i take this off?” he toyed with your mini skirt. instead of replying you took the skirt off yourself; as well as your top revealing the lacy bra under.

“god, look at you.” he groaned feeling you up and down admiring you. admiring the way you looked in your lingerie on his bed. he’s been wanting to be in this position for so long so you best believed he would savor the feeling.

the way he was looking at you made you feel so good.

“gonna make you feel so fucking good.” he climbed on top of you connecting your lips once more before pulling away. “gonna let me touch you?”

your hands made their way to his hair tugging on it. “yes.” you panted.

he chuckled and pulled down your underwear so that you were bare. your legs immediately spread welcoming his hands to do whatever they wanted.

“wanna taste you. let me taste you.” he managed to slowly make his way to the edge of his bed right in front of your wet pussy. “so pretty. you can tell me to stop whenever okay?” his pointer finger dragged along your folds receiving a gasp from your lips.

“i will but please colby, want your tongue so bad.” you whined, your right hand gripping his hair while the other gripped his bed sheets.

it was like he didn’t need any more reassurance before he latched his lips onto your clit sucking harshly. surprised by his antics your head lunged forward in surprise.

“oh fuck.” you groaned tugging on his hair earning a moan from him.

“do that again come on. you want more?” the animalistic sounds he was making while slurping up your juices had you getting closer and closer to your release.

you repeatedly whined ‘yes’ so desperately wanting his mouth to keep pleasuring you.

his tongue was moving so fast you couldn’t keep up. you were so sensitive you had tried pushing his head away but this only caused him to grip your thighs harder.

"cmon baby, you can take it." you looked down to see a smirk on his face. 'mmm' he hummed, he went from a slow pace to a fast pace but regardless you were nearly there. you felt it.

you were getting so close you forced yourself to let go of his head and brought your hands up to your breasts playing with your nipples.

your breaths became short showing colby you were almost there. he pulled you impossibly closer sucking on your clit; his actions succeeding as it caused your orgasm to crash into you. "fuck fuck fuck" you came on his tongue.

you were screaming because of how sensitive you were and how he didn't stop the pace of his tongue on your sensitive clit.

he finally pulled away giving you time to breath. you felt as if you were in another dimension.

"holy fuck you tasted so good." he crawled up your body as you lay there trying to catch your breath. "come here" he spoke connecting your lips.

even though that orgasm nearly had you tired for the night, it didn't satisfy the need you felt for his cock.

your hand went ahead and groped his print; boxers were the only thing separating his skin from yours.

he spasmed as you started palming him slowly.

"want my cock?" he whispered against the skin of your chest as he sucked lovebites all across.

"so bad" you begged. "want you in me now" your sentences were short and straight to the point.

no time to waste. you thought.

"don't worry baby, i got you." his hand went towards his bedside table looking for a condom you assumed.

"im on birth control and clean if that matters. with or without I don't mind. just need you so bad." you stopped walking him so he could make up his mind and think clearly.

"wow, im that special?" he joked which earned a eye roll from you.

"oh please, you wish." you stated.

after your comment which colby wasn't fond of, he kissed you.

his tongue delved in through your lips completely dominating you and a second later you felt him push all the way inside you.

to say you lost your breath would be an understatement. you wouldn't say this out loud but he was huge. he completely took your breath away and he didn't allow you to catch it as he pulled out and then slammed back into you.

"i wish?" he asked still relentlessly pounding into you. he groaned and spoke again. "look at you. you're telling me i’m not special when i have you fucked dumb here in my house, in my room, and in my bed?" he laughed in disbelief.

you wanted to speak and tell him off. you wanted to say something, anything but nothing came to your mind; not that you'd be able to say it anyway.

all that came from your mouth were moans from how pleasured you were feeling.

your orgasm was coming faster than you thought. your hands were scratching at colbys back trying to hold onto anything.

your hand scratched down for the first time on his back earning a full groan from him. "god feels so fucking good." as he continued pounding into you, his right hand made its way to your throat.

fuck yes.

"you like to be choked?" he asked obviously not looking for an answer. "yeah? i’m the only fucking person who'll have you feeling this good. no one else. do you understand me?"

you had tried to respond but your brain couldn't move fast enough. apparently, colby would get it out of you.

when you didn't respond he pulled out and flipped you over, ass up. he then pushed into you once again slamming into you over and over again.

you felt a hard smack on your ass. it hurt but it hurt so good. you felt tears stinging your eyes.

"i said do you understand me?" both hands were on your hips for support so that it didn't mess up his rhythm. your face was in the pillow so he didn't hear your response.

he then pulled your back to his chest still inside you and wrapped his hand around your neck once more.

"oh y/n? fucked you so good you can't speak?" confidence laced in his tone. "i said, do you understand that i am the only one to make you feel this good?"

"yes yes yes!" your words finally slipped out of your lips.

"good girl." he praised you pushing you back down so he could continue ramming into you. "fuck m'gonna come"

those words had you coming whether you liked it or not. "I'm coming oh fuck" you gripped the bed sheets.

"mhm, that's my girl." colby moaned, his rhythm interrupted by his own orgasm.

he still had the strength to ride you both through your orgasm.

as you both were coming down from your high you heard a door slam downstairs.

"what the fuck was that?" you gasped.

colby's dick was still in fact inside you so you had nowhere to go.

all colby did was throw his black silk sheets over both of your bodies.

"colby?" you heard sam downstairs.

"i guess he didn't end up staying?" colby said confused. "fuck, he's such a cock block."

"who said we were going to keep going?" you asked knowing damn well you wouldn't turn him down.

colby eyed you, connected your lips chastely, then pulled out of you getting off the bed and slipping his boxers on.

"ill be right back," he whispered.

as he walked away you couldn't help but hope that this wouldn't be just a one-night stand.

[muddyorbsblr]

onyx pt1

See my full list of works here!

Summary: You're stuck in the Avengers Compound because of an injury from your last mission, and you come across an adorable and affectionate little kitten.

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: language (no i'm not sorry, Rogers); talks of explosions and injuries sustained from explosion [let me know if i missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: one-sided crushing (but is it really…?)

An eerie silence served as your only company in the Avengers Compound the last few days, some of your teammates off to finish the HYDRA mission that left you injured while the others took time off to visit their families over the holidays. With the promise to keep their comms on in case they would be needed until the New Year.

Now all that remained in the Compound with you were a few junior agents that drew the ends of the short stick, Val, and Loki.

Sadly your teammate, friend, and occasional drinking buddy Val was out blissfully spreading holiday cheer throughout New York with her girlfriend.

And Loki? Well, the God of Mischief wasn't exactly on chummy terms with you. Didn't even so much as give you a passing glance when you were at mission briefings.

Which was a damn shame because what you would give just to get lost in those stormy ocean eyes.

You made your way to the pantry in the common room to replenish your stash of snacks, towing along a little wagon to help you on the way back. Every step had you feeling every square inch of bruising on the left side of your body that you got from being unlucky enough to be caught in the blast radius of an explosion at the HYDRA base you were trying to infiltrate with Shaun just a few days ago.

Your phone buzzed with a new message. "Speak of the devil," you muttered to yourself, seeing Xu's name on your screen as soon as you pulled up next to the elaborate barista setup, putting a few Lindor truffles in a small bag for your wagon. "Hey FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Agent Y/L/N?" the AI answered immediately.

"Could you make me a white chocolate mocha with peppermint while I raid the latest Costco delivery for uhh…supplies. Yeah, I'll go with that."

"Right away, Agent Y/L/N." The sound of the barista setup whirring to life filled the kitchen area as you checked on Shaun's message.

Thor just mentioned that he'll ask his brother to take a look at your injuries. Maybe get him to kiss it all better. He finished his text with a smirking emoji, along with some hand gestures that painted a less than family friendly picture, making you roll your eyes at the screen.

You recorded a voice memo for him. "You know that he'd need to actually be willing to look at me so that he could see the damage from the blast, right? And last I checked I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm Medusa reincarnated and I'll turn his Asgardian ass to stone."

You went on to the ridiculously stocked pantry to rummage the delivery that came just a few hours ago, trying to find a bag of Jalapeño Cheetos somewhere in the mix, when you heard a tiny meow from somewhere behind you. You looked to the ground to find a black and white munchkin cat looking up at you with wide blue eyes.

"Hi there, baby…" you cooed, surprised the adorable little creature hadn't hissed or scratched at you yet. Cats normally didn't take to you, which was a shame because you often found yourself fighting the urge to pick one up or stroke its head whenever you crossed paths with one during your errand runs. "How'd you get in here?"

The tiny kitten caught you by surprise with what it did next, walking up to your feet and proceeding to rub its cheek against your ankle, a little purr emanating from its small fluffy body. You decided to risk the hissing and scratching and bent down to pick it up, your heart melting once he placed his paws on your cheek and proceeded to nuzzle your face with his nose.

"Aren't you a complete darling." He settled into your arm as you carried him out of the pantry, a little whine escaping him when you placed him down on the counter. He stood on his hind legs and made grabby hands towards you, blue eyes wide and pleading for you to pick him back up. "Just a second, sweet baby, I'm just getting you something to drink."

You took out a tiny sauce dish and poured some cream into it, pushing it toward the kitten that responded with a slow blink and a meow before licking away at the rich liquid.

"I'm sure your owner's gonna crucify me for giving you that but I can't help spoiling little fur babies especially when they're as adorable as you are." You took a sip of the coffee FRIDAY had finished making before shouting out a question for her. "Hey FRIDAY, you have any clue who this little bub belongs to?"

It took a second for her to answer. "Negative, Agent Y/L/N. There is currently no other agent on the premises looking for their pet. I also see no collar on them and from a preliminary scan they do not seem to have a microchip on them."

Those words stopped the kitten from drinking to look up toward the ceiling and hiss at the source of the voice. He only relaxed once you started stroking his fur again, going back to drinking and letting out a few purrs along the way. "No owner, huh? Does that mean I can invoke Finders Keepers then?"

"It appears so, Agent Y/L/N. What would be your new companion's name?"

The kitten looked up at you, as if expecting your answer. You wondered briefly if he could actually understand what it was that you and FRIDAY were talking about. "How about Onyx? I know I know it's absolute garbage for originality to name a black cat after a black gemstone but--"

His eyes widened before he climbed up your arm, only stopping once he'd reached your shoulder to nuzzle at your neck again. "It seems he likes the name, Agent Y/L/N."

"Then it's settled." You placed a soft kiss on top of his head. "Hello there, Onyx."

You brought your new kitten back to your apartment, setting him down on your bed while you tried to take off your sweatshirt as gently as you could manage.

"Ah, fuck it," you hissed as you felt the bruising around your ribs, letting out a pained sound when you opted to whip the garment over your head as fast as you could instead. Your reflection revealed that the bruising on the left side of your torso was quickly becoming a frightening deep purple.

Onyx meowed from your bed, again standing on his back legs and making grabby hands at you, eyes wide with evident pain.

"What's wrong, little baby?" He placed his paws gently on your side when you made your way to him, pressing his nose to the skin near where your bruising began. "Oh don't you worry your pretty little head about those, sweetie. They'll heal…eventually."

He kept on pressing his face to the area, your heart melting for the tiny kitten even more realizing that he was pressing kisses to your wounds.

"You really are such a precious little bub, aren't you?" You picked your new kitten up, placing him on the armchair in your reading nook before setting an alarm for dinner in a few hours and settling into your bed. "Get some sleep, sweet baby Onyx. I'll see you in a few hours."

Your eyes had only closed for a few seconds before you heard another tiny meow followed by a soft thud, immediately making you sit up on the bed looking for the kitten. He'd already made his way to your bedside, standing on his back legs and reaching up trying to climb up the sheets.

"Alrighty then," you mumbled, picking him up and placing him on the pillow beside yours. You rolled over to lay on your right side to remove any pressure to your injuries the best you could, hovering your finger near Onyx's nose once you'd settled in. He leaned up and pressed his nose to your finger, paws kneading on his pillow. "Boop," you giggled. "Sweet dreams, baby."

Just as you'd closed your eyes to try catching an hour or two of rest before you had to eat again and take those pain meds that Banner prescribed you, your phone began to blare Immigrant Song way too loudly by your nightstand. There were only two contacts you gave that ringtone to and one of them was currently out with her girlfriend.

"Talk to me, Thunder," you muttered, groaning when your stretch to reach for your phone made your bruising smart a bit. "You all good over there?"

"Absolutely grand, Lady Y/N," the blond god's voice boomed from the other end. "I was just wondering if you could check on my brother, he refuses to answer his phone yet again."

"That's gonna be a hard pass from me, buddy. I've already been cut and bruised, I'm not too keen to add stabbed to that list. He's probably just practicing spells. Or out on a date." You winced at that last part, an irrational part of you flaring up with unwarranted jealousy at the thought of Loki out with just about anyone. "Just--I don't know, check up on him yourself when you get back. You can take a stab better than me anyways."

Thor sighed loudly, the low rumbling making Onyx step back from his pillow and start hissing at the phone. You stroked the top of his head to calm him down. "Very well then, Lady Y/N. Rest well. We're scheduled to return after nightfall."

"I'll have pizza here waiting for you guys. Bring your own mead." You clicked off and tried to get some sleep, having FRIDAY place an order for pizzas and wings for when the team gets back. Your new kitten padded his way over to you, resting his head on your outstretched arm and letting out a soft purr.

The sound of the Quinjet coming back roused you from your nap, along with the feel of little paws on your arm and Onyx nuzzling your cheek.

"Looks like everyone's home," you mumbled, pressing a few kisses to the kitten's head before making your way out of bed. "Come on, little baby. Time to meet the team."

With a whole lot of discomfort and groaning, you slipped your sweatshirt back on before presenting your hand to Onyx and patting your shoulder, prompting the kitten to climb up your arm and perch himself on the spot, nuzzling his face behind your ear.

The team had already arrived and filled the common area when you made your way there, some of them helping themselves to the pizza. Barnes and Wilson walked in with coolers, probably filled with chilled bottles of beer inside.

"Hey, there she is!" Shaun exclaimed, pulling out a bottle of Pepsi before making his way over to you and pulling you into an embrace. "How's the healing go--Whoa there." He took a step back as Onyx hissed in his direction. "Where'd you come from, little guy?"

You shh'd the kitten, pressing kisses to his little cheek to calm him down. "It's okay, baby, Shaun is a friend. One of the good guys." You turned back to your mission partner. "Shaun, this is Onyx."

"Always thought you were a dog person, Babes," Natasha spoke up before taking your arm and walking you to the food. "We leave for one day and you become a cat lady. Where'd you even find the time to go to a shelter and get baby blue eyes over here?"

"I didn't, actually," you answered the master assassin. "I just went to the pantry and poof there he was, meowing at my feet. Like the cat distribution system mailed him to me by magic or something." He nuzzled your cheek again before starting to knead at your face.

"And he doesn't belong to anyone? You're sure?" Shaun spoke up, backing up immediately when he tried to pet your new kitten and getting hissed at. "Easy, kitty. I'm a friend, I'm not gonna hurt you." The martial artist turned back to you. "He wasn't collared? Or chipped?"

"Nope. FRIDAY scanned him and everything."

"You wanna think about getting him chipped?"

Onyx hissed again at the question before swishing his tail around to curtain your hair around him, his little body shaking on your shoulder. As if he was silently pleading for you to not take him out to have him chipped.

"Don't you worry, baby. I won't get you chipped, I wouldn't hurt you like that," you cooed, letting out a little giggle as he placed his paws on your cheeks and nuzzled your nose, giving the tip tiny licks. You were so focused on your cat's affections that the bellowing of Thor looking for his brother was a distant muffled noise in the background.

Until he got to where you were standing and his booming voice was impossible to ignore. "What an adorable little beast you have, with you, Lady Y/N." Onyx buried himself in the crook of your neck, shaking at the sound of Thor's voice.

"It's alright, Onyx. It's just Thunder, he may be all big and menacing on the outside but he's just a fluff ball on the inside. Come on, go say hi."

The blond Asgardian approached you, examining your new pet carefully before a knowing grin graced his bearded face. "Hello, Brother."

A chill went down your spine at his words. "What the fuck d'you just say, Blondie?"

He motioned toward the kitten on your shoulder. "This is the explanation for his lack of replies on his phone. His absence from his quarters. Lady Y/N, the little beast hiding himself in your hair…is my brother. That is Loki."

In your stupor, the only words you could manage to say were, "Bitch what?!"

A/N: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to the members of SAS, beloved besties, and fellow whores! I've had this idea doing a slow lurky crawl in the microwave that is my writing noggin for the last few months, and I'm so excited that I finally get to share it with y'all! Part 2 is coming in a few days, and then it's a coin toss on whether I'll be trying to end the year with crossing off some things on my writing todo list, or crossing off some titles from my Tumblr TBR 😳👀

everything taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th  @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @anukulee @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog @peaky-marvel @lokiified @tom-hlover

[freebirdsworldburritos]

The classism in the "music gear" scene is fucking atrocious. So many people will shit on other people for using affordable gear as a way to justify within themselves that dropping $3,000 on a guitar was a smart financial move.

About 3-4 years ago I joined a band and a month after I joined we went on some video podcast. Play a few songs, do an interview, something I've never done before but it seemed like it'd be fun.

I wasn't able to really get a word in during the interviews (stuttering/speech impediment/anxiety issues ran wild) but I was able to speak up whenever the host went around and asked us what our favorite instrument/gear brands were. Weird question, but alright buddy.

I've always been a fan of cheaper gear. You don't need all sorts of expensive shit to get the sound you want. So when he asked my answer was "Squier" and the dude just started laughing. Because who possibly would prefer one of the cheaper brands??? (Keep in mind this douche had a whole wall of the absolute worst looking collection of custom shop BC Rich guitars you've ever seen.)

Eventually he backed down once I started arguing with him about it, but his immediate elitist attitude really struck a cord in me because I see that shit all over the internet in music communities. "Oh you only like Squiers/Epiphones/Harley Bentons because you can't afford BIG BOY guitars like a $5,000 Gibson".

Fuck right off with that shit. Why would I pay thousands of dollars for a guitar when I can get something that works amazingly for me for just a few hundred dollars? The extra money I save by not dropping 4 figures on a guitar or amp goes towards paying my bills, feeding my kids, just trying to fucking live and exist.

At this point I've had to sell 99% of my music gear after over a decade of following the gear chase. I only have a "cheap" acoustic I bought several years ago for $350 and it's the best guitar I've ever had. I love my little busted neck Hummingbird to death.

I'm much happier now than I was when I had a huge assortment of pedals and guitars to choose from. The Gear Chase is designed to make you want to spend more and more money in an endless pursuit of finding that "perfect" piece of gear. Guitar companies, partnered youtubers, influencers, and all sorts of advertisement campaigns are purposefully trying to misguide you into thinking you NEED their product. It's marketing and capitalism at work and so many musicians fall for it every time. I fell for it for years before I got completely fed up with it.

Go out and gig with your Squier Bullet Strat and a cheap amp you found at a pawn shop, fuck anyone that gives you shit for it. Go ahead and record with whatever you have at your disposal. Put out an album that's comprised of Voice Memos you recorded on your phone with just an acoustic and your voice.

Music, like any art, is about way more than what you used to get there. It's how you express yourself that really matters. Don't listen to the elitists and marketers telling you the only way you can authentically reach your creative vision is by buying their snake oil.

[doobea]

BLLK - RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS CONT.

contents: some suggestive in oliver's, overall super fluffy, like domestic fluff its insane but i love it, gn!reader characters: sae, oliver, isagi, rin a/n: hehe im throwing this out just to have something but also i love coming up w hcs and its been a WHILE since my last one

SAE

Because of his constant travels, it was his idea one night that there needed to be something physical to keep himself reminded of you at night. Which led to him bringing you to a build-a-bear store the very next day. You took your time deciding which animal to choose from, scents, cute outfits (obviously you had to pick the soccer jersey), and recording your voice memo. He keeps the plushie by his bedside, sending you pictures of it every night, and even buys a small bed for it. You can't help but feel slightly jealous that he's treating a toy better than you.

The sounds of him brushing his teeth and gurgling mouthwash wakes you up every time. He doesn't mean to be so loud about it, Sae can't exactly control the volume of his electric toothbrush and he has to make sure that his breath smells nice before he goes in for a morning kiss.

"My hands are cold." and proceeds to touch your face. Will chase you around the house to make sure you warm him up. Don't even bother running away because he's a literal athlete. Probably refuses to wear gloves when it's cold outside just so he can stick his hands in your pockets too.

OLIVER

Karaoke nights with Oliver are like no other. He has a nice voice, but will purposefully sing terribly just to hear you laugh. With the combination of alcohol and old-school tunes, the two of you will test the limits of the so-called 'soundproof' rooms.

He's the type of boyfriend who loves to test physical boundaries in more ways than one. Walking in public, he'll 'accidentally' brush his hands against your bottoms or your chest. If you're taking a shower, he'll try and poke you from behind the shower curtains. Leaves his mouth a mess when he's eating food and specifically asks you to lick the sauce away.

Sadly, he eats your leftovers when you haven't touched them after a day. He tries to be super sneaky and tries to help you look for it after finishing the whole thing. And yes, he gaslights you just a tiny bit - "baby, are you sure you didn't eat it yourself?"

ISAGI

Under the condition that you have a lot of plushies, Isagi will either neatly place them around your shared apartment or send you videos of him punching them across the room - there's no middle ground.

Mentioned this before briefly but he'll show you all the highlights of his games. But not the professional videos - he'll go out of his way to find videos that are edited poorly (he thinks they're cool tho) and will force you to watch them with him. The videos with dubstep outros and intros, like and subscribe for more, and Roblox figures flying across the screen.

If you're not paying attention to him, Isagi will literally pull out his phone, take a picture of you with 'HEEEYYY' as the caption, and send it to you despite being within arm's reach. What's gotten your attention that's more important than him?

RIN

He definitely sleeps with a blanket that he's had since he was like five. The type of blanket that has holes in it, design and color faded by how much he's used it, and he was super embarrassed when you found it stuffed underneath his bed when he first invited you over. After suffering an endless amount of teasing, he brings out the blanket when he wants cuddles.

Facetiming with Rin is always so endearing yet so awkward at the same time. His face is never fully shown, only the corner of his head, and there are long periods of silence just because Rin hates having conversations on the phone. Expect a lot of "oh so what are you doing right now" every ten minutes - he's trying his best!

His favorite pastime is laying in bed with you in his arms and scrolling aimlessly on the phone. Whether it be reading a funny thread together, scrolling through TikTok, or watching a movie on Netflix - he finds it easy to relax with you and easily falls asleep within an hour.

[miguelswifey04]

oooo okay omg imagine lyla knows miguel likes you. he won’t admit it but he does. and she purposely downloads this ‘love meter software. and whenever miguel talks to you at hq, the meter goes like “warning: you have reached maximum love limit, love overflowing” and red lights start flashing and everybody starts panicking 😭😭😭

OMG this reminds of “operation: true love” on webtoon 🤭🤭!!

lyla is known to be silly and eccentric at times always knowing how to rile miguel up or use things she knows about him against him just for the fun of it. we know that lyla likes to take pictures of miguel with filters + recording him at his most embarrassing moments.

lyla is smart, obviously an AI, who you would think wouldn’t have a personality or feeling emotions but she does. she has a mind of her own. miguel had confided in her that he had a crush on you. “oh my god! no way miguel~ who knew you were capable of such feelings!” she said snickering while she had secretly recorded their conversation maybe to one day show you proof that miguel had also liked you back. lyla is the confidant of the both of you. she knows you like him but miguel doesn’t know that you like him back. so she had devised this plan in hopes miguel and you got the memo.

she had installed a software called “love meter” secretly behind miguel’s back. one day she wanted to do a test run on the software as you were present, chatting up with miguel in the control room. miles, gwen,pavitr, hobie, and margo were messing around in the background while letting you and miguel talk.

“warning: you have reached maximum love limit, love overflowing” it appeared on all the screens of the control room, which indicated miguel’s heart beat was rising by just being near you. the little love meter was at 100. the alarm then resounded throughout the HQ, as red flashing lights flickered throughout the entire multi-sectioned building.

everyone’s heads quickly turned towards miguel and you. miguel was about to speak but was soon got off by the gang’s comments and laughter. you couldn’t help but stare at miguel feeling your cheeks heat up feeling a tad bit shy. you were genuinely shocked by the turn of evidentes.

“i knew he had a crush on y/n!” gwen laughed while pointing a finger at miguel. hobie would definitely chime in as well, “who knew the big boss man is whipped for you,” directing his voice at you. miles and margo, laughed, literally everyone did while pav went up to miguel and you saying he had sensed the romantic tension from a mile away.

“LYLA! what did you do!?” miguel said embarrassed while he was BEET RED. he was really flustered. he was caught red handed and he wasn’t sure if you were about to reject him on the spot or not.

“sorry pal! i didn’t know it would do that…” lyla nervously giggled while she glanced at you then at miguel. you couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation because of the way the other spider people came bustling in the control room thinking it was a problem. of course, it wasn’t it was just very hilarious to you that you found out that miguel has a crush on you TOO.

“guys-um, it isn’t an emergency—just go back to whatever you were doing.” he said as he stumbled over his words and told everyone to leave. he wasn’t necessarily mad but he was more so embarrassed. everyone was dismissed even your favorite teenagers had all

left but they respected your privacy. miguel would shake his head as he ran his hands through his hair directly his attention to you but not being able to hold eye contact. quickly, lyla vanished into thin air but she could still hear everything.

“i’m sorry about what lyla did.” he came close to you as he placed an apologetic hand on your shoulder with a gentle touch. you could tell he was blushing. you could tell he was into you in the way his eyes would casually go to you lips then to your eyes. he did it a couple times.

“it’s fine miguel,” you inches closer to him closing the distance between the two of you, “i wanted to tell you that i also like you too!” you giggled while you made it your effort to maintain eye contact with him. you were a very shy person but you weren’t one to stumble on your words. miguel was dumbfounded but at the same time very relief that you liked him back too.

“you like me too??” he gently stroked your cheek, “you like someone like me?” you heart aches a bit whenever he would put himself down like that as if he felt he was incapable of being loved. you gently placed a hand on top of the hand he was caressing your cheek with as you leaned into his touch.

“miguel, of course. you’re capable of being cared for, thought of, and loved.” you embraced him as you wrapped your arms around his waist. he was stunned a bit not knowing what to do since he hasn’t hugged someone in such a long time. but slowly and carefully he wrapped his arms around your upper shoulders as he placed his chin on top of your head. with one hand he carded your hair lovingly, “i promise to be the best man i can be for you, if you allow me to.”

“yes of course.” everyone in the HQ was so happy for you and they were also happy that miguel’s behavior improved drastically for the better, all thanks to you.

[technicallyeldritch]

hey hey do you want to look more masc? do you want to pass better as a guy? if not ignore this! keep doing your thing and have fun!

i’m doing a little guide because i couldn’t find a lot of transition advice on here, so i’m doing a guide

first off, body language! manspread. sit like a cool teacher with their ass performatively on their desk. cross your legs but with your ankle on your knee. people will tell you that guy’s don’t slouch as much. this is false you can have the shittiest posture ever do whatever you want.

next, your voice! you can do voice training pre-t to sound more masc/androgynous! it’s awesome! now you may be thinking, “arden isn’t that expensive as shit?” to which i will respond, “why are you paying for shit?” also, you can go on youtube and find tutorials for free. this next paragraph will be based off of one of these.

open up the back of your mouth a little when you say vowel sounds, almost like you’ve got something in your throat (not a damn word). you can use voice memos to record your voice so that you can find something that you like and sounds natural. the phrase “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog ‘look out!’ i shout, ‘for he’s foiled you again, creating chaos at the zoo’” is a phrase that contains all sounds in the english language, so it’s good for testing.

do you want to bind but can’t for whatever reason? well, transtape is a thing! there are tutorials for that elsewhere. i don’t use transtape. i don’t know how (side note: duct tape is not strong enough to do this. do not use duct tape to bind. it is not safe). there are numerous resources that can provide you with free binders as well! if anyone has a list, please add them. you can also find them pretty easily through google. if you can’t get them delivered to your house, many will also deliver to a friend’s house, in the instance that they have safer circumstances.

beyond that, wearing dark clothes can do a lot to help with that, especially if you go a size up. i wear a lot of black and navy blue medium men’s shirts, even though i’m a small.

do you want dark facial hair, but are pre-t? you can give yourself a darker mustache with mascara. i personally put it on my upper lip and the indent above my chin. you might have to rub it in a bit to get it to look natural.

i hope this is helpful to someone, i’m just listing things i found out along my transition journey

[livefastdrivefaster]

We Aren't Friends | LN4

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Pairing: Lando x Fem!Driver

Summary: Finding out what Lando really thinks about you.

Word count: 1.7k words

Note: This is the first thing I've ever written so I hope it's not completely awful! Bit of fluff (some angst and swearing).

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Media duties were one of the most tedious parts about your job as a Formula One driver. Every race week, you were forced into doing hundreds of interviews, shuttled in front of one camera and then another. Today was a driver’s panel, and there were a select few of you in a room full of reporters waiting to ask questions. You sat on the edge of the stage, with Alex, Zhou, Lando and Valtteri filling the remaining seats. 

“Let’s open up to the floor for questions.” The host of the session states. 

Instantly, every reporter shoots their hand into the air, starting their voice memos, checking through their notes. Just as the actual racing is competitive, the media around Formula One is especially cutthroat. You need to fight for attention in these types of events. One woman in the second row stands out in particular, and the host singles her out to ask the first question. 

“My question is for Ms Y/L/N.” The reporter states. You lean forward in your chair, smiling at the woman. Reporters often direct their questions to specific drivers, and you were frequently asked questions about your experience being a female driver, or something similar to that general theme.

“In Formula One, they say the higher you rise, the sharper the knives. As your car is particularly competitive this year, have you found that rivalries with other drivers are also being felt off the track?”  It was an interesting question. It was true that politics were constantly rife in the paddock, but you never felt that scrutiny on a personal level. You smiled politely, and held the microphone to your mouth to answer the question. 

“I wouldn’t say so, no. It’s easy to think that with the amount of drama that happens during the races, it will follow us to the paddock. But in the end we are professionals, and we can handle the competitiveness maturely. Even with my toughest rivalries, I can assure you we are friends off track.” You smile, setting down the microphone to signal you had finished talking. 

There were murmurs of agreement in the audience, and your fellow drivers on stage nodded to affirm your statement.

“But,” the woman starts again, “currently, there is a battle between you and Lando Norris for third in the driver’s championship.” 

You nod, staring expectantly at the woman, wondering where she is going with this. 

“Yesterday in an interview with Sky Sports, he went on record to say,” she paused to look at her notes, before saying “‘With Y/N Y/L/N, I wouldn’t say what we have is a friendship, no.’” She finished. 

You feel your heart breaking into pieces.

“Really?” you ask, genuinely surprised. You look over to Lando across from you, noticing how he isn’t even looking back at you. He’s staring at his shoes, motionlessly. He couldn’t even look at you.

“Right… noted.” You finish, voice laced with venom.

Another reporter stands up.

“What do you think about that, Y/N?” He asks. 

You quickly snap out of your intense stare at Lando, turning to face the reporter on the other side of the room. 

“Well,” you say, forcing a laugh to diffuse the tension in the room “my feelings are hurt.” You shrug, maintaining a fake smile for the cameras. Thankfully, the room doesn’t linger on the moment for long, the host moving onto a new question.

You slouched in your chair, wishing you could just melt away to nothing. Your cheeks were burning a shameful red, which you hoped wouldn’t show up on the hundreds of pictures that are currently being taken of you. 

“Not friends?” The question swirled in your mind, plaguing your every thought. You couldn’t understand why Lando would say that about you. Everything seemed fine between the two of you. You never argue, you hang out whenever you can. And when you can’t, you’re texting or FaceTiming each other. You just didn’t get it. 

The rest of the room blurred in your periphery as you played with your hands in your lap. You felt a burning sensation in your eyes as tears threatened to fall down your face. But just as quick as the tears formed, they were quickly washed away by a strong sensation of anger taking over your body. All the time you spent together meant nothing to him. 

What a dick. 

___

As soon as the host called the session over, you put your microphone down and got up to leave. You were the first to go, storming out of the room as elegantly as you could. You exited into a service corridor, knowing that you could sneak around any media personnel looking for more questions from you here. 

“Y/N!” You hear a voice call from behind you. It was Lando. 

“Y/N!” He calls again, footsteps picking up in speed as he races to get to you. 

When he catches you, he gently takes your wrist, using the motion to turn you around to face him. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N. About what happened back there, I’m sorry she embarrassed you like that.” He said breathlessly

“Oh, she was the one who embarrassed me?” You spat at Lando

“It was out of context, Y/N. I didn’t mean it like that, I swear.” He said, desperately trying to reason with you

“Then why didn’t you say something? You just sat there, staring at your feet.” You shot back at him

“I should’ve.” He sighed, searching your eyes for forgiveness.

“Oh. So you’re not only not my friend, you’re also spineless. Good to know, Lando.” You reply, shaking your wrist from his grip. 

Lando stands there, dumbfounded, watching your figure retreat down the hall. He wants nothing more than for you to look back at him, just for a moment, just to see your face. But you won’t, and the noise of the exit door slamming behind you snaps him out of his stare. 

“I’m such a fucking idiot.” He whispers to himself. 

_____

Throughout the rest of the weekend, Lando tried desperately to get you to notice him. He would watch you longingly as you fulfilled media duties, got in your car, out of your car, walked around the paddock, took pictures with fans. He would appear randomly while you were eating, or taking a break. He would include himself in conversations you were apart of. 

You rebuffed each of his attempts for attention with an incredibly polite cold shoulder. You were hurt, and he actually hadn’t apologised to you yet. He had texted you a few times asking to talk, but this race was too important to focus on resolving petty drama. You’d call him once it was all over. Maybe. 

Well, that’s what you had been telling yourself all weekend. But now it really was over, and you still hadn’t called him. 

The good thing about racing in Monaco was that you could actually sleep in your own apartment during the weekend, which was a rare and welcomed occasion. It was late, but you couldn’t sleep, your mind coming back to Lando every time you tried to close your eyes. It felt weird not talking to him, you kept each other sane during times like these. But now he wasn’t here for you, as he had been for so long, and you felt like a piece of you was missing. 

As you crawled out of bed to watch something on TV, you heard a sharp knocking at your door. You were hoping it was just someone at the wrong door, until you heard the knocking again. It was more desperate now, the rhythm becoming more sloppy. 

“Hello?” You called out, receiving more knocking as a response. 

You mutter obscenities to yourself as you put on more appropriate clothing, and trudge to the door annoyed. 

“Yes?” You say, swinging open the door.

It was Lando. He looked dishevelled. His curls were tousled and his eyes had deep bags underneath them. They were slightly puffy, as if he’d been crying. 

“Y/N, I can’t do this.” He exclaimed, stumbling into your apartment. You let him in, closing the door behind him. 

“Can’t do what Lando?” You ask, crossing your arms across your chest. 

“I can’t fight with you like this. I can’t not talk to you, I can’t be apart from you.” He stumbles over his words, and you see his eyes well up with tears. You instantly soften your gaze, pulling your arms from their defensive position.  “Lando…” Your voice trails off. You take his hand in yours and lead him to your couch to sit down. Even when you are both comfortable, he doesn’t let go.

“I am so, so sorry Y/N. I was so stupid in that interview, I got way too carried away with what I was saying.” He says slowly.

“What were you even trying to say, Lando?” You ask gently, appreciating finally receiving an apology from him. 

“Well- I meant what I said. What we have. It isn’t really a friendship, is it?” He responds, voice gaining confidence. 

“Something less?” You question, and he smiles in disbelief. 

“Something more, Y/N. We are so much more than friends.” You sit back in your seat, but he moves closer to you. 

“What- what do you mean?” You hesitate, watching Lando’s warm brown eyes glimmer in the moonlight. 

“You know exactly what I mean.” 

Something inside you clicked. All these years, there was an electricity between the two of you. You never let yourself think that way about him, worrying how a relationship with him would affect your career. But right now, you don’t care. You just want him. 

You didn’t say anything, but leaned towards him. He leaned in further, gently cupping one hand around the side of your face, and placing the other arm around your waist to anchor himself. His broad figure covered you completely, and you closed eyes while trying not to smile. His lips were so soft against yours, the scent of his cologne making you feel dizzy. His body felt warm as he pressed his torso against yours. You bucked your hips up, making him groan against you. He pulled his hand up, running his fingers through your hair as he moved down to kiss your neck and collarbones. You giggled at the tickling sensation, and he tentatively pulled away from you, taking a chance to fully admire your face. 

“I like this way more than being friends.”

[vanderilnde]

I found this artist like, this morning by accident lmao, and I was just thinking, what's our opinions on Stalker!Simon listening to Snake River Conspiracy?? :3

Ur new anon 🪽

never heard of them before so i had to give them a listen!! but honestly i don’t think Simon is big on music. like at all lmao. i think he raw dogs his morning runs, gym trips and stalking trips because it helps him focus more. in my opinion you won’t see him with earbuds in unless he’s listening to Voice Memo #729 Three Hour Loop (it’s a tinny recording he took of you saying “thanks” when he held the elevator door open)

[mosviqu]

things/aesthetic you associate with your moots please!

this was in my inbox for over a month i am so sorry anon... anyways. here goes nothing. not doing aesthetics bc thats a lot of effort but here is how i 'see' my friends ig :p

@satoruly - champagne, voice memos, the ocean, the beach, the metamorphosis by franz kafka, tokyo revengers, movie reviews, manga, shopping, indoor plants, sunsets, partying, singing, the bass, i dont do drugs by ariana grande and doja cat, anime, mini skirts, cherries, digital cameras, the color red, shinichiro sano, sand, headphones, random spanish thrown in convo, hearts, gojo satoru, croptops, manga, late night walks in a busy town, izana, gossiping with your best friend, ambition, the feeling of home, endless mutual understanding, passion, freedom, soulmates.

@csenke - monchichi dolls, sylvanian families, minecraft, streamers, the streets of budapest, instagram dumps, sunwoo, afternoon walks, playgrounds, random vlogs u record with your best friends, the colors yellow green and tan, enhypen, mona lisa by dominic fike, random german words, hanging posters in your room, late night conversations, pretty architecture, silly selfies, the excitement of unboxing your packages, changmin, spiderman, chimney cake, Á, lovejoy, candy, loverboy hats, platonic neighbors (yes that exists).

@from-izzy - woodz, bunnies, psychology textbooks, coffee shops, matcha, late night conversations, talking in all caps, excitement, running to catch the bus, making spotify playlists in the middle of the night, protectiveness, the color tan, bicycles, gratefulness, sharing your worries with someone, cloudy skies, the sound of birds chirping outside of your window in the morning, laying in the grass.

@heemingyu - meme reactions, milkshakes, playful banter, inside jokes, playful annoyance at your friends, learning how to drive in an empty parking lot, keyboard smashes, iced tea, sibling-like energy, comfortable hoodies, silent support, instagram reels in your dms as a form of love language, comfort tv shows in your bed.

@sungbeam - admiration, being proud of your friends, watching someone from afar, brainstorming with someone on the same wavelength, literature, baby blue by luke hemmings, dc comics, fic banners, star girl energy, the weird familiarity of a college dorm room, demon changmin, the summer break, doing ordinary things with your music playing lowly in the background, post-it notes on your wall, pancakes for breakfast.

@juyeonszn - cats, supportive comments under instagram posts, lying for fun, feeling yourself when you go clubbing with your best friends, lipgloss, tattoos, roadtrips, concerts, taking polaroids on a night out, flirting with your friends, screaming a song on the top of your lungs.

@zzoguri - valorant, childhood friends vibes, meeting someone and feeling like you've known them for ages, jacob bae, gaming, discord calls, italy, journalism, the friends you meet in university, found family, warm soup on sundays, laufey, day6.

@kimsohn - delusional conversations, talking shit with your honest friends, juyeon, typing really fast on your keyboard, understanding each others typos, editing, yunjin, being in love with women, confidence, yeehaw, iconic energy.

[lycaeas]

here's a song i wrote this morning called "the moon". tryna think of an easy explanation but i instead i'll just put lyrics under the cut as per usual

(also i'm enjoying just doing lowfi voice memo recordings even if they blow out a little because it prevents perfectionism and we are leaving perfectionism behind in 2024!!!!)

i can't keep quiet i'm no good at lying but god i am trying to hold it in tighter the unanswered phonecall you ask for my voice, now oh i wish i could calm down but i am a biter

there are things i'm not supposed to know the undercurrent crunch of snow the ice that blocks the undertow the stuff you hide under your throne

i knew you in an unearned way the way you talk, your ace of spades you didn't know me back, i'd say: obsessed instead with your mistakes

and dear it wasn't the moon it was just a streetlight oh it wasn't the moon darling, it's a streetlight in the living room ooh, it's not the moon

don't know about soulmates but i was your pet snake kept in a glass cage conveniently placed

feet in my own mouth you know i'm a king's clown and the worst is you found out i hate that i care now

but there are things i'm not supposed to know the undercurrent crunch of snow the ice that blocks the undertow the stuff you hide under your throne

i knew you in an unearned way the way you talk, your ace of spades you didn't know me back, i'd say: obsessed instead with your mistakes

but dear it wasn't the moon it was just a streetlight oh it wasn't the moon darling, it's a streetlight in the living room ooh, it's not the moon

i can't keep quiet i'm no good at lying but god i am trying to hold this in tighter

[fruitcoops]

Hello! I just went through the entirety of your coops fics because I was in a very major coops mood. The most recent one is also absolute gold, I loved it so much! If inspiration ever strikes you, might I request some more of ✨sexually charged✨ (if that is the word) pre-coops? I'm in love with the way you write the tension between them! (And they certainly don't always have innocent thoughts about one another pre-dating, jeez Remus "maybe I'd like him to push me up against the stalls when he's energized" Lupin) I hope you have a great day, no matter what you do with this ask obviously and thank you for all your amazing writing!!:) Also, apologies for my English!

Fic O'Ween Day 2: Moonlight! This is more cute and sweet, but there are certainly some moments where they need to go to horny jail. Character credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for momentary impure thoughts (gasp!)

You Have One (1) New Message From: Sirius Black

Remus nearly choked on half a sandwich as he snatched his phone off the desk with a glance to make sure the door was closed. Despite his best efforts, it was scientifically impossible for him to keep down a blush when Sirius was involved. The last thing he needed was someone wandering in while he was at his most embarrassing.

Are Pots’ pads in the storage closet?

And then, two seconds later:

Good morning : )

Remus ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. He received a dozen similar messages from the team every day, but there was something about Sirius that made his heart skip a beat after even the simplest question. Maybe it was because he could hear Sirius’ voice even through the screen, his accent curling around each word. Maybe it was because he could see that shy smile in the emojis that always, always accompanied a text from the captain. Maybe it was because Sirius was the one person he wanted to kiss until they were both blue in the face.

New Message To: Sirius Black

No, Pots’ pads are drying in the ice room.

And then, after two seconds of thought:

Morning : )

“Pull it together,” Remus muttered to himself as his stomach flipflopped. He checked the time, cursed, and set his phone facedown on the desk. Less than ten minutes of his lunch break remained—he would be lucky to get five with the team’s track record of terrible timing.

Sirius was laughably out of his league, famous, and straight. Remus’ poor, romantic little heart didn’t seem to get that memo. It was kind of mortifying, actually—he was afraid he’d start doodling their initials in tiny hearts on the corner of his notes like a fucking middle schooler soon.

Remus groaned under his breath at the thought and let his forehead thud against the top of his desk. Feelings were a nightmare. Curling up under his desk like an elderly fox dying in the woods was sounding better with every passing moment.

“Fuck.” He checked the clock again—six minutes until the end of his lunch, eleven until Kasey’s appointment. He cast one more baleful glance to his sandwich before sliding it back into his lunch bag and dragging himself upright.

--

“I almost have it, stop twitching!”

“Well, maybe if you moved your ass—”

“Hey, guys, I—oh.”

Sirius froze and felt James do the same.

“Should I…” Remus trailed off, tilting his head slightly to the side. “Should I come back, or…?”

“No, no, you’re good,” James assured him. His weight rocked back and Sirius gritted his teeth as a heel dug into his shoulder. Of all the humiliating positions to be found in, Remus had to walk in when he was playing the illustrious role of human stepstool. Fantastic.

He tried to fight his blush when Remus looked down at him, a laugh ticking at the corner of his mouth. “I thought you were looking for pads?”

“We are.” Sirius bit back a groan when James’ foot found a bruise from the last game. “Couldn’t find them.”

“Yeah, no, I got your text. But why are you looking up there?”

“We checked everywhere else.”

“Why would I put your pads in a place I can’t reach?”

A beat of silence passed. “I guess we didn’t think of that,” James mused before stepping back onto the floor with one last dig of his bony heel into the small of Sirius’ back.

“Ow—”

“Don’t be a baby.”

Sirius got to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster and dusted himself off, offering a strained smile to Remus. He was in his usual (adorable) uniform of khakis and a polo—blue today, softening the pale gold of his skin—and waited patiently for them to finish in the doorway to the ice baths. “We checked in the storage closet,” Sirius explained. “For the pads. They weren’t there.”

Obviously, or else he wouldn’t have found you two doing a Dumb and Dumber skit. Remus, to his credit, seemed rather unfazed as he turned to James. “Did you check the towel drying racks?”

“The what?”

“How are you alive?”

“Stubbornness and healthy living,” James said brightly.

Remus just shook his head with a grin, his soft curls falling over his forehead. Sirius wanted to squeeze him. “I don’t get paid enough for this. C’mon.”

Sirius trailed after him without hesitation, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Remus’ left ear. Not his (strong, lean) shoulders or his (perfect for holding) waist or his (god bless the inventor of khakis) rear end. Left ear. The left ear was safe, bland, and—and—

And there was a small freckle near the tip that Sirius wanted to kiss. And the short-cropped sides of Remus’ hair just brushed it like a halo. And, and, and, because Remus Lupin could never be just one thing. There was too much good about him. Sirius had known it from the moment he realized he’d do anything for a single smile from those lips.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?”

He startled, glancing down at James. “Why?”

James shrugged. “I dunno, you seem distracted.”

“Maybe you should be more entertaining.”

That got him a grin and an elbow to the ribs; Sirius smiled, ducking his head with it. James was like that, too—so much good condensed into a best-friend-sized package. God, he could hear the ‘package’ jokes James would make if he ever said that aloud. From anyone else, it would have been irritating.

Remus paused by the door with a flourish of his hand. “Ta-da! Pads drying on a drying rack. Who would have thought?”

Sirius’ cheeks heated as James let out a bark of laughter. Embarrassment never seemed to affect James, unless it came from Lily. He watched as James slung an arm around Remus and planted a wet kiss to his cheek, and tried not to acknowledge the hot spark of want in his belly. Remus was nice. Remus wouldn’t think anything of it if Sirius did the same. The problem was, Sirius wasn’t sure if he could stop himself once he folded.

“Next time, check your phone instead of playing ladder for Thing One, eh?” Remus teased, twisting a dry towel in his hand before patting Sirius on the chest.

Sirius choked a noise back at the last possible second.

Remus blinked. His butterscotch lashes fluttered once before his eyes settled on Sirius’, curious and deer-soft and full of the intensity, the pure focus, that Sirius admired above most other things. He had been studied his whole life and never once been seen quite like that.

Remus’ hand was still on his chest. His brow furrowed. Sirius was acutely aware that he was still holding his breath; his mouth watered at the thought of pressing a light kiss to that worried crease, the scrunch of his pointed nose, the slight downturn of his lips. The uninvited image of where else that furrow-scrunch combination might appear (on his mattress, healing hands curled in the sheets, bright in the moonlight like Remus deserved and stop it stop it stop it) sprang to mind before Sirius could divert his attention. He was morbidly grateful for his loose basketball shorts.

A light jab to the chest shocked him from his daydream. “That hurts?”

“…huh?”

Remus poked him again, dead center over his right pec. “You made a noise. What’s wrong?”

“I—um, I was—” Words. He needed words. What’s a word? “I was on bench rotation. Tired. Tired muscles. Non, nothing wrong.”

Remus snorted. “Being a baby, then, got it.”

The far door flew open and Sirius flinched, but Remus’ attention was already gone and James was shaking his skates at him like a dog’s leash. “Yo, it’s showtime, stop hogging my Loops.”

“Captain privilege, I get first dibs,” Sirius countered with a wry smile, even as something in him twitched at my Loops. Maybe it was his imagination, but Remus looked rather pleased.

“You have to stop using that excuse to get whatever you want.”

“Someday you’ll understand.”

“Hey.” Remus touched his elbow and Sirius stopped on a dime. He wound the towel around his hand once more, offering a smile that was half-concern, half-assurance. “Tell me if that muscle keeps acting up, okay? Powering through won’t help if you pulled something.”

As if Sirius would ever pass up an opportunity to talk with him. Was it unethical to fake an injury? “I will,” he promised.

“Solid.” They bumped fists and Sirius gave a dramatic shake of his hand, just to watch Remus roll his eyes. “I’ll see you at four. Remember to—”

“—ice 30 minutes before and bring Tylenol for after,” he finished, nodding along. “I got you, Loops.”

Remus’ next breath was a bit sharper than usual, smoothing on the exhale with a smile. “Yeah, I know.”

“Captain!” James hollered.

Sirius smiled through the urge to lock his best friend in a storage closet. “Four o’clock.”

“See you there.”

[grim-wildwood]

Digital Tools

(For the Witch)

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

You may be thinking, "Locke, you're devoted to the Old Way. Why are you blogging about technology?"

Well, the truth is: I love technology. It makes my life easier, and when it comes to witchcraft, I have found so many different tools to both boost my academic productivity and help keep my focus.

So, without further ado, here are five free programs that I use to study witchcraft with:

Canva Whiteboard

Planable

Google Keep

Finch

Live Transcribe

Now, I know that new software can be a bit hard to digest, especially if a witch is inexperienced with technology to begin with. So, let me break down everything for you. I've kept all my information short, snappy, and easy to grasp right away.

Canva Whiteboard

Pros

Visual organization

Customizable templates

Infinite space

Cloud storage

Cons

Learning curve

Text limitations

A lot of people use Canva for making lovely little infographics, icons, and wallpapers. What they don't know is that Canva has a whiteboard function that allows their users to play with sticky notes, shapes, stickers, multimedia, graphics, and more. I find this absolutely perfect for making mind maps, keeping sigils, and keeping a visual record of herbs and crystals.

This is great for visual-style learners who like to study with minimal writing.

Planable

Pros

Aesthetic layout

Customizable font

Group editing

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Limit of 50 articles for free

You must sign up as a "company" (I say coven!)

Mobile app does not allow note editing

Planable was originally designed for planning professional social media posts. However, it's also fantastic for keeping long-form notes. It has all the writing tools you could possibly need for making in-depth articles, plotting out the content of your grimoire, and hosting live study groups. It can handle any multimedia you throw at it. It also has an app in beta for viewing your notes on the fly.

Great for witches who love hoarding all their knowledge in one cozy spot.

Google Keep

Pros

Customizable note backgrounds

Voice memos

Drawings

Tagging system

Cloud storage

Cons

Only has basic font customization

Images only (no video compatibility)

It's short; it's sweet. Google Keep (or simply Keep) is an ad-free notes app that gets down to the nitty-gritty. It's best for lists, checkboxes, short-form notes, and posting pretty pictures all in between.

Finch

Pros

Cute and easy app design

Turns goals into a game

Guided meditiation

Daily affirmations

Recieve uplifting messages from friends

Cons

Requires a healthy/newer phone to run

Only available on Google Play Store

Finch is charming, useful, and an anchor all bundled into one. Aimed for self-care, this app is no standard pet simulator. Your finch brings genuine companionship from a place of love, sending you affirmations, inspiring quotes, and offering compassion in hard times. You raise your finch by setting and completing goals for yourself, whether it be for self-care, everyday tasks, magick, or all three. The app also offers guided meditation, emergency panic/anxiety attack regulation, journaling, motivation check-ins, and other various emotional wellbeing activities.

The best way to do magick is with a clear and calm mind. Finch is perfect for facilitating this!

Live Transcribe

Pros

Minimalistic

Instant loading time

Transcribes in multiple languages at once

Offline usage

Cons

May occasionally mishear you

Doesn't shy away from transcribing vulgar language

If the app is closed, you will lose your previous transcription unless history is turned on

Turn it on and let it work! Live Transcribe takes verbage and turns it into a live and fairly accurate transcript for you to format into notes. I personally love finding short video documentaries on history and witchy how-tos to transcribe.

Great for learning and retaining verbal information for witches who may have an audio processing disorder. It's also good for the humble act of hoarding knowledge.

I hope that you find good use out of these digital tools! Have a lovely rest of your week, and enjoy a breath of fresh organization. 🌿✨️

•☽────✧˖°˖⛤˖°˖✧────☾•

[definesanity]

Atone, Intoner.

When One came to, it was dark all around.

She was standing, her body unharmed, her senses less intense than before.

Without much to do, she walked.

She spent her time thinking on what happened; Zero had killed her, yes, but after was a haze; she felt... connected, to her sisters, in a way she could not describe.

The final moments of them singing together played in her head. 'A monster that can only hurt itself and others'... it explains the Intoners perfectly.

She was the 'oldest', and spent her time finding out the origins of herself. It all stemmed back to Zero, but there was no explanation behind it. She had memories of a 'mother' and Zero being a true older sister, but she believes them false.

A speck of white appeared in the black, and as One walked towards it, she was eventually face-to-face, barring the height difference, with Zero.

Zero had a strange expression, somewhere between defeat, annoyance, mild anger and tiredness.

"Hey." she said, finally. She sounded exhausted. One also saw that, while the Flower was gone from Zero's eye, she did not have her eye grow back, nor did she have her prosthetic arm, leaving only a stub.

"Hello," One greeted back. "I did not expect to meet you here, let alone again."

"Mm." Zero made a noise in her throat. Then, she sighed. "It all went wrong, didn't it?"

"An understatement. Still, at least now I finally know the reason for your slaughtering."

"Yeah, a fucking genocidal plant that wanted me to kill everyone. Fuck that."

One raised an eyebrow at that. "You?" she echoed.

"Me," Zero replied. "I was gonna finally die in peace when that bitch grew before me, thinking I wanted to destroy humanity. I didn't hate humanity, I hated the world itself. Unfortunately, it didn't get the memo." Zero looked around the darkness. "And now, here we are in this new shithole. Fucking A."

"Pause..." the Intoner of Knowledge heard something in the rant that made her curious, despite it all. "What do you mean, 'finally die'?"

"I don't have to tell you of all people jack shit." Zero shot back.

"Maybe. But if we're dead, you can't kill me again, can you?"

Zero looked at One with her single rose-coloured eye, then scoffed. "Exactly what I said: I was gonna die."

"You are an Intoner, the Original one, at that, Zero."

"Yeah, but before that Flower found me," she gestured to herself. "I was a human. Although, that's a stretch. I didn't have anything by the time I died, even with my tally. I was, in the literal sense, nothing. Nought. 'Zero'."

Another voice, of which One had not heard in months, spoke up. "But what about us?"

Turning, the Original and the Oldest saw Two. She did not appear catatonic, and instead looked the same as she did when Zero initially attacked the Cathedral City; albeit, more confused, even with her eyes wide and full of life once more.

"Not even a hello?" dryly remarked the white-haired lady, and Two immediately apologised, eyes widening even more.

"Oh, shoot, sorry, Zero! I was just a little surprised, that's all..."

"Eh, forget it: if you're here so are the other cunts. Anyways, the Flower didn't like how I didn't want to follow its way of thinking, so when I tried to kill myself again, it split itself off into five kids. Any guesses?"

"...So you're our mother?" Two jumped into the air as Three suddenly appeared, the slothful girl looking intrigued for the first time in a while.

"No, dipshit, you're technically me."

"You?" One sounded akin to a broken record, but that cannot be blamed.

"Yeah, you all got some aspect of my personality, some more than others, and some having a boost in certain aspects. Like Two; I definitely don't remember having that much of a heart."

"But that, you had some kindness, right?" Two immediately replied like the wind.

"Yeah, for Micheal... and Mikhail." her eyes turned downcast when remembering her dragon. "Oh, that idiot is gonna be alone, isn't he...?"

The three stood in silence for a while, literally and metaphorically.

"Oh, right, you seem a bit calmer now, Two."

"Oh, yeah, that..." Two laughed nervously. "Guess I didn't give you much trouble this time?"

"This time?" One quirked an eyebrow, before grabbing her head at a sharp pain. Thinking about her memories made her realise that some were similar but different. Like swearing, like her brother, like...

"...You stabbed One." Three breathed, her tone a mix of her tiredness and a small bit of awe.

Two looked like a deer being caught. "...Oops??"

"Zero?" One asked.

"...Ah, fuck, you guys remember the Branches..."

"Oh, that's what they're called?"

Zero groaned, as she turned to see Five walking towards them. "Hello, Five. And Four, I can see you."

Four walked from behind Five and marched to Zero. Then, she reeled back her fist and punched--

Zero caught it.

"You. Fucking. Bitch." Four growled out, her eyes filled with fury and her body shaking from sheer rage. "I have more than a few things to say to you!"

"Save it for later, after this." came Zero's reply. She let go of the fist, and looked around. "Well, that makes six. Any others I need to know of?"

Zero half expected to see Accord pop up out of nowhere. Instead, from One's side, that brother of her's appeared.

The Intoners, sans Zero and One, blinked.

"Oh! Hello there!" Two greeted warmly, waving.

"...Hello." the brother greeted back. Actually, fuck it, Zero is going to call him Decimal. He is half of One, so it makes sense.

"Hey." Zero looked at the twin of One, who looked back at her, eyes narrowing as he placed his hand on his blade.

"Zero."

One placed her hand on her twin's. "Stand down. She is not the enemy. Tell me, everyone; what do you last remember?"

"Apart from being stabbed?" Four spat out. "It was singing. Then I sang with you guys. Then nothing until now."

"Same here!" Five gasped. "We are... dead?"

"No; Decimal didn't die, did he?" Zero directed the question to One, who tilted her head.

"Decimal?"

"One, listen; I can sorta respect you. But I'm giving him a name as his older sister."

"That's the first time I think I have heard you use that privilege." One's red eyes displayed curiosity more than anything. "I'm surprised you didn't ground us."

"Maybe when you all were kids."

"Ah, sisters--?"

"I mean, look, okay, I'm an awful person. But I had reasons, you know?"

"Hello--?"

"Reasons that include senseless genocide of our soldiers, per chance?"

"H--"

"Don't start, Three, you fucking experimented on them. You think I would--?"

A sharp whistle cut them off, and Zero exploded. "OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WHAT?!"

Two pointed. Everyone looked. A glowing portal was on the ground, akin to a hole.

"...Oh. Neat." Zero walked over, and looked through the portal. "..."

Zero looked back. "Right. The Flower found me when I was dying--don't ask--and when I hated the world. That was because of my own growing up."

"See anything you like, Sister?" Five asked.

She pointed to the portal. "So what if, that never happened?"

"What."

Zero sighed. "That building in it. I know it. It's from like, way before the Intoner's time. Go through and find me and get me not to be me."

"Wouldn't that kill us?" Decimal tilted his head in a way similar to One.

"I don't fucking know!" Zero then blinked, as of having a sudden epiphany. "Oh, hang on a second. I have something to do."

Three looked back, tiredly. "What's tha--"

Zero punched Three in the face, knocking the purple-haired girl back as Zero brought out a pair of gauntlets without her noticing.

Three attempted to stand up, but was knocked to the ground by Zero, this time by her foot. Her hair was then grabbed, and forced to look at Zero. She saw her expression, and it was one akin to a disappointed parent.

"Oh, Three, you sweet little bitch." she said it almost fondly, as she let go of Three's hair and punched her in the stomach, causing Three to dry heave from it. "Tell me: Why do you think I'm attacking you?"

Three began to reach for her scissors. "The madness consumes all, in the end--"

A scream of agnoy cut her off, her scream of agnoy, as Zero took a hold of her arm and broke it with a sickening crack.

"Your dolls." Zero spat out. "I had a bit of time to think after I killed you in Branch A, same with everyone, and I could kinda understand everyone, even with Four's fantastical racism problems. But you?" Zero shook her head. "Listen, Three, I'm not sunshine and daisies, but even I know you fucked around too hard."

"What are you taking about?" Three retorted snappily, as she felt herself getting hot with anger. It wasn't often that it happened, but this is a special occasion. "My dolls were perfect. Better!"

"And yet, still not good enough to beat me." Zero dropped Three to the ground, as her gauntlets faded into a sword. Zero's Sword. "You went on a campaign of murder, and for what? A few nice toys to keep in bed, and the others to send off to die to lovely Big Sis Z?"

Three attempted to get up, but the moment she placed pressure on to her broken arm, she yelled and collapsed. "I made the dolls to be perfect!" she repeated, for that was her truth.

Zero leaned down, her single eye almost glowing. "And what of during it?"

Three stopped, and looked at Zero, squinting at her with fury, confusion, tiredness and pain. "The fuck are you rambling on about?"

"Did they scream? Did they plead for mercy? Did they try and convince you otherwise?"

Three scoffed. "Of course they did. They weren't making any sense. I gave them sense--"

A blood-curdling scream ripped its way out of Three's throat. Despite not feeling any pain from the arm itself, Zero breaking her smallest finger made it infinity worse somehow.

"Three. I'm going to give you a simple request." Zero almost looked like an actual big sister as she said this. "Say you are sorry."

"For wha--?!"

The ring finger snapped, and Three screamed again. Her mind caught up with recent events, and as she tried to look for her sisters (and... brother?) for help, she saw them all standing there silently. Four looked pale, and she saw vomit on the floor, but they all remained still, looking at Three.

As if this was right.

"Take your time." Zero said, almost gently, as her fingers closed in around Three's middle finger.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out why this is happening. Her dolls, yes. They were made to be perfect for Three, of which she had personally handcrafted herself. Many hours went into the creation of each one, with some having her forget she needs rest, food, water and sex to keep her alive.

"I... made them." Three began.

"Go on."

"...Is that where the problem in is?"

Zero looked at her.

"...Why--?"

CRACK.

A noise that sounded oddly like an injured wolf made its way from Three's mouth, as she looked and saw said middle finger broken. Only her index finger and thumb remained.

"Don't worry. I'll just heal you. And then we can try again." If Zero had attempted to comfort Three, it did the opposite.

The creation of the dolls...

"Did they scream? Did they plead for mercy? Did they try and convince you otherwise?"

Three's eyes seemed to get less cloudy as she pondered on it. They did, yes...

...Oh. Ethics.

...Oh, fuck.

"Oh, God." blasphemy crawled out of her mouth, as Zero looked with a neutral gaze.

"There are no deities here, other than ourselves. And congrats, you're beginning to realise it."

Three thought more on it. The people she killed... did they have parents? Children? Siblings?

Three looked back at her sisters. She had, on more than one occasion, fantasised about turning them into dolls.

But, then, what would happen to their personalities?

She knows she cannot recreate any of them; having a doll of Two would be cute, but she won't talk, or joke, or laugh, without Three voicing her, and she won't be able to get her personality back.

"I'm sorry." The words felt so foreign to her. Yet, they felt right to say. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry--"

"Shh." Zero cut her off. "No point crying now, is there?"

"...Atonement."

"What."

"'An individual's reconciliation with God by means of repentance and confession of one's transgressions'." Three looked at Zero, almost in wonder. "I... my dolls."

"Yes?"

"They are... hollow. Like a tree. Beautiful on the outside, but on the inside..." it felt strange, having her entire world view shift, but...

She clutched her head with her hands, not realising it was fully healed, and sobbed. Not laugh, or giggle. Sobbed.

That sobbing then turned to crying. And, she then let out of screams of despair, as the reality came to hit her in the face.

She had dolls, yes. But what are dolls, if they cannot be fun to play with?

She screamed for what felt like hours. She then gasped as someone awkwardly placed their arms around her. Looking up, she saw Zero trying to hug her, patting her head gently.

"Pat, pat, gestures that are kind..." she muttered.

The crying stopped, finally. Three shakily got up, as she walked over to the others, who looked at Zero in... fear?

"The rest of ya are also mega fucked up. Minus maybe Two. So I'm going to tell you something: Go into that portal. Find me. And raise me to never become this."

They all stood in silence. Then, Four walked to the portal, the glowing surface on the ground.

"What about you?" One asked.

"Eh."

Five went in first. Then Four. Then Three. Then Two. Then Decimal.

"See you later... Sister." One said. Zero rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Same with you. Sis."

One went into the portal. The last of Zero she saw was her smiling face.

A small, real, genuine smile.