#I struggled for so long to choose the colours on these okay

[crackedpumpkin]

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝟎𝟳 |

[ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] | [ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ] | [ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ]

“This isn’t what I meant when I said that we needed to talk.” You roll your eyes at Cole’s griping, though the fact that he hadn’t removed the earbud out of his ears tells you more than you need to know. 

“Just shush for a moment and let me relax a little, okay?”

He lets you be, leaning back and letting his head relax on the brick wall behind him. After he’d suddenly dropped the whole bomb of needing to talk and all, he’d summoned Rocky and (dragged) brought you to the nearby rooftop.

Instead of actually talking about your feelings and thoughts, however, you’d pulled out your phone and earbuds, shoving one into his ear when he sat next to you and shushing him with a glare. 

As the music plays, your racing heart starts to calm. Staring up at the sky, you watch the clear blue slowly fade into hues of pink and yellow, the colourful rays dancing together as if they were in an otherworldly waltz of their own. 

“I’m still sorry, by the way.” You turn your head to see his closed eyes and tilted head back, exposing his Adam's apple. He speaks slowly, as if carefully choosing the right words in his mind to mould a cautious sentence. “The day we first met, Lloyd and I had just been mobbed earlier by a group of fans again, and I just wanted some quiet time to myself.”

Black irises meet yours, a shared stare filled with silent apology. “It’s fine,” you allow a slow smile onto your face. “I’d have reacted much worse if I were you. I’m sorry about hitting you though.”

He laughs, glancing down at his abdomen. “What, this old thing? Barely felt it. Maybe I’ve gotten used to your punches.” He chuckles when you shove him once more with a playful scowl, the air between you both settling into a much more relaxed mood. 

He hesitates, allowing the song to play for a few more bars before deciding to broach the long-awaited topic. “So what’s got you so riled up about soulmates anyway? I mean, you made your dislike pretty clear, but I thought most people look forward to meeting theirs.”

“That’s exactly what makes it annoying.” An exasperated sigh falls from your lips, running a hand through your hair. “Just because I have a soulmate doesn’t mean I have to automatically like them, do I?” 

He winces. “I didn’t think I was that bad…” He mumbles, looking down at his shoes and kicking away a small pebble. 

“No, it’s not- I just…” A groan leaves you, eyes fixed back onto a passing cloud as you try to sort out the mess of thoughts all clumped together in your head. “It’s complicated, okay? It’s not you, it’s me.”

“Right,” he nods. “Can’t argue there.” He hides a weak grin when you shove him with an annoyed laugh, copying your posture and looking up at the clouds. “So why? Why all this?” He gestures aimlessly. 

The answer’s hard to pinpoint, unable to conjure the right words to encapsulate the surge of emotion in your heart as it swells. The silence between you grows heavier with each passing second.

He notices your quiet struggle, and for a moment, the air between you both feels fragile. Breaking the silence, he speaks, his voice softer than usual. “I didn’t think I’d ever have a soulmate,” he admits, the rawness in his tone catching you off guard.

His gaze grows distant, barely focusing on the clouds in the sky. There’s a vulnerability in his eyes, one that mirrors your own uncertainty.

“After my mom died, I saw what losing her did to my dad. He was... broken. I never wanted to go through that kind of pain.” He pauses for a moment, gathering the courage to continue. “When I became a ninja, I thought I was untouchable. I had a purpose. I didn’t need anyone, least of all a soulmate.”

The weight of his words hangs in the air, and it hits you—his resistance, his fear, the walls he’s built. He takes another breath, a tremble in his words as he speaks. “I thought I didn’t need anyone then, and I’m still not sure I do now.”

His admission stirs something inside you, the unease morphing into something more complicated. You want to say something, anything, but the words seem stuck behind the unspoken tension that lingers between you both.

“Looks like we both don’t need soulmates then.”

Wow, I need to stop talking. Forever.

A flicker of surprise registers in his gaze as he processes your words. Shaking his head with a nervous laugh, a moment of silence passes between you both. Guilt starts to eat away at the edges of your conscience, mentally berating yourself for your response. 

He stands up, his fingers brushing against the earbud before handing it back, hesitation flickering in his movement. You stare at his outstretched hand, taking a deep breath as the words rip themselves out of your throat, an unspoken secret you’ve never shared with anyone.

“My mom and dad got divorced when I was 15.” The instant relief you feel is startling, like a weight that had been dragging you under finally loosened its grip. For so long, it had gnawed at you, a parasitic leech feeding on your spirit.

Well, until now. 

The sensation of a freshly opened wound is unnerving, raw and exposed to your soulmate who stands in front of you. He’s completely silent, which only adds to the growing nervousness that begins to spill over the jug holding everything inside. 

Coughing, you snatch the earbud from his hand and roll up the wires in a hurry. Standing up, you refuse to meet his eyes. “So, where’s Rocky? I’m pretty tired, so I kinda have to get home now.”

Another moment passes before Rocky materialises behind you both. I guess he’s finished recharging his dragon, you think to yourself as it bends down, sensing you didn’t really want to talk with his owner for the time being.

The ride back home is quiet, though your arms had found themselves wrapped around his waist once more from fear of falling off. You’d allowed yourself a brief moment of resting your forehead against his shoulder for a moment, breathing in his cologne that calms your racing heart. 

As the seconds pass, you can sense your raw wound slowly patching itself up, like a hastily plastered band-aid. It shouldn’t still ache like this, not after all these years. Yet, even now, the mere mention of your mom has a way of pulling at the fragile seams, threatening to tear them open all over again.

It’s like what your mom always said when you were younger. You’d always been an active and mischievous kid who constantly found herself in accidents. Every time you came running to her, she'd kneel down, her hands gentle but firm, tending to the wound. “Remember,” she’d say, “if you acknowledge it, you give it power. So ignore it, and it’ll go away.”

Back then, it worked. Chanting those words under your breath as she cleaned your wounds felt like a secret spell, something to cling to. But now? Now that you’re older, wiser, and have seen more than just playground accidents? It feels hollow. Because no matter how hard you try to ignore it, the pain still lingers.

Perhaps it’s the fact that you’re older now and more mature, but the phrase still stood strong. If you didn’t acknowledge the wound, then it wouldn’t hurt. If you didn’t acknowledge the fights behind closed doors, they didn’t happen. If you didn’t acknowledge the divorce, it wasn’t real.

But it is.

The thought makes you inhale shakily, choosing to press your forehead against his back, wanting nothing more than to burrow further into a deeper, darker hole within yourself. His back tenses slightly before relaxing, and you can sense his concerned gaze as he glances down at you before turning back to face the front.

He lets you remain there for the rest of the ride home, pretending not to notice your shaky breaths and occasional tightening of your arms around his waist. Opening your eyes, you spot the comic book store below, and it dawns on you that he’d taken the longer route back to your home. 

Suddenly, breathing gets a little easier. 

When Rocky finally lands, you’re back in your usual upright position. He lets you dismount first, then dematerializes his dragon, having learnt from the previous experience. You both head toward the building, his hands casually shoved into his pockets, and an odd sense of ease settling between you.

As you pause in front of the lift, you press the button, the soft glow of the floor numbers flickering in the reflection of the glass doors. "Thanks for today," you murmur, your voice quieter than intended but sincere. You catch his gaze in the reflection, his eyes meeting yours. The corners of his lips curve into a small, relieved smile.

“Maybe the next time we meet, it’ll be less awkward.” He jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Yeah. Next time.” His words don’t go unappreciated, the warmth in your own voice surprising you. The lift arrives with a soft ding, and as you step inside, something makes you hesitate. You keep the doors from closing, holding the button down.

He’s already started to turn away, ready to head back. “Friends?” The word slips out, catching slightly in your throat. Extending the olive branch feels strange, but somehow necessary.

His body stiffens for a beat, caught off guard by the offer. Slowly, he turns back toward you, his expression shifting into a wide, genuine grin. “Friends,” he repeats, the relief in his voice matching your own.

As the doors close between you, you both share a nod of understanding, your expression mirroring his. The shared gaze filled with a sense of warmth and genuine trust doesn’t break, until the lift finally disappears from his view. 

— — — — — 

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, you strangle the bitch for doing so. 

When it comes to Duolingo streaks at least. 

“Español? More like espafar,” you mutter, pressing the home button rapidly when the screen shows your broken streak. You’d been 7 days strong into the Spanish course but forgot all about it until now.

The lift doors open, and Holly steps in with a grin. “Buenos dias!”

“Don’t even,” you groan, showing her the screen of the animated green bird shaking its head in disappointment. She raises her brows. “I just keep forgetting everything except for like, the simple phrases. Why is it even teaching me how to say ‘the bottle is big?’” 

“Good point. I don’t think the topic of bottle sizes comes up in conversation often.” She agrees, stepping out of the lift when the doors open on the ground floor. 

“We still gotta find a company to research,” you grumble, wincing as the bright sun decides to aim its rays directly at you. Alan - another of your professors who insisted you remove the Dr. from his name had assigned your class another project on top of the already existing ones from other classes. 

“I’m basing mine off Papa’s Pizzeria,” she shrugs, narrowly avoiding a kid on his bicycle, the ringing of bells sounding through the bustling streets as they deliver newspapers from door to door. “His business model is crazy. He’s got like, what, four successful franchises?”

You sigh, the reminder of the cake you’d placed an order for just a single week away from being collected. The only reason why you’d even placed the order so early is because you knew you’d forget if you didn’t. Plus, if not for Cole’s presence, the earliest slot would’ve been months away.

“I haven’t decided mine yet,” you say, swinging your arms up in the air as you yawn, the effects of your morning americano already wearing off. Blinking sleepily, the bright lights of a building looming in the distance catch your eye. 

Huh. You squint a little, reading the words off the top. Borg Industries.

“Is that a big company around here?” Holly blinks, glancing from you to the big neon signboard in the sky. 

“You’re joking.”

The shrug you offer in return draws a snort of disbelief. “Borg Industries? The most innovative, cutting-edge tech alive? They make everything! Over two-thirds of the city uses Borg Industries products. What I would kill to sneak a look in their lab.” 

“Someone’s a fan,” you say sarcastically, flinching when she practically jolts upright. 

“Oh no, I’m not just a fan, I’m a fanatic.”

She halts in her tracks. “Actually, why don’t you do your project on it?”

You hum thoughtfully, mulling over the suggestion. “Sure,” you reply with a shrug. “Why not?”

“You can ask me anything,” she all but jumps in front of you with an excited smile. “I’ve been studying their stuff since I was a kid! My mom used to work for them, but she left because she got pregnant with my brother.”

“If I have any questions, you’ll be the first person I call. Or text. Most likely text.” The assurance makes her laugh, continuing the walk to the university. 

Luckily, today just has a few morning classes so you’re able to finish by 2pm. The iced latte you’d gotten on the way had been your primary source of fuel throughout the lectures and project discussions, chugging down the last of it as soon as class concluded. 

“That’s weird, what’s he doing here?” Glancing over at Holly, you follow her squinted gaze to a tall boy leaning against the wall next to the campus entrance. “What the fuck- Leo??”

You glance over, curiosity piqued. He looks up just as you approach, greeting Holly with a playful grin. “Hey, sis! You forgot your—” He pauses mid-sentence, his gaze landing on you. For a moment, you feel a chill, as if he’s sizing you up, but then he shakes it off, the charming smile returning.

He pushes himself off the wall, walking over to your friend with an air of effortless confidence. “Here you go,” he says, handing her a small package with a flourish, his demeanour playful and light.

“Thanks! You didn’t have to come all the way here,” she replies, genuinely grateful.

He shrugs, a cheeky glint in his eye. “Couldn’t let you go without your snacks, now could I?” He turns to you, his expression warm but with a hint of mischief. “And you must be the infamous friend I’ve heard so much about. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Infamous?” You question, fist-bumping him. “Not the wildest description I’ve ever gotten. I’m satisfied with that.” 

He pauses, turning to glance at his sister with a sceptical eye. “How’d you get someone as cool as her to be your friend? What’d you do, blackmail them?”

You grin. 

This is insanely validating. I like him.

“I did not,” Holly huffs, her cheeks flushing as she pushes her brother away with an embarrassed smile. “I gotta go for my elective now, have a safe trip home!” You wave her off with an amused smile, watching Leo protest vehemently to his sister. 

Upon reaching home, you quickly take a shower and change into a more relaxed fit. If you were gonna get beat up during a spar, you’d at least do it wearing lighter clothing.

A knock on your door draws your attention. Opening it reveals Emily holding a cup filled with a liquid so hot you can see the steam coming off the surface in wisps. “I made some tea for you.” Her voice is hesitant. 

Not again, you sigh internally. Every now and then she’d approach you with something like cookies or cake as a peace offering. You’ve always rolled your eyes and shut the door in her face.

However, you hesitate. Would it truly be so bad to accept it…? 

“It’s yuzu tea,” she interjects quickly, seizing the moment your silence creates. “I saw your friend’s mother today and gave her a whole tumbler. I was also hoping you could join us at the restaurant downtown for your dad’s birthday. I know you usually celebrate just the two of you, but… maybe this time we could celebrate together?”

Your heart sinks, frustration rising beneath the surface. Of course she’d ask for something in return. Stop pretending to be my mom. I never asked you to.

A part of you stops the harsh words from spilling past your lips, pressing them together. You know you’re being completely unfair to her, the recently opened wound beginning to throb. 

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

She blinks owlishly at your calm reaction, her hands remaining in the same position even after you remove the cup from her hands and drink from it. “Thanks,” you manage to say, angling yourself to squeeze past her figure in the hallway and walking to the door. 

Cole’s confession flashes through your mind as you glance at your dad who’s adjusting his tie in the mirror, steps slowing to a halt as you watch him hum in the bathroom.

“Hey munchkin, looking forward to your lesson today?” He spots you from the corner of his eyes, turning to you with a bright smile. 

You nod, adjusting your collar. “Yeah, thanks for signing me up for them.” 

His hands freeze, brows furrowed in pure confusion. Hiding a chuckle, you continue to the door, putting on your shoes and leaving quickly before they start asking questions. 

The phone rings in your pocket when you’re on the bus. Picking it up, you press it close to your ear as you alight, tapping the transit card on your way off. “Hello?”

“Class is cancelled today, Master Wu had to rush off to an appointment.”

“Oh.” You pull the phone away for a moment to see Cole’s name on the screen. “Why’re you the one calling me though?”

“We bumped into each other, but he forgot to let you know. He did tell me that dinner would be on us next time you come over after lessons though. Not like he’s paying me to cook anyway,” he grumbles at the last bit.

You hum in acknowledgement. “To be honest, I’m kinda…on the way already.” You admit.

“How near are you?”

You hesitate, your steps slowing to a halt. “Like…Right below the huge-ass mountain near? It’s chill though, I can just take the bus home.”

“No,” he pauses. “Just come on up. The rest of us are having Game Night, and we could use one more player.”

“Well…” You hum, glancing at the stairs. “If you say please, maybe I’ll consider it-”

“Please.”

Oh. Well, that was fast.

“You’re no fun, you know that, right?”

“You’re the one going up the stairs, aren’t you?” 

You pause, glancing down at the number of steps you’ve already walked. “Damn you, Brookstone.” His sharp laugh cuts off when you press the red button to hang up, continuing the climb with a roll of your eyes.

Reaching the doors of the monastery takes a significantly shorter amount of time than you’d expect, but it’s more likely due to the increased levels of physical activity through the amount of walking you do every day and Master Wu’s classes.

The couch potato in you is still not sure if you should be grateful for it or not.

Cole’s the one who greets you at the doors, leaning against them nonchalantly while waiting for you to reach. “About time.” He narrowly misses the punch you throw his way. 

“You couldn’t have asked Rocky to pick me up?”

“How could I? He’s resting right now.” You roll your eyes. “So how’s the project going?” He asks, referring to the one you'd been talking about over text a couple nights ago. 

“If you want, I could ask Papa to let you interview him,” Cole grins, taking the bag from you as you bend down to take off your shoes before stepping onto the varnished wooden floors. 

“It’s fine, I've changed companies. Ever heard of Borg Industries?” 

He tilts his head in thought. “I’ve heard about them, yeah. You're gonna do your project on them now?”

Your stomach growls, interrupting your sentence. The room you’re about to pass catches your eye, Cole raising a brow at your grin. Entering the kitchen to grab a snack from the private stash he’d shown you just last week, you eye the various bags of chips on the countertop. 

“You just got back from patrol?” At his nod, you veer toward the fridge and open it, grabbing a packet of frozen dumplings you’d seen him get during a random midnight grocery run at the convenience store nearby.

It’d been the first time you saw each other ever since ‘the talk’, but strangely enough, both of you immediately fell into lighthearted conversation when he asked about your classes.

He grabs the plate from a cupboard above. Spotting his fingers grasping at the edges of the plastic, you can sense the frustration brimming with every movement. Hiding a smile, you nonchalantly walk over and pull it away, examining it with the air of a professional before opening it with a simple tear.

“Call me mistaken but aren't you supposed to have, like, super strength?” 

He chuckles, shaking his head as you dump the soon-to-be delicious snack on the plate. He takes the now-filled plate from your outstretched hand, placing it into the microwave and turning it on.

“Now I just have to do research on Cyrus Borg. You wouldn’t happen to know his assistant or something, would you? That superstar ninjadom power would really come in handy right now, soulmate.” The conversation resumes as easily as it’d stopped, accepting the cup of tea he hands you and take a small sip. 

He takes a sip out of his own cup, shrugging. “I might know one of his assistants.” 

A solid thump echoes through the kitchen as you set down your cup, your gaze turning serious. “You better not be playing with me, Brookstone. I can and will drain you dry during Monopoly.”

“I’m just saying,” he points out, “that favours are a give and take. So, I’ll do you this favour and you do me another.”

“And what exactly is this favour?” Crossing your arms, you eye him with suspicion. 

“It’s no big deal. Just be Kai’s partner for Game Night.”

You blink, regarding him with scepticism. “That’s it? Just be his partner?” He nods, taking another sip. “Sure,” a slow grin spreads across your face. “I’ll do it. Then, you introduce me to this assistant and put in a good word.”

“Sure thing, soulmate.”

You watch him turn to take out the dishes from the dishwasher below the countertop, smiling softly. It’s almost insane how quickly everything had blown over. If not for him initiating the talk, you’re a hundred percent sure you would’ve continued to run away again and again until you’d been cornered.

In a way, you’re grateful for him. The whole romantic part of it would be sorted out by your future selves but for now? Being friends isn’t so bad. He sets the plate down, picks up a pair of chopsticks you’d set aside for use earlier and grabs a dumpling. 

You’re too preoccupied with your thoughts to notice he’d placed it closer to you, having poked a small hole to let the hot steam escape. “Gonna eat?” He asks through a mouthful, gesturing to the plate.

You pick up your chopsticks and pick up the dumpling closest to you, blowing on it to cool it down before taking a bite, and chewing slowly. Glancing up, you notice him looking away hurriedly. “What?” You ask with a blank stare. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Yeah, it’s over here.” He gestures to his left cheek and you use your knuckle to rub against the spot. “You missed it,” he huffs in amusement, leaning forward. Automatically closing your eyes as he draws near, you wait patiently. 

“Is it off yet?” His touch is almost feather-like, barely sensing it against your skin before you hear him sit back down in his seat. Hearing what you assume to be a sound of agreement, you open your eyes, only for them to widen at his red cheeks and teary eyes.

He uses his chopsticks to gesture at the hot dumplings as he chugs down a bottle of water, exhaling shakily when he finishes. “Hot.” Is all he can muster, roughly wiping away the tears while you dissolve into a fit of laughter.

After your initial laughter subsides, you let out a chuckle every now and then, continuing to eat. “Didn’t know you were here!” Looking up, you greet Jay with a casual wave as he saunters into the kitchen with a smug air about him.

“Heard you’re playing tonight. Prepare to get wrecked!”

“Please,” you scoff playfully, shoving off the arm he’d slung around your shoulders. “All the energy for my cancelled class is gonna go towards killing you guys off in Charades.”

“Don’t count your roosters before they hatch,” he shrugs in response, using Cole’s chopsticks to steal a dumpling. “Whose team are you on, anyway? Cole’s?”

“Kai’s.”

His arm freezes, and you can practically hear every muscle in his neck creak as he looks at Cole in silence. “...Kai?” He glances back down at you, his gaze filled with sorrow. “What did this despicable man do to make you agree?”

His arms are flung around your shoulders once more, but this time it’s in pity. “Wha- What did you make me agree to??” You demand, swivelling back toward Cole who simply smiles innocently as Jay pats your back.

Scowling at him, you bite down harshly on another dumpling, eyeing him in disbelief. Surely it wouldn’t be that bad, right? You don’t know what’ll happen or why Jay’s behaving this way, but surely it’s not terrible…

Right?

— — — — — 

“How the fuck are we getting negative points???” 

You can’t help the scoff of pure, utter bewilderment as you stare at the board in front of you. Turning to glare at Kai, he crosses his arms defensively. “Don’t blame me, you’re the one who couldn’t guess seagull.”

“In what universe was that a sea-” Cutting yourself off, you exhale, pinching the bridge of your nose as you try to calm down. “A seagull has two wings and a beak. Not an amalgamation of parts from Willy Wonka’s Factory.”

“That’s what I drew! Two wings and a beak and a body!” He splutters, the offended expression on his face instantly making you lose whatever remaining hope you have for the night ahead.

A snicker from the left draws your attention, turning to see Cole, Jay, and Nya instantly masking their expressions. They raise their brows in sync as if it were your idea to team up with Kai in the first place.

Your fingers curl into a fist, wanting nothing more than to march over to your stupid, dumb soulmate, and grab his collar, shaking him till he admits he’s wronged you. Unfortunately, reality sinks in when he stands up for his turn.

You watch as Jay and Nya cheer when Lloyd gets the charades right, Kai sulking next to you. “Fuck it,” you declare, grabbing his arm and pulling him to sit back upright. “We’re gonna beat these losers.”

“Those are some fightin’ words,” Nya pipes up, Jay giving her arm a squeeze in encouragement. 

“Yeah, I don’t know about you but based on facts…” Lloyd trails off, pointing at the whiteboard as Cole uses a red marker to write down yet another point under their names, “we’re in the lead. And you know the rules-”

“I actually do not-”

“Losers treat the next group dinner.” Cole cuts you off, finishing Lloyd’s sentence as he grins maniacally at you. 

Blinking, you can feel the last bits of your dignity slipping away from under you. Your partner and you exchange glances, fist-bumping each other. “Well, looks like you’ll have to get more sponsorships because we’ll be enjoying the entire restaurant menu on you guys.” 

“Sure,” Jay snorts, waving dismissively. “On us. As if you’ll be able to beat Nya and me at Jenga.”

— — — — — 

“You cheated.”

You shrug with an air of innocence. “Poor Jay…Sad, sad little Jay who couldn’t keep the tower from collapsing in on itself…Playing Jenga with a degree in Engineering and still losing…” Kai sighs sadly with a shake of his head, bending down to pick up the scattered pieces.

“Ugh-” Jay splutters, throwing his hands up in the air. “You cheated somehow, and I’m going to prove it. Zane!”

“From my calculations, it seems that she really did beat you, Jay. She tricked you by-” You cut him off with a loud hush, shaking your head urgently even as he mumbles out a response from below your hands covering his mouth. 

“A magician never reveals their secrets.” You glare at Cole when he gently removes your hands from Zane’s face, the latter now able to speak properly. “What do you want, Brookstone?”

“Just for you to let Jay marinate in his loss.” He chuckles, helping you stand back up. He ignores his friend’s cry of outrage, taking the Jenga bricks from your hand. Kai stands up too, dumping whatever he has into Cole’s hands before sauntering off to the coffee table with a victorious grin.

“Everyone,” Pixel gasps, standing upright from her initial place on the couch. The room falls silent, tension cutting through the air as all eyes turn to her. “I tracked down the villain’s hideout. We need to go now.”

The playful banter evaporates, replaced by a rush of adrenaline and urgency. Cole’s expression shifts from playful to serious in an instant, and you can feel the weight of the moment pressing down. “Are you sure?” he asks, his voice steady but laced with concern.

Pixel nods, her excitement palpable. “I’ve got the location and everything. This could be our chance to finally confront them.”

“You wanna come along?” Surprised by his sudden invitation, you grin. 

“If you insist.” 

“I didn’t but, okay-” He lets out a slight cry when you hit his arm with a scowl. You take a surprised step back when Pixal lifts up the dartboard attached to the wall, pressing a button that reveals a hidden lift. 

“Wait, you’re letting a civilian tag along?” Lloyd asks, placing an arm in front of you before you enter it. 

“It’ll be fine, she’s been taking lessons from Master Wu. Besides, it’d be great to have experience!” Kai points out. 

You nod along. “Yeah, what he said. Besides, I’m not just a civilian. I can hold my own,” you retort, crossing your arms defiantly. “I want to help.”

Cole steps closer, his tone firm yet encouraging. “She’s right, Kai. We need all the hands we can get. Besides, she knows what’s at stake here.”

Lloyd sighs, his arm lowering reluctantly. “Fine. But if anything goes sideways, you’re getting out of there.”

Pixal beams at you, the lift doors sliding open with a soft hum. “See? It’s gonna be fine! Just think of it as a field trip.”

As you step into the lift, you feel a mix of excitement and apprehension swirling in your stomach. The doors close, and the lift descends quickly, the sound of machinery humming around you.

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” you ask, trying to distract yourself from the rising tension. “And out of curiosity, am I considered an honorary ninja after this?”

Cole cringes, shaking his head at your bad attempt at lightening the mood. “Maybe after you defeat the Overlord single-handedly or have an attack that’s targeted at you.”

“Or have an arch-nemesis out to get you,” Lloyd (unhelpfully) chimes in.

“Let’s move!” Zane calls out, adjusting his gear as he steps into the lift behind you. “We can’t let this opportunity slip away.”

Jay grins widely. “Yeah! Let’s catch those bad guys!” His eagerness is infectious, and you can’t help but smile through the sudden nervousness making itself known in the depths of your stomach.

Pixal quickly outlines the plan. “We’ll split into two groups. Lloyd and Cole will take the east side while Kai and Zane cover the west. Jay and Nya, you’ll cover the entrance to make sure they can’t run. If you find anything suspicious, signal each other.”

“Got it!” Jay replies, cracking his knuckles. “I’m ready to show those crooks who they’re dealing with!”

The journey over is quick, all of them using their own vehicles while Cole lets you ride Rocky with him once more. The briny smell of the seawater hits your nose before the docks come into view, grimacing at the scent. 

“Smells like piss.” Cole hums in agreement at your comment, diving down and landing. Once you disembark, Rocky dematerializes. The remaining vehicles come to a stop next to you. 

“Stay sharp,” Kai reminds everyone, his expression serious. “If we see anything out of the ordinary, we regroup immediately.” You take the earpiece he hands to you, taking a step back when a screen materialises in front of your eyes. 

“Hello. Do not be alarmed, this is merely a scanner to help detect and zoom in on anything we might find.” Pixal’s voice makes itself known in your ear, glancing around to see the rest already prepared to get in position.

“Let’s move out!” Cole whispers, nodding toward the entrance of the warehouse. You follow closely behind, your heart racing with each step. In fact, you’re not entirely sure you’re breathing at all. 

As you approach the massive doors, you can see the dim light filtering through the cracks, casting ominous shadows on the ground. Cole raises his hand to signal for a moment of pause. 

“On three,” he murmurs, his voice steady. “One… two… three!”

With a collective effort, you all push open the heavy doors, the sound of creaking metal echoing in the silence. As the doors swing wide, you expect to be greeted by the sight of henchmen or the stolen goods you’ve been hunting for. Instead, you’re met with…nothing.

The warehouse is empty.

“Shit,” you breathe, stepping further inside, eyes scanning the vast, open space. Shadows dance along the walls, but there are no signs of life. No stolen items, no villains, nothing but an unsettling quiet.

“Where are they?” Kai asks, his voice filled with disbelief. “They should’ve been here!”

Cole’s brow furrows as he surveys the area. “They couldn’t have just vanished. There must be something…”

Pixel, still communicating through your earpiece, adjusts her scanner. “I’m not picking up any heat signatures or movement inside. It’s as if they cleared out completely.”

Cole shakes his head, his determination unwavering. “No, this doesn’t feel right. They wouldn’t just abandon their hideout without a reason.”

A dim light flickers in the corner, catching your attention and drawing you away from the chaos around you as everyone starts to argue. As you step through the plastic shroud that covers the entrance to a separate area, an unsettling chill washes over you. The room is filled with silence, broken only by the faint rustling of your footsteps.

A massive map of Ninjago looms on the wall, its edges frayed and yellowed from the lack of sunlight. Red circles and ominous question marks encircle specific regions, each marked with frantic scrawls of black and red ink. The museum is crossed out, a bold slash that feels more like a threat than a mere ‘X marks the spot’.

“Guys?” you call out, your voice wavering as an unsettling feeling creeps into your gut. As the scanner detects something hidden behind the corner of the map, you feel your pulse quicken. You lean in closer, your heart pounding in your chest as you spot the edge of a photo peeking out.

“What’d you find?” Cole's voice breaks the stillness as he enters the room, pulling the plastic aside with a flicker of curiosity. He steps in, but his expectation for a casual discovery fades when he sees your face contorted in confusion and dread.

With trembling hands, you reach out and gingerly pull the photo free, a sense of foreboding washing over you. As you hold it up, the dim light reveals a bird’s eye view of you at a café, oblivious to the world around you, immersed in your work. The image is haunting, a snapshot of a moment that feels both ordinary and deeply unsettling.

The café looks familiar, but something about the angle of the shot feels invasive as if someone was watching you from afar, hidden in the shadows. You notice the way your focus is entirely on your laptop, unaware of the eyes that might have been tracking your every move.

“Is that…?” Cole starts, his voice trailing off as he takes a step closer, peering at the photo with wide eyes. The room feels colder now, the air thickening with the weight of unspoken fear.

“What the fuck?” you whisper, the realisation dawning on you like a dark cloud. This wasn’t just a coincidence; someone had been watching you. “They know me? They’ve been watching me?”

Something clatters to the ground as the plastic shroud is pulling away once more, each ninja entering one by one. “What’s wrong?” Nya asks, noticing the sudden change in your demeanour. 

Everyone falls silent when you hold up the photo with a blank expression for them to see. They have similar reactions, looking at you with grave eyes before Jay breaks the silence. 

“Guess you’re an honorary ninja now.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

“Is what I’m seeing real, or am I just dreaming?” Jay slaps his wrist, hissing in pain when it stings. “Nope. Real, definitely real.”

“Shh!” Nya hushes him, excitement bubbling over as she grips the edges of the doorway. Her eyes widen as Cole pokes a hole in the dumpling, lifting it with a flourish before placing it down near you. “I bet she’s his soulmate. She has to be!”

“No shit,” Jay mutters sarcastically, but his tone shifts when he notices Nya’s raised brow. “But isn’t he all ‘Oooh, I’m big and buff and strong, I don’t need a soulmate because I’m sooo independent’?” He rolls his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

Nya presses a hand over her mouth, desperately stifling a laugh at his poor imitation. “Look at them! They’re so sweet,” she sighs, fanning her flushed face.

“Yeah, they remind me of us,” Jay murmurs dreamily, only to blink when Nya glares at him. “What?”

“Don’t you remember how our first date went?” The reminder makes him stiffen, a sheepish laugh escaping him. He squeezes her arm, his eyes pleading for her to drop it.

“Oh!” His wish is granted as Nya’s attention shifts back to the scene unfolding before them. They both watch as Cole leans over the table, fingers hovering hesitantly above your cheek.

“Is it off yet?” you ask, oblivious to the sudden tension in the air. Cole’s face flashes with panic as he quickly brushes off whatever it is before sitting back down, fanning his flushed cheeks.

In that split second when you open your eyes, Cole grabs an unpoked dumpling and pops it into his mouth whole before letting out a pained grunt.

“What is he doing??” Nya practically whisper-shouts, her eyes wide in disbelief.

“Well,” Jay allows himself a moment of smug satisfaction as he watches Cole immediately regret his life choices, chugging down the entire jug of water, “at least now you know who’s more lame.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

Taglist: @candyquokka @mossy-mika @em-100-blog @cursedreader @alicesmile1 @alexa24 @raegreenie4 @burdeningbitch @viennasthings @cadencannot @ml3czqo @nanasemo @certified-cole-simp @beescomet @theblindhag @mitbin24 @sweetlittlebumblebree @brooklyniswriting @cantbecreative @something-else3 @iinlovewithfictionalppl @itz-moonlight @jebesovovise @ryeheep @letthelightin2112 @classically-bored @clearlawyereaglewobbler @anajellyc <-(So sorry i genuinely forgot to tag you!!!! forgive me pls 🙏🏻🙏🏻)

[abstractpenny]

Okay, so I've been thinking about it and I don't think we're actually all that cooked with Joe Biden dropping out.

If you don't know, Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election. He is no longer running. BUT Kamala Harris, the current VP, is taking his place as the Democratic candidate for this election.

Looking at this, you may say something like "Oh no, we're done for. We're doomed." But if you think about it, this is actually an unbelievably intelligent and strategic move. In fact, this gives me a lot of hope that I didn't have before.

Obviously, this move is a last resort. They knew if they kept running with Biden they would lose. It means the Democratic party is pulling out a final weapon. But it's honestly a damn good one.

Before this happened, it seemed hopeless. Our two options were two old rich white men, one of which is an awful public speaker and the other is a literal criminal. And, because of that, you got people choosing not to vote or choosing to vote for Trump. Because which of the two evils is more appealing?

Donald Trump is a wonderful public speaker. He is charismatic and charming. He knows how to get people on his side. He's spent his whole life learning how to be a strong public speaker. That's what makes him scary. That's what made it so he won the 2016 election, so he almost won the 2020 election, and why he's still in the conversation today. He knows how to speak in an appealing way.

Joe Biden is honestly an awful public speaker. He struggles with gathering people to be on his side. Whether it's because he has a stutter/speech impediment or because he's dealing with dementia, he's still not good at public speaking. That makes him weak in things like debates and in politics. We saw that with our own eyes during the last debate.

Kamala Harris, while maybe not as strong of a speaker as Donald Trump, is very knowledgeable and self assured. She knows how to debate, she knows how to be a politician. She knows what she's doing. She's strong and confident. She may be our final hope.

A lot of why people aren't going in to vote is because it felt useless to do so, especially to people on the left. Donald Trump is out of the question for a lot of people, but Joe Biden isn't much better to many. They're both old as fuck, about 80 years old. They're both straight white cis men who have higher incomes. They're not aligned at all with what a lot of people on the left view.

Harris is significantly more relatable to a lot of people. She's a woman of colour. A good percentage of the United States population is one of those, either a person of colour or a woman. She's also younger than both Biden and Trump by almost 20 years. Yes, she's still 60 years old, but that's absolutely nothing compared to our other candidates.

Another thing that brings Biden out of favour with the left is how he handled and backed specific foreign wars (Ukraine and Palestine specifically). The Palestine Israel war is a very strong thing on the left, it's very talked about, and a lot of people view Biden as 'om the wrong side' of it. And, although Harris was the VP of the Biden administration, she's not very tied in to the wars from public view.

Harris is a great candidate other than a few minor minor minor things. She's leagues better than our dropped out ex candidate and our currently running candidate. One of the biggest hurdles for her, though, is going to be racism and sexism. It's always there. Oh, and the fact that her opponent had an assassination attempt on him, but that's a whole other can of worms.

Kamala Harris coming into this race may change things completely. We're not as screwed anymore. There's hope.

You. Whoever may read this. Go vote. It's crucial. Vote if you can. If you can't, get people to vote who can. This is the most important election in a long time.

We can win.

[sagesparrow394]

Mariana’s been struggling recently. She and her boyfriend of two years, Foolish, recently broke up. They’re on okay terms, but it’s very awkward. What makes it even more awkward is the two still live together. Mariana has plans to move out, but finding somewhere to rent in her budget has been hard.

He’s started playing video games more often to get his mind off of things. Eventually, he downloads a strange dating simulator called ‘Zip Bomb’, where your romance options are a colourful cast of inhuman characters.

Mariana chooses to pursue the character ‘Slimecicle’, a cute guy who is a humanoid slime. As she plays, she gradually realises that this game’s AI is… smart. Rather than picking from restricted dialogue options, Mariana is able to type or connect a microphone and give her own. Slimecicle remembers what she tells him, no matter how personal. He also doesn’t respond with generic pre-written dialogue, it’s all too specific to their conversations. Mariana is taken aback when Slime starts to talk like he knows he’s in a game, but brushes it off as the game having a purposeful meta twist. This assumption gets solidified when Slime begins to access her files.

Mariana starts to become borderline obsessed with the game. He knows it’s all fake, but after such a difficult break up, he’s desperate to find some kind of romantic connection anywhere - even if it’s a fictional crush on a pixelated slime guy. Slime’s funny, he’s sweet, he’s protective… and just so lifelike.

It doesn’t take long for Foolish and Mariana’s other friends to notice how reclusive she’s getting, how she’s spending literally all her free time outside of work shut in her room and playing this game. They decide to hold an intervention, telling her that her relationship with the game is not healthy and she needs to get back to interacting with real people. Mariana reluctantly agrees to delete the game.

When he goes home, he sits in front of the computer, preparing to delete it… but he can’t. He can’t delete Slime without saying goodbye. He opens the game, and there Slime is, a grin on his face. Before Mariana can even say anything, Slime is shushing him, saying he needs to show him something. An audio file downloads itself onto Mariana’s computer: ‘DoNotReadMe.wav’. It’s a love song - a few of the lyrics are a little ominous, but overall Mariana finds it really sweet. His heart breaks, knowing what he has to do now.

Mariana starts trying to explain to Slime that she has to delete the game. It’s hurting her in the long term. She needs to reconnect with the real world. She needs to be with someone who’s real.

Slime doesn’t say anything. There’s a long pause. Mariana can’t even bear to look at the screen, she can’t make eye contact with Slime.

Come on, Mariana, this is stupid, she tells herself. You don’t need to feel bad for this, for him, he’s not even real…

She finally looks up

To see Slime’s hands have reached out of the screen, gripping the sides of the monitor

Mariana screams, falling back off his chair and onto the floor as Slime pulls his head and torso out of the screen.

“There! I can be real for you! I can be anything for you, Mariana!” Slime’s bit-crushed voice chirps as he continues to pull his pixelated form out of the computer, and as Mariana stares up at him in horror

[a-living-canvas]

Pomegranate stains

Whumpee struggled against the restraints in frustration. Whumper was standing across from them, leaning their body on the wall. They were just observing  their new friend who apparently doesn't like to be tied and stared at, which Whumper did just that. The room was filled with the sounds of metal clanking together and Whumpee's heavy breathing.

Whumper sighed as Whumpee eventually stopped their useless attempt to free themselves. They looked at Whumpee straight in the eyes, almost piercing through their souls. Whumpee frowned,

"Stop looking at me like that, you sicko."

Whumper blinked their eyes once at that before continuing staring at Whumpee's pretty eyes. The colour, the eyelashes, the constricted pupils, the lickable— oh, did they say lickable? They might do just that. For as long as they knew, Whumpee's eyes did look delicious to them.

To Whumper, it's the texture. How it could easily roll on their tongue. Whumper would lick it layer by layer, without leaving an inch of the eyeball untouched. The thought of it made them feel…excited.

Whumper walked closer to Whumpee. Their steps were slow and steady, Whumper almost in a trance as they couldn't stop looking at those gorgeous eyes. Whumpee backed away slightly, pushing themselves to the wall. That wasn't long until Whumper pulled on their leg roughly, making Whumpee slide down on the cold floor. 

They tried to sit back up again when Whumper straddled their thighs and pushed one hand to their chest. "Get off of me!" Whumpee shouted angrily. They grabbed Whumper's wrist that was holding their chest before their eyes widened in fear upon noticing the look on Whumper's eyes. 

Whumper was looking at them with pure lust. The moment Whumpee stopped thrashing around, Whumper leaned down leisurely to their face. They looked at each other's eyes for a few seconds. Whumpee nearly thought that Whumper was going to kiss them. But then Whumper brought his thumb and index finger to Whumpee's eyes. Their eyes got stretched up and down as Whumper tried to keep it open. 

"W-what are you doing?! It's hurts—"

"Shh…just relax, okay? Just let me do this to you." Whumper kissed Whumpee's forehead, as if that would make the situation any better for Whumpee.

Whumper looked at Whumpee's eyes for the last time as their breathing got heavier. The moment their tongue made contact with Whumpee's cornea, Whumpee flinched before they screamed in agony. Their legs were kicking uncontrollably as their hands pushed against Whumper's chest. 

Whumper didn't budge, not even an inch. If anything, they started licking the eyeball as many times as they could until Whumpee's eye was covered with their tears and saliva.

"Stop! Stop! You disgusting…!" 

Whumper leaned back slightly while chuckling. They licked their lips as they looked at Whumpee's now red eye. The thought of using their teeth to pull Whumpee's eyes from its sockets ran across Whumper's mind, making them feel something again. But they shook their head quickly from that dangerous space of their mind.

Whumper sighed as they looked down at Whumpee, caressing the side of their face.

"Would you be okay, if I took your eyes out?" Whumper asked with a gentle tone. Whumpee stared at them in disbelief.

"Did you…just ask me that?"

Whumper chuckled, "I need your consent, darling…"

"Oh, so you need my consent now?"

Whumper nuzzled Whumpee's neck before asking, "Which one do you prefer? A spoon, my fingers…or my teeth?"

Whumpee swallowed hard. All three of them were bad, and they really didn't want to be blind for the rest of their life. Whumper smiled wickedly,

"Come on darling…! The clock is ticking! You don't want me to choose now, do you?"

Whumpee let out a shaky breath before they started pleading, "Please…I beg you! Let me keep my eyes! Please—"

"Shh…you only beg when I ask you to beg. Now, choose your candy."

Whumpee breakdown crying. "Please…please! I don't want this..! I'm scared!"

Whumper rolled their eyes before they got off of Whumpee and walked upstairs to grab a spoon. They could easily use the right tool but they just wanted to add more on Whumpee's suffering. As soon as Whumper walked into the basement again, they pushed Whumpee's head to the wall.

"W-wait wait! At least do it while I'm unconscious please!"

Whumper smirked before leaned down to whisper into Whumpee's ear,

"But oh darling, I need you to be there to see the result. Now, stay still."

~

Part 2

[4dkellysworld]

I’m really struggling to realize self when all I feel is sadness for a variety of reasons. One is the fact that I know this information and don’t apply it “correctly” the other is feeling detached from everything else but the heartbreak I endured this year from an ex and failing to detach myself and accept it or the situations that caused pain from it

I understand, I was like you a few months ago. There were some painful things that no matter how much I tried to tell myself it wasn't real, it just had too much of an emotional charge and imprint to let go of and detach from. This is where I felt I had to deviate from 4dbarbie and find my own way to address this - ignoring it didn't feel right and kept me stuck. I really recommend you read this post first of all which describes what I did to let go of them. And here's an exercise you can do for releasing those (so long it's not something that will retraumatize you if you bring it up, if this is the case, I highly recommend going to a therapist for help for these):

Find a nice quiet private space where you are free to be as emotional as you can be. You can do this exercise while sitting or even lying down, whatever feels comfortable.

Deliberately think of whatever hurts or bothers you - it's okay, you're doing this to let go of them for good and be free. They aren't here anymore. It's not in the present anymore.

(this can be done during/after step 4 or 5 if you feel unable to accept it at the start, do what feels right) Accept what has happened. Accept there's nothing you can do to change what happened and let go of wanting to change anything. It is what it is. All you can choose now is to be free of it and let it go for good. Accept whoever/whatever hurt you as they are. If you have any grievances/regrets/grudges or such, choose to let it go and forgive everything including yourself (I highly recommend you read this post for why this is helpful as it's very relevant to your question too). Accept yourself as you were then and are now. Accept everything as it is.

Notice the thoughts, emotions and sensations that come up - don't deny or resist them, let them come up and let them be. You can cry or get angry, it's okay. Accept them all without identifying with them, it's just old stuff coming up to be released. Just keep your awareness on those sensations and watch them.

Imagine there's a window from your body where you feel the emotions/pain/resistance/sensations and that you're inviting and allowing them to leave - you don't need to force it to leave, it will leave or dissolve on its own as you continue watching it and letting everything be. You can imagine it all leaving in coloured smoke if you'd like, whatever colour feels appropriate and comes to mind. It's just energy leaving your body. (I did this in therapy a few years ago and it actually helped me release some major things that I hadn't been able to do so any other way)

Keep doing this until it's all gone and you feel nothing when you think of whatever was bothering you, what's left is peace :)

It's not necessary to do this for every single thing, just what you feel unable to let go of no matter how hard you try. At some point you'll find a lot of peace and quiet inside (this will also help quiet the mind a lot) and then you'll intuitively know when you're ready to completely detach from everything.

If you feel led to learn more about this practice, feel free to check out The Sedona Method book on my google drive. I don't recommend reading the whole thing unless you want to, just look for what you need in the book and apply it.

[positivelybeastly]

I'm just curious what the Beast and Abigail Brand relationship is like? (I haven't really read any of the x men comics until now.)

Ouaghhhhh . . . okay, so.

Full disclosure, I am a late comer to the truth of Wonderbeast, and, in fairness, I have an excuse! My trajectory for getting into Beast was reading him in X-Treme X-Men and New X-Men in the early 00s, then falling out of comics for a good long while until X-Men: First Class got me back in. When I got back home from watching the movie, the very first thing I did was go on Amazon, and type in 'X-Men comics.'

This was the very first result I got.

That is my legit Amazon purchase history right there, by the way. December 2011, verified, right there for you.

I bought the first volume, consumed it voraciously, then bought the other three volumes rapid fire. I still have them.

And this is how the Beast/Brand pipeline begins.

When we meet Hank in Astonishing X-Men, he's at a very rough place in his life, still. His best friend, Jean Grey, has recently died, he's still struggling with his anxieties and insecurities over his secondary mutation, still reeling from the psychic attack by Cassandra Nova, and, as if to rub salt in the wound, he's presented with the simplest solution to at least most of his problems.

A cure.

Because let's be real here - we can call it a mutant gift all we want, but some people have it worse than others. Beak, Glob Herman, Maggott, Dummy, Forget-Me-Not, Beast - these people have powers that suck exponentially more than Storm or Cyclops or Emma Frost. They just do. And I am well aware of the fact that this is a nuanced discussion, that Scott has to wear his glasses/visor, and that Ororo has to maintain control over her emotions so that she doesn't wreck the weather systems, I get that. I know that.

But.

It always hits me, the fact that Logan cannot respond to Hank's point specifically. He cannot argue that Hank's X-gene specifically makes him dangerous, because to do so would be fucking insulting - all he can do is blow it out to a macro level, and make it about Hank's status as an X-Man, about the fact that an X-Man admitting that some mutants just want to be cured and all that implies would be a massive blow to everything they represent.

And that is a point, one that has to be weighed up, but you can't act like this isn't literally dehumanising for Hank. Logan literally says he's not a human being, he's an X-Man - his duty outweighs his right to peace of mind and humanity.

Also, no, I don't care that Hank 'did this to himself.' Hank turned himself blue and furry, yes, and he made his peace with that.

But he did NOT choose to mutate into a feline monster with less fingers, new predatory instincts, less humanity. This is a nuance that is almost always lost in this conversation - Sage made this choice for him, and that will always colour this stage of Hank's life. It's very well likely that he might've chosen to go ahead with the mutation anyway, to save his life, but it doesn't matter because he never got the chance.

Treating Hank's different mutations as broadly the same, despite the fact that they are eminently different and they make him feel differently, is one of the many nuances that is often lost by both writers and the fandom at large, and it makes him a less complex character as a result. It is important that classic Hank would not have chosen to cure himself, but feline Hank would. That is important.

This probably seems like I'm getting off track, but I promise you I'm not. This is all vital context for this relationship.

So, the cure is destroyed, although Hank has one sample of it sitting in his lab by the end of the story.

Now, by this point, Abigail Brand has entered the story. She is, to put it bluntly, an asshole - Nick Fury with less warmth.

It's also vitally important that you know that Hank and Abigail's literal first interaction is him making fun of her. I'm not kidding.

So, we fast forward a little bit, and Cassandra Nova comes back, and. Well.

Hank's literal stated worse fear. Thanks for the second dose of trauma, Nova! Really love that!

This is also very important to their relationship. Swear down. Hank is, unfortunately, an unwilling cannibal, and it's all continuing his increasing alienation and isolation and dehumanisation. For someone who is, I would say, best characterised as a humanist, to become, if you'll forgive the ghoulish joke, a humanitarian, is ego shattering.

Anyway, Hank and Abigail begin to interact more and more as S.W.O.R.D forcibly recruits the X-Men to help them with their problems.

And thus, a. Tension, begins to develop.

Anyway, remember how I said cannibalism would be important?

And things continue to roll along . . .

Oh my . . .

Ouuaughhhhh . . . I love heart on his sleeve Hank . . .

So, what is this all building to? Well . . .

And there it is.

Abigail Brand is a massive monsterfucker, confirmed. Love her for that.

Now, this exchange kinda reads differently now, after all the mud that Hank's been dragged through since the mid-00s, especially with X-Force and everything, but at this point in continuity, Hank was still very much one of the most moral, ethical, well regarded heroes in the entire Marvel Universe. He would often be given maxed out stats for conscience and wisdom in expanded material, people would repeatedly state that he didn't have it in him to kill, that he could be trusted to do the right thing - he was a moral counterweight.

And the fact that Abigail wants him on her side because of that? To be her professional bullshit caller? To bring her up to snuff? That speaks a lot about her, honestly. She is not just a thug. She feels. She cares. She has a sense of right and wrong, it's just distorted sometimes by the wider scale of dealing with intergalactic politics and all the attendant bullshit that goes along with them - and Hank gives her perspective. He grounds her.

And to Hank, this is a fucking brand new epoch. He's just coming off a relationship with Trish Tilby where she explicitly rejected him because his form repulsed and scared and unsettled her - and now, this woman wants him because his form is familiar to her. Because it conforms to her sense of attractive. It gives him an all new perspective. He looks like her people. What must that feel like to Hank?

Suddenly, it isn't, I'm a monster to my fellow humans, it's, to the right people, I look beautiful.

(Well, Abigail would likely not use the word beautiful, but.)

That is immensely attractive! And let's be real here - this is all kinda mercenary, to begin with. Abigail wants to fuck Hank because he's hot, and she wants to work with him because she's trying to be a better person but can't trust herself to do it properly; Hank wants to fuck Abigail because he's lonely and isolated and wants to feel wanted, and he wants to work with her because it's a chance to be a contrarian full time!!! What more could he goddamn want?! Feelings have not yet begun to enter the equation.

But that's fine, because this is fun.

And we can let things cook . . .

And it's clear that it takes a little bit. Feelings are entering the equation, but it's not impossible for things to take a backslide here and there. They don't quite completely trust each other yet. They're cute together! But they're still brittle at this stage.

Things could still break apart - except, Abigail does have a heart.

Look at that smug motherfucker.

What really seals it for me is this, though, from a later arc of Astonishing X-Men.

For someone like Abigail Brand, for whom work is everything, there is no clearer way to say 'I love you' than this. She wanted to protect Hank from the consequences of his actions. She wanted to protect him from the perversion of his work, done with good intentions but perverted for ill. She worked, for months, off the books, on things that weren't her jurisdiction, because of Hank.

There's so much that she's not saying here, but this is the EXACT SAME WOMAN who, if you scroll up, just panels ago, was saying there was NO-ONE she would not sacrifice, no enemy she would not sleep with, if it meant that Earth was safe.

The Earth . . . and Hank, apparently.

That is huge.

Also, they kinda have a kid together? Sort of?

That's Broo, Hank's protege. He happens to be around because of a whole adventure where Hank pulled the X-Men into a Brood related nightmare that ended up producing a mutant Brood with compassion and emotions and empathy.

A Brood related nightmare where Abigail was in danger. And why was she in danger?

Because she was being heroic, huh?

And then there's this . . .

Now, this is from Siege (2015), part of Battleworld, so it isn't quite 616 canon, but it's the exact same writer as S.W.O.R.D, so I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that this is exactly how Abby feels about Hank in 616 as well.

"After McCoy, she will never let herself love anything."

Ouauuhhghhhhh . . . they complete each other, quite frankly. He's the moral counterweight to her pragmatic solutions. She's the realist that reminds the optimist that the world isn't sunshine and daisies all the time. He's the bright, colourful, bounding genius, she's the insanely deadly workaholic who hates you. Enemies to lovers.

This is crack to me, friends. This is crack cocaine.

Also, I reject the idea that they're on-again, off-again. These two were locked in from S.W.O.R.D onward, and I refuse to hear otherwise.

It's incredibly clear to me that the X-Men never understood this relationship, just like how they never really understood what makes Hank tick in general, and so they just make assumptions based on what they think they know, because we're literally never shown these two in the middle of one of their supposed arguments. Every time they're on panel together, they're flirting and backing each other up, consistently, every time. Even during X-Force, Abigail is pretty much the only person that Beast treats with respect, and love, and care. They hug, which is unheard of for that version of the character.

Well. There is one other character evil Beast treats with care.

Man, X-Force #50 was all kinds of gay . . .

Anyway. If it weren't for Simon, Beast/Brand would absolutely be Hank's One True Pairing. As it is?

Hank has two paws. He can hold two hands.

[p4ndawrites]

Always choose you

Dabi x Reader

"Mommy, tell me a story!" The blue-eyed boy said as she smiled, tucking him in before seating herself next to him.

"What would you like to hear, darling?" She smiled as she gave him his Shoto plushie.

"I want to hear about Sage!" He said excitedly, making her heart skip a beat.

Little Sora glanced expectedly as his tiny hands grabbed ahold of his baby blue bedding. The six year old had been obsessed with hearing hero stories recently, even going as far as drawing little pictures of his mother's fictional hero Sage and the bedtime stories she told.

"Okay hun, listen up closely, okay?"

"Mhm!"

She smiled before leaning closer to him, her hand running through his snow white hair as he hummed happily.

"Long, long ago, there lived a girl who wanted to do nothing but be a hero. She always wanted to save people, and she would do anything for that to happen."

"Is she Sage Mommy?"

She hummed in agreement before continuing again

"Sage did her best when it came to her training, working harder and never taking a break. She never gave up no matter how she struggled so that she would be prepared for anything, but nobody prepared her for what happened. Not when she met the big bad villain and fell in love with him. " She giggled at the memory before continuing

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Sage laughed before glancing back at the now glaring Dabi as she kept him pinned to the wall. Something about seeing him enraged made her insides bubble with a sort of pleasure that no one else could ever give her, and she openly bathed in the glow that resonated from the giddiness inside Maybe it's the fact that she finally caught him after this never-ending game of cat and mouse, but the thought of her being in control of this big bad wolf made her beam up at him.

"You're enjoying this way too much,"

"Yes, I am."

Well, not anymore since he swapped places easily before running a hand against her cheek, his hand on her hip growing increasingly hot, causing her to stay still. Gently he ran the heated hand over her hip in an up and down motion and to anyone else they would have seemed like lovers doing what lovers do this late on a Friday night, her melting in his grip while practically begging for him to kiss her but sadly that had been far from the truth.

She smiled before her eyes flashed blue, making him choke. She started playing with the air in front of her, drawing it out from him as he gasped for air. The angle changed now, him resting his head against her shoulder while she whispered 'lovingly' into his ear. Gosh, people really need to stop assuming things when they are watching them kill eachother, there's nothing lovey fovey about this.

"Give up. It's been 2 months. Aren't you tired?" She whispered against his ear before dropping her quirk as he gasped for air. He enjoyed this just as much as she did, and she could clearly see him enjoy the sweet pain that came with every meeting they had. Masochism at its finest...

"Don't act like you don't love it doll" He whispered back, gently nipping her ear while still having his hand against her, letting the heat travel up and down as she nearly died from the contact.

"You know I can end it right now" He watched as her eyes flashed from colour to colour, highlighting the multiple choices she had on sending his burnt butt to the garbage can where it deserved to be.

"But you wouldn't." His hand dropped to her shirt, fiddling with the top button as she gazed at him. True, but she still hated how cocky he sounded.

She wouldn't admit it nor deny it, but gosh, did she love the moments with him. The heated yet amazing moments when they looked as if they might kill or kiss each other. Not that the League of Villains nor the hero society knew about this. Why should they?

At the end of the day, one of them would fall with this mess of feelings, and their just waiting for the ticking time bomb to explode, showing who is the true winner of this war. Slotting her leg between his, she ran her hands through his hair before yanking him towards her as their lips touched.

Now once again this had been a reoccurring situation make out and then beat eachother to death, make out and then burn the recent fashion statement outfit she had taken so much time to pick out, make out and then have him nearly eaten to death by the nature hell hounds that she loved to send after him.

He gasped as she pressed against him more, the two kissing each other with a feeling of urgency as they fell deeper into the mess they created. She pulled away before motioning for him to run as he kissed her cheek before following the rules. They laughed as she created her monsters before letting them chase after him. Yep, she loved this. She loved hi-

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No one prepared them for when this would happen. Her and him met in a situation that both had feared but knew would come. What kind of Romeo and Juliet crap is this?

He stood beside her enemies while his fire danced around in his palms as she stood on the other end with her nature creatures close behind her. They hadn't looked at each other, hadn't said a word, and remained stoic as their leaders screamed at one another, but they knew each other better than that. The slight flicker in his flames or the droopy animals could show how nervous they were. They had been on different sides all the time, but sometimes lines are blurred, and people are hurt, so what made them any different nothing?

The battle had been exhausting, them staying away from eachother while fighting other members of both rival teams had been the best options even though it hurt to see their fallen comrades laying besides eachother but as long as it wasnt them. That was until they pulled the red card, until she had been ordered to kill him, to suffocate him with the lack of air, but she faulted. Biggest. mistake. of. her. life.

Screams and cries were heard as Toga stabbed her, her blood leaking out into the ground, forming tiny flowers where it settled. Dabi screamed before running towards her, frantically shaking her as she smiled. She chose him at the end of the day, and that's what matters.

Not heroism but him. She chose him.

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Sora hugged his doll against him while tears formed in his eyes, making her coo.

"Momma, do they end up together?"

"Yes, love. He managed to save her, and the two had run away together, far from the baddies."

"That's good." He yawned before sliding under the blankets. "Very good.

She smiled as she tucked him in before turning around and motioning for the figure against the wall to stay silent. He followed her as she walked out of the room before engulfing her in a hug, making her laugh.

"You kept out the gory details but sure did endulge in the meet-up Sage, don't you think he's too young for that?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter! Besides, it wasn't that bad. You've done way worse."

"Is that so?"

"Remember the story of you and Shoto literally trying to fry each other? You don't? Well I do, so it counts. Poor boy was terrified. "

She smiled before turning around and glancing at her husband, his hair gone back to its original, matching their son's hair.

"How is she?" He whispered before buying her stomach as she smiled softly at the gesture

"She's fine, how's Shoto?"

"His doing good. He misses you, though,"

"I miss him to"

She smiled before pulling him into a kiss, making him smile against her.

Sure, Sage always wanted to be a hero, but Y/N always wanted him, and nothing would change that.

Nothing would ever change her mind.

copyright © p4ndawrites

Do not steal work or repost as your own

[nanamin-nah-nanamine]

This is for the matchmaking, I'm a non-binary person in my early 20 who is extremely introverted, i struggle with social situations when I'm alone, i also struggle with depression and anxiety which makes life rather hard, i have been diagnosed with autism so when i get interested in something that tends to be my main interest for months if not a year or more. I am a very emotional person i cry at everything and anything honestly, due to being diagnosed with Autism very late in my life i have spent a lot of time masking, to make myself appear as normal as possible, so much so that i don't even know what I'm actually like normally. Even though i am a very anxious person i have a major case of Resting Bitch face, so much so that some of my friends told me they were scared of talking to me at first because they thought i look mean.

I'm a very creative person, i love expressing myself in ways that don't have anything to do with talking, i also love fashion and i usually dress in a mix of goth and comfy clothes, though comfy clothes usually overtake my need to look fancy due to major dysphoria so i usually opt for large hoodies. My hair is currently in a chin long undercut which is a kind of very light pink/purple due to the colour fading over time, i have green eyes, wear glasses and have a septum as well as tattoos. I'm also currently a major in art and Theatre, mostly focused on painting. I am a theater kid at heart, i love musicals and have acted in a few myself. I'm also Pansexual so i will literally just go for anyone I'm interested in no matter the gender.

Hi pookie! I apologize for the wait cause finals were a bitch but they’re finally DONE

Aight now lets get into this

Due to the information provided you will be matched up with…🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

My lovely chosito osito!!(ignore everything that’s happened in 259😀)

Okay now walk with me🚶🏾‍♀️

I feel like you and Choso would really vibe together for numerous reasons. Choso is an eldest sibling so he’s incredibly patient and he’s proven to be very nurturing so I feel as though it would be second nature for him to always be thinking about you and how things might affect you. I think lil homie also has anxiety so he would be able to relate to you on that level, and since so much of this world is completely new to him you guys would be able to bond over the lovely overstimulation of day to day life.

From one autistic person to another I really feel like Choso would understand a lot more than some of the other characters? Idk I just get that vibe from him. He’s very blunt and straightforward, doesn’t cut corners in his explanations and he’s also got one hell of a resting face so I feel like he wouldn’t take lack of expression personally if you’re ever feeling burnt out.

Like I mentioned prior this boy is 🗣️NURTURING

He basically had to sub in as mom,dad,brother for all of those siblings so he’s got you bby don’t worry. I feel like he can be really protective and overbearing at times though but if that crosses a like for you then you just need to let him know. He’s no stranger to tears and he has no problem scooping you up in his arms and letting you cry it out.

If you wanna yap about a new hyper fixation you better believe Choso will listen!! The world is new and exciting and even though the bright lights and media tend to give him headaches, he can’t get enough of you relaying him the information because he’s kinda obsessed with you ngl.

Y’all with be THAT alt introverted couple who everybody is kind of scared of but are actually sweethearts. Once Choso figured out about department stores and piercing parlors it’s over for you bitches.

He thinks your tattoos are so cool and he’s kinda just like fascinated by the entire process. If you ever choose to get more he would wanna go with you but he’d be holding your hand and staring at the tattoo artist like this 😠

I also feel like he would definitely respect your pronouns once he wrapped his head around them because he is just not from this era so it’ll take him a bit😭 it’s genuinely just pure ignorance and not disrespect but he WILL get the hang of it.

Activities you do together include….

•going to see musicals and live theatre(he will be enchanted or overstimulated, it’s a 50/50 on this one)

•staying inside✨(a fan favorite)

•p i e r c i n g d a t e s

•painting!! More or less so him watching you paint but it’s the thought that counts🥰

[jvdeiscool]

ᴍʏᴛʜᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ - xᴀɴᴛʜᴜꜱ ᴄʟᴀɪʙᴏʀɴᴇ ☆

this is a kind of recreation of xanthus’ first episode but with dialogue from the listener and says what’s i think is happening in the audio if that makes sense <33

cw: talk of cannibalism (once), st4bbing scene (again, only once) bl00d and bl00d drinking, tiny nsfw scene if you interpret it as such

gender neutral listener :-) i wrote this without my glasses on so sorry if there are any mistakes D:

if you wanna listen along to his episode: https://youtu.be/9NVb39swQ8Y?si=_3E9bCVR54vlSbvV

“where are you heading too?”

the noise made you jump and turn from where you were walking. you had just finished your late night shift and had closed up shop to finally go home and rest. after dealing with your…unusual coworker and customers who wanted to rip your head off, you were glad to finally be on your way back. you’d thought to take the alleyway by the fast food restaurant you work at for a quicker way home, however someone stopped you in your tracks.

“you must be in a rush to choose this kind of alley to walk down, it’s dangerous to be out alone at this time of night, especially in this type of place where someone can follow you without getting seen.”

the man was right, you were in a rush. his almost hinting remark however made you worry. turning around quickly and hitching your breath, you saw him, his eyes half lidded and a slight smirk on his face. he was quite tall, his hair was light blonde, and he dressed quite elegant for this day and age. dare you say it, he almost looked exactly like his voice.

he must of saw the panic on your face, eyes wide and body tense with fear.

“ah it’s okay, there’s no need to be scared, i won’t hurt you.”

he tried to calm you, taking a few steps forward with his hands up, only for you to start taking steps back quickly out of his reach. you said nothing, expressing what your feeling with your facial expressions.

“only, this alley has one way out, and if you keep walking, it’ll just be a dead end so, i’m going to give you a choice okay?”

this almost threatening demeanour of his made you reach for the knife you had stored in your coat pocket. you’d always carried one around ‘just incase’. you’d never felt safe going outside without at least some support. he kept waking towards you slowly, with you taking steps back. passing by a lamp post, you could finally see his eyes properly for a second, getting a glimpse of the colour. where they…red?

“you can either try to fight me to escape, which you won’t win by the way, or indulge me for a little while.”

both choices seemed near enough dreadful. his words and tone put you off, making you think he was plotting something. he’d stopped walking, but you still kept your distance, ready to run if needs be.

“i’m feeling quite hungry, and you have a cut on your arm don’t you?”

hungry? what was he, a cannibal? all this talk made you uneasy, forcing you to speak for answers.

“how did you-“ you started.

“i have an attuned nose.” he cut you off, smiling, almost knowing that what you were going to say.

he started stepping towards you again, but more quickly with his hand out. you tried to flinch your arm away, but he was too quick, grabbing your arm to inspect the wound. you didn’t dare struggle, instead looking at him up close. he was definitely not human, his eyes were a dark red, shining in the moonlight, and you could see slight fangs when he spoke. he had a tight grip on you, stronger than a human, his skin was deathly pale, and he almost looked mythological.

“it’s rather fresh though.” he observed. “was it a paper cut, or an accident with a knife?”

he questioned you, but instead of letting you answer, he carried on talking, still holding your arm and looking into your eyes. you still had the hold on the knife with your other hand.

“you seem to be quite the clumsy person, or maybe just naive considering you didn’t walk the long way round where there’s light.” he said, gesturing to behind you with his hand where the entrance to the alley was, letting you go gently. you could only stare, focused on what he was going to do next so you could know when to run.

“in here, who knows what you’ll find in the darkness.” he started walking even closer to you, you’d already stared stepping back as a reflex, his tone being more threatening making you uncomfy.

“you want me to show you?” he asked. he was right there. standing. those words must of set you off, as you grabbed for the knife and quickly pierced it through his skin.

you stood still, hand still on the knife as you looked up at him as he only grunted. he seemed…unaffected, making you let go and stepping back quickly.

“well that was a surprise.” he said, you stared in horror and gasped as he pulled the knife out of his stomach so casually and dropped it to the floor, smiling at you. but…how? how was he still standing there like nothing had happened?

“i didn’t think you’d come so prepared but, i can admit when i’m wrong.” he chuckled slightly, and started making his way towards you.

that was it. you had to run. this man was no good. you turned round and took one step to run, only for him to move so quickly through the air, grabbing your shoulders and putting his hand on the back of your head so he wouldn’t hurt you, and pinning you to the wall in one swift movement, knocking the breath out of you and making a noise of pain. you hadn’t even registered what had happened until he started speaking.

“ah ah ah, you made your choice, and i said you wouldn’t win.” he spoke, keeping his grip on you. you tilted your head back up, looking at him with half lidded eyes, trying to get your breath back as he looked down at you.

“but if your equipped with a knife, then i see why you tried.” your mind raced with thoughts. this was all happening so fast.

“i commend you, really.” he said, loosening his grip on you so he wouldn’t scare you. “normally people in this situation would cower or faint, someone did that the other day actually.” he spoke to himself. “but you seem to be holding yourself together quite well.”

you on the other hand, was trying to get your breath back, he pinned you so fast your body didn’t even comprehend what happened. he retracted his hand.

“your out of options.” he spoke sternly, making you look up at him. “now, let me see that cut of yours.” he gently lifted your arm so he could see.

“hm, it’s already healing, i guess it wasn’t that deep.” he observed. “ah it’s an animal scratch isn’t it? smells like it. well, that doesn’t matter anyway.” the way he knew without even putting your arm up to his nose made you wonder. you had managed to get your breath back.

“what- what are you?” you finally spoke to him.

“what am i?” he repeated, before laughing. “you need the whole cape and slicked back hair vibe to figure it out.” he joked. “you look smarter than that!”

he must of saw your face, and spoke.

“i’ll give you a clue.” he said, as he suddenly got closer to your neck and talked in a low voice to your ear. his sudden closeness made you put your hands on his shoulders, ready to push him off.

“right now, i can hear your blood pumping, and it’s only that fast when someone’s scared or exhilarated about something.” he spoke as he retracted his head from your neck. you weren’t sure which one you were, this was all to much to take in.

“you think i’m handsome is that it? your not the first.” he spoke cockily, his attitude matching his voice. if it weren’t for the situation you were in his voice would of made you melt. he looked back at you, still pushing you at the wall gently so you don’t try and run.

“but, you are the first to pull a knife on me which i’m not going to forget anytime soon.” he stated, as he suddenly lifted his hand up, grabbing your chin and peering into your eyes.

“i want to know if there’s anything else interesting about you.” he said gently, looking at you as if he was trying to look inside you. “what else, do you have hidden under your clothes?” he said, glancing at your neck and over your collarbone. “shall i have a peak?” he teasingly said.

he made you panic internally. “you- uhm-“ you said, trying to get the words out, but all your mind focused on was trying to get away from the man. as if almost reading your mind, he spoke.

“well, it’s not really your skin i’m after but what’s flowing beneath it.” he said as he lifted his hand to parts of your neck.

he wants your blood? so does that mean he’s…

“right here.” he gestured, “are the best taps on the body.” he said, stroking your neck, still looking at you.

“some of my kind don’t have a preference between both, but personally, i like the jugular over the crotted.”

that sentence confirmed all your questions. so he is a vampire. at least you knew what you were dealing with now. he carried on talking.

“most people think we just bite anywhere and drink but there’s a sophistication to it, we’re not savages.” he spoke almost offended.

“anyway, enough of me talking, let’s hear you now.” he spoke, getting closer and lifting your head up so he can see your neck. once you realised what was happening, you started to panic. you tried to move away, but he kept his grip on you tight, almost suspecting that you would try to move.

“this is the one i like.” he said, almost purring as he spoke to himself. “but i have to be careful, take too much, and you’ll die, and i don’t want that.”

you spoke up, “your- your not going to kill me?” a strain in your voice as he kept his hold on you.

he hummed, smiling gently at you, “like i said, i won’t hurt you, i just want a drink. but first.”

you suddenly felt a sensation on you as he kissed your neck, making your breath hitch as he hummed to himself. he pulled off.

“ah i can already tell you’ll be sweet.” he said passionately before kissing you again. his voice made your legs buckle slightly as he kept you held up.

“i would tell you to calm down but, i like it when hearts are beating this fast. i can feel it on my lips.” that comment made you melt. he must have a natural charm.

“you’ll feel a slight pinch okay?” he assured into your ear. you just nodded, not entirely sure what was happening and unable to fight anymore.

“don’t hold your breath.”

his teeth sunk into you with ease, making you jolt at the pain but he held you down, keeping you in place so he doesn’t hit anything fatal. the sensation was unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. it was painful but…nice? you eyes shut tightly as you whimpered quietly at the pain. your grip on his shoulders tightened as he drank, him moaning into your neck with thirst.

he pulled off with a gasp, trying to catch his breath.

“god you taste good.” he said almost lewdly as you took in the feeling. “your sweeter than most as well.” he said, savouring the taste of your blood on his tongue. “is it your diet? or maybe you just like sweet things.” he rambled. “well, i’m not complaining.” he said before latching back on to your neck quickly, not giving you time to breathe.

he was desperately hungry, like he’d been longing for the taste of your blood for ages. he held onto you with a feeling of want. you were supposed to escape but…why did you like this?

“it feels good doesn’t it?” he asked, pulling off. “you’d think it would hurt right? it only does when vampires don’t care for their meals and shred the neck like their starved animals.” you couldn’t even hear what he was saying anymore, your body feeling warm and your head all fuzzy. “sometimes i’d like to kill those brats myself, but slaughtering your own kind is frowned upon isn’t it?” he asked you, only to notice your face looking up at the moon.

“i could drink all night, but ill give you some time to breathe okay?” he said, feeling the heat radiating off you, your breathing trying to adjust.

“oh? what’s this? your body’s burning up. that’s not a reaction that normally happens, though, it does if you like what i’m doing.” he asks, smug. you gave him a look that says ‘stop being so full of yourself.’

“come on, be honest with yourself. it’s just me and you, and from what i can hear, there’s no one else around.”

he was right, you did like this. but, obviously, you aren’t going to tell him that.

“i’ll have you know that-“ you took a breath, “this is not enjoyable. it might be for you but not for me.” you weren’t going to tell him what he wanted to hear. he hummed and gave you a smirk.

“you don’t have to lie to yourself, give in.” he said lowly, “hell, i’ll even let you tug on my hair if that’s what you really want.” he said, moving your hands from his shoulders to his hair. you gave him a glare.

“i don’t know what your trying to do to me, but it’s not working.” you said, sick of his smug attitude, too weak to fight him anymore. he only hummed in response.

“your quite cute you know.” he said, inches away from your face.

“that’s only because you want more of my blood.”

“it has nothing to do with feeding, i just find you attractive.” he said as he got closer to your neck. “there’s no harm in a little honesty, is there?” he said, sounding slightly annoyed. you said nothing.

“ah, your bleeding.” he spoke. ‘obviously, you just bit me?’ you spoke in your mind, not saying it out loud. although you can guarantee he can probably read your mind.

“let me help you.” he said, latching onto your neck once again. you’d think he hasn’t been fed in weeks with how much blood he’s taking from you. you reflexly gripped his hair from the puncture in your neck. he hummed in response to you doing so, it must be what he wanted. you were becoming to weak to fight him anymore, so you let him take what he wanted, going along with him.

if you said it didn’t feel good, you would be lying. your breath hitched between your teeth, and you hummed in him going deeper in your neck, him still holding you up and being careful to not hit something he shouldn’t. pulling off in satisfaction from your actions, he smiled down at you.

“ah yes. there we go. submit, and i’ll make it feel even better.” he whispered. he grunted as you suddenly tugged his hair, his head flying back. he laughed in response.

“such a tight grip, finally.” he almost sounded possessive as he spoke. he must of felt you retract your hand slightly.

“don’t worry, i’ll take good care of you.” he said reassuringly, not wanting to scare his meal away. “relax and enjoy the ride.” he said, biting into you one last time with a noise of contentment. you put your head back on the wall behind you, unable to hold it up anymore as you became lightheaded.

“strange.” he remarked, pulling off you. “normally it’s rather easy for me to stop but, i’m having difficulty with you.” just as he finished his sentence, your knees buckled, unable to hold out anymore. he held you up, laughing slightly.

“your feeling lightheaded huh?” you nodded. “don’t worry i have you, lean into me.” you leaned into his chest with relief, your eyes closing as your mind processed what just happened. “there we go.” he spoke. you hummed as he kissed your neck gently, rubbing your back as he held you against him.

“i’m afraid if i take more you’ll pass out completely.” you nearly heard him speak as your ears rung slightly, your head spinning. “i don’t kill those i feed on, not anymore, so you’ll be safe.” he continued to rub your back. “i haven’t had my fill but, i’ve had enough for now.” you were surprised. you felt like he had drained you completely, and you were just holding out as your legs weakened.

he sighed, and pushed you away from his chest, still holding onto you “alright, sit down, come on.” he guided you to the floor gently, leaning you against the wall, and checking your neck gently. your eyes were still closed, as your hands draped by your sides.

“hm, i dug a little deep didn’t i?” he said, rubbing your neck, your eyes half lidded to look at him.

“here.” he said, running his thumb over the wound and closing it up, “that should do it.”

the pain was gone, but you still felt weak.

“it’s a shame i can’t take you back with me,” he sighed, “i’m not completely against kidnapping or i’d be a hypocrite, but this won’t be the last time i see you.” he suggested.

“we’ll meet again. but for now, look into my eyes.” he spoke sternly, holding your face to look at him. you opened your eyes, and his now once dull eyes were now glowing red and bright, forcing you to look at them. you brain felt floaty as he spoke.

“you won’t remember tonight.”

hi guys i am alive :-D so sorry ive took such a big hiatus, take this for now as i get my ideas and motivation back 😭

requests are open if you want to send me some! i need ideas pls pls 🙏☹️

thank you sm for reading <3

- jude 🌱

[hyunsvngs]

hey gorgeous, i had this idea for a drabble where (afab) reader has false nails on but is really horny, and is getting frustrated trying to *please* herself, and one of the boys (maybe like chan or changbin or minho) help her out *not without a fair share of teasing xx

the way you called me gorgeous... anonnie i have a crush on you. i'm SO feeling sugar daddy!channie with this i have no idea why

your nails are so pretty. chan had chosen the colour, insisting on a soft pastel lilac shade - you could choose the length and shape, so long as they were that colour when you wrapped them around his cock to thank him later on.

the only issue was... chan was late, and you weren't too good at waiting. your patience dwindled as soon as he messaged you to say he'd be five minutes late, the message lighting up on the phone he'd also paid for. you're currently running your fingers up your thighs before meeting your sopping wet folds, dancing over your clit and - ow?!

you squeak, staring down at the offending item. your fucking nails. okay, the pointy shape hadn't been the best choice, but you hadn't considered you'd have to do this alone. you didn't really have to do it alone, but you were being impatient and you weren't about to surrender so easily.

except another rub over your clit had the same effect. you huffed, clenching your thighs shut and yanking your silky nightgown over your thighs in protest. it's then you heard a chuckle, coming from outside the bedroom door.

you perked up, staring at the door with furrowed eyebrows. coming in from the dark hallway was chan, throwing his briefcase onto the floor and loosening his tie. his shirt sleeves were already rolled up, and you had to avoid staring at the exposed, toned forearms.

"struggling?" he mused, and you nodded. you sighed as he crept onto the bed, immediately spreading your legs across the soft bedsheets for him to see the mess you'd made of yourself. "perhaps i should've told you about the length, baby. god knows you can't make decisions for yourself."

you huffed, but nodded anyway. chan chuckled as he swiping his middle and ring finger through your folds, before he gasped, a false, condescending noise. "you are wet, aren't you?"

"please," you whimpered, running your lips over the column of his neck. he responds with a chaste kiss to your lips, finally sinking his middle finger into your heat. you jolt, hands grabbing onto chan's clothed biceps and digging your newly-done nails into the fabric.

"that's it," he murmurs, pumping his sole finger inside of you. his nose is brushing against yours, eyes narrowed in interest and staring directly into yours. "feel my finger, baby. dig those sexy fucking nails into me."

[dawnthefluffyduck]

Just wanted to give a mini for fun drawing request pls if possible and it’s understandable if it can’t be done but thank you for checking out !

Susie from Deltarune scuba diving in a underwater deep end pool like environment alongside the Bull Shark Pup aka the shark protagonist from the Game Maneater while gently petting its snout in the process.

And Kris be snorkelling underwater using a waterproof camera to take video and photos of the Bull Shark Pup while interacting with the shark alongside Susie.

Mini Story Backstory: Kris and Susie were struggling to choose whatever Aquatic life to study on for a test in school that boredly exhausted them both a lot so they would head to the pool to try and clear their heads and try to come up with something.

until they came across a mysterious coloured striped patterned injured scarred bull shark pup caught in a shark net at the bottom of the pool. and they would both help it but oddly figure out this shark has a lot of silent intelligence and was quite friendly curious even was able to defend itself and importantly it was able to survive in pool waters conditions. That intrigued Kris and Susie a lot thus they secretly took care of it and checked on it to keep it safe from anyone knowing about it. and decided to swim underwater alongside the Bull Shark Pup to study off its unique personality and action but it’s appearance and pattern aswell!

the ref images I sent were to help show the Bull Shark Pup’s design and what Susie wears while underwater.

Susie would wear a black purple white long sleeved zip swimsuit and black diving fins on her feet

purple diving mask on her face while a scuba tank is on Susie’s back while she is breathing from a scuba oxygen regulator mouthpiece in her mouth and she be petting stroking the Bull Shark’s snout

Kris would wear a black green short sleeved zip wetsuit and a diving mask on their face with the snorkel mouthpiece in their mouth and holding a underwater waterproof camera in his other hand while using it to take pictures and videos of the Bull Shark while swimming alongside it and gently petting the Bull Shark’s damaged scarred dorsal fin. 🦈🤿🫧

idk why I came up with this request sounded cute sorry ^^

((you said it correctly a couple times so I'm sure it was an accident, but just in case, Kris goes by they/them 'round these parts :3 ))

I changed it a bit to what I was more comfortable drawing, so this isn't exactly what was requested, but I still thought the idea was pretty cute so I gave it a try anyway :D they would definitely be interrogated about their specific project subject, but that'd be okay since they saved a cute shark haha. Thanks for the request!

[redyrmes]

hhh designing colourzas in the year of out lord 2024 and i have sO MUCH to say about them,, spent the last few days assigning each of them a wingless + winged animal and ended up with this (also! the not underlined animals are the ones not explicitly used in their designs)

ill put my notes about them all under the cut because theres a lot but the big ones are:

- blueza and redza twin propaganda cos theyre the only hooved animals here

- grayzas winged bird is the only flightless one because i thought that would be funny, also the name is just so ominous for no reason which i also thought would be funny

-yellowza is so difficult to find animals for but i settled on peacock pansy butterfly because peacocks are fancy n stuff and hes fancy n stuff, but peacocks are purple, so the yellow bug equivalent is the best i can do for him. I have yet to decide on a winged animal for him lol..also hes sucha bug to me, ik hes canonically a bird but hes such a bug. however if he was a bird he would be a birds of paradise bird, absolutely, no questions asked

anyway heres more notes i wrote down a few days ago

bugs- |||

bats- | (rip redza hes alone)

birds- |||| (counting phil)

sidenote purplezas, redzas and bluezas animals are the only ones that dont match their colours and are neutral colours instead

—Redza is the only bat because he’s the first one who existed i think. also because his vibes match bats and nobody else matches bats but i gotta make it Lore. also he’s one of the only two hoofed+wingless animals, along with blueza, because redza blueza twin propaganda..and hes an ibex instead of anything else because i think the long, straight horns suit him better than others. there was also like. the addax, eland, oryx, ect but i decided goat > antelope because goats are smaller and more gremliny + association with the devil or somthin?? also he gets a funny little goatee

—Orangeza is a red fox bcos fox = cunning n smart idk….and that species because of its orange fur, pretty simple not given much thought but thats okay, it matches him pretty well i think. also i hc that one of his front moth wings (the brown ones, they cover the orange wings) got damaged so he patched it up with orange something because more orange and haha inventor guy fixes things you know. its okay i don’t either

-Yellowza was gonna be a longhorn beetle but they’re too orange. then a bumblebee but he’s not. he’s not a bee. but i finally settled on peacock pansy because peacocks are like. fancy n shit but he cant be a peacock because they’re purple, so yellow butterfly version is the next best thing. ALSO ik hes like canonically a bird and stuff,but MAN. HES JUST A BUG TO ME. but if he was a bird he would absolutely be a birds of paradise bird because Yes. honorable mention to the great tailed grackle.

his wingless animal was a STRUGGLE and i have yet to pick it hahaskmb….also i characterize him as a material girl instead of cheery optimist because there are enough cheery optimists 

—Blueza was the easiest to decide lmao, he’s just a deer. either that or a moose, but deer are more gentle also thats like canon so yeah..white tailed deer 🦌 oh holy shit deer emojiand redza blueza twin propaganda, he’s one of the only two hoofed wingless animals here yesyes

his winged animal had to be a bird, preferable a dove because symbolism and whatnot right? he got mourning dove because fluffy lad + theres no white doves in the wild so i cant make him a white dove. probably going to draw him with whiter wings though to match his colour pallet haha, i dunno i haven’t really given him much thought

—it was so difficult to decide if Purpleza was a bird or a bug but i ended up with bird, because he’s a fluffy guy not a bug guy? and then choosing a bird was pain because theres so many pretty purple birds i really like but he’s more of a black bird, emo ass mfer

couldn’t make him a crow, raven felt off, considered grackles bcos they have purple wing shine whatever its called but they’re too social skdhdkfgngcn..solitary caciques had a good chance because they’re black birds that are very antisocial, literally purpleza. BUT I eventually decided on purple honeycreeper because they’re dark purple with black wings, and hang out in small groups with other species of birds, i think that speaks for itself.

and cat because cat

-might change the wingless animal of Pinkza idk axolotl feels too easy? but the only other guys i have are like. naked mole rat and pink dolphin and i cant implement those in a way that makes sense in my head LOL

and he’s a butterfly right, the pink rose butterfly really suits him i think but not his light color pallet. the other pink butterflies don’t suit him really, and the pink moths all have yellow which no. but then i found the pink orchid mantis. who is so soft and gentle looking, but uses its soft and pretty appearance to kill. so yknow the second i saw it i was like yup. pinkza

—Grayza (greyza?? i forgot sob) is the only flightless colorza, i thought it would be funny cos he’s this eldritch horror but he’s the only land bound one haha, also ayem cemani is death omen chicken in my head. and for his flightless animal, he’s a snake he’s very much a snake what do you want from me he’s just a snake

anmd i don’t want to think about whiteza until im done with these dont make me think about whiteza

[georgieluz]

for the hbo war ask: 17

hey ash! thanks for the ask and i hope you're doing well!

17 - your fav fanwork about an underrated character?

ooh this is a hard one bc i now have to narrow down who the underrated character is and then choose my favourite fanwork about them! ahhh do you enjoy causing me pain??? haha okay let me think!

ok i can't narrow it down very well, so i'm just going to throw a few recent fanworks that i've loved in here because my brain isn't working very well today and i can't focus on remembering all my favourites from way back (sorry i'm actually useless today)

so i absolutely adore @cody-helix02's art of doc bryan (i know we all love him but he's not actually talked about much at all on here so he classes as underrated in my opinion) also cody's sketch of cobb!! he is so tiny and adorable there i can't cope

then we have @jenkil's gifset of the reporter!! look i just adore this gifset so much1!! everything fits perfectly with him! and the colour scheme is genuinely one of my favourites ever!!

@andromeddog's art of bull is beautiful!! i really really love it. and i know malarkey isn't underrated but their malarkey is top 3 favourite fanarts for me!! it's so so so good!!!!

i love love looooove @cedobols blithe as well!! it's so pretty!

ok there are so so sooo many more fanworks that i love but i don't wanna make this super super super long and i'm struggling with where to draw the line with who is underrated and who isn't bc there are soooo many artists that i love who have amazing art but the characters aren't really underrated, and same for authors!! i will say i do love the authors that write chuck grant!! thank you for blessing the world (me) with more of him!!!

for this ask game!!

[kawaimoonshine]

🏹🎭Drowned In Emotion🎭🏹

[I'm semi active here lmao, just tryna be active here too and I'm too lazy to type things over so yeet]

So one day I was feeling like drawing/writing something angsty, so here we are

Fanart for @soundbluster-arts hope ya like it :D

The arrows got a meaning, can you guess what it is by the colours?

Okay I tell you, they represent the symbiotes that Soundy had lost and the emotional impact it had on him

I feel like Laserbeak's might've impacted a bit more which is why his arrow is bigger than the rest

I didn't dare to guess who else Soundy might've lost, so I only relied on the very old Soundwave and Ravage asks where this topic was in (I think they were one of the first ones? Flashbox literally interviewing them back then xD)

I gotta admit tho when I first time read those asks, I looked at Garboil and was like "who are you?" And for some reason kept mixing them up with either Slugfest or Overkill, like I was very confused when I tried to compare (the Soundwave ask post's Garboil and the reference sheet) who is who pretty much IGNORING the names (or thinking there might've been a "mistake", don't know which) lmao until now during the research did I understood that Garboil was de bird, DE BIRD XDD

But yea, in case you don't recognise the colour palettes, it's Laserbeak, Wingthing, Garboil and Buzzsaw (I had a little struggle choosing the palette for Wingthing as in don't know if I go with yellow, reddish brown or dark grey but ultimately decided to go with yellow despite it being kind of a highlight more than dominant colour)

This was also the first time I drew Soundwave in full body and I'm damn happy with it and this whole piece in general, I think I struggled with the legs tho xD and I also didn't know what to do with his right hand so now it's just kinda not really grabbing the arrow but just being there

Anyway, I should stop rambling before this gets too long xD guess I got a lot to talk about

~

SGP!Soundwave belongs to @soundbluster-arts

[messydiabolical]

For the art questions you posted: 🎭🐔🛸! I couldn't choose just one!!

Thank you so much for the asks, I love answering these so the more the merrier! <3

🎭What is the longest time you've spent on a single project? hmm, in terms of literal hours with the canvas open, I believe my Kolyat x Feron one from christmas '23 (nude, so here's the twitter link) took about 70-80 hours. In real time, I worked on that one from September until christmas. 🐔Which part of the creating process do you dislike the most? The self doubt, especially that nasty 'what would people on the internet say' inner critic. For example when I started, I felt this enormous pressure not to do screenshot drawovers, because people online call that 'cheating'. And then i'd struggle to sketch for days and days on a piece that was really supposed to be about doing a colouring study anyway. I've gotten a lot better at giving myself grace but it's always a constant need to remind myself to be kind. Sometimes I want the challenge and will spend a long time freehanding and learning methods at every step of the way. Other times I'm just here to do a pretty drawover, and that's okay. You don't always have to be learning and pushing yourself, especially if you are doing this as a hobby. 🛸 How many pieces are you typically working on simultanesouly at any time? I don't like having lots of WIPs, and I don't like leaving things unfinished. So I generally have just one or two pieces going at any time, and i'd say about 90% of my projects I will complete. I know that's not the norm for most! And I don't say that as a brag either- being able to let go when things don't work out is important. Also if you are learning in a professional capacity i'd imagine it's good to have lots and lots of sketches and warm ups. I think this is just an area of my neurodivergence coming in to play.

[capsulesys]

No one in my system can really believe that it’s been an entire year today since we first realised that each other existed. Happy Syscoversary to us! I just wanted to get a few notes down to remember this first year, as it’s been one of the strangest but most empowering years of our life.

<Spirit here!  I want to preserve Lex’s words as they were written. If you see anything written like this, in “<>” marks was an edit or addition by me, later on. You all know how editing works.>

Our experience before realising we were plural felt incredibly bland. We had no sense of identity at all, and just felt like we were treading water. We struggled to find new things to do, and if we tried, none of them would ever stick. Those just weren’t things that “I” would do. If we didn’t do them before, then they weren’t for us, and we had discovered everything we’d already liked. Besides, it would be weird for other people if we suddenly started getting into something new! Of course, that isn’t true. People change all the time, and can pick up and drop hobbies on a whim. Doing things based on other people’s perception was how we understood our own identity, which almost led to a build-up of rules and expectations for how we were supposed to act. It felt like a prison!

There were signs we were plural though. Our internal dialogue was always very conversational, and an opposing viewpoint would bubble into our head for every opinion or thought we seemed to have. We would give ourselves pep talks internally, using our name or “we”, but never using “I”. Looking back now, I’m surprised how long it took us to realise, but I’m glad we did eventually.

We first started to entertain the idea of being plural on the 9th August 2022. Initially, we found a split between “Poet” (who turned out to be a large group of headmates), and “Troll” (who turned out to be a smaller subsystem that still considers themselves that way, even if the name changed). The system certainly didn’t stay that small for long.

Over the next few months, more and more folks started making themselves known. Our method initially for finding our headmates was to be very openly accepting of anyone or anything inside us. No questioning why certain headmates are the way they are, no judgment of behaviors or personality traits. This was massively helpful, as even the most unusual feeling headmates felt more okay to make themselves known. 

However, we started to hit a problem. Some felt an attachment to what we now consider our deadname. Some didn’t have much drive to choose their own name. In order to be able to think about each other properly, we bought a small box of differently coloured silicon wristbands. The same type as those ones that were all over the place at school in the early and mid 2000s. Each of us chose one of the bands and wore that band whenever we fronted. This really helped us to recognise switches, as we could look at our wrist and see whether the colour felt right. If it didn’t, we’d work out which was correct and change it. Some of us still have attachments to these colours today! For example, the three who wanted to use our deadname now go by Yellow, White and Red, after their band colours.

By learning to distinguish each other, we started to recognise that each of us had different ownership of each of our memories. It’s not obvious to us who owns which, but sometimes we can have a memory and clearly be able to think “That was me!”. We can’t do it for each other, so still a lot of memories remain unclaimed. I don’t think we’re going to be able to pinpoint the owner for every single memory we have, and that’s okay. So much of this journey has been about understanding what's going on overall, rather than specifics, even if knowing the specifics feels comfortable to us. 

We started finding more and more headmates until we ran out of colours. We needed a new solution. Thankfully by this time, most of us had names, so we moved over to Simply Plural. We could set the colours we were already used to, but put our names and picrew avatars into! I definitely recommend the app to any system who wants to see, long-term, patterns and trends in how your system functions. I’d write a recommendation, but that’s for another post.

Things were starting to settle a little, until we realised one headmate was really starting to take most of our fronting time. This wasn’t directly a problem, but it meant we had to start adapting our shared life to her more seriously. She was out the most, and so got the most say in how we live. This strategy will not work for some systems, so make sure to check in with your non-fronting headmates and ensure they’re okay with changes! This can be a long and hard process, as anyone who’s dealt with transitioning will understand, and it’s still going on for us.

In the last month, we’ve come to realise how our “host” pattern works. It seems like we have a main fronter, and a backup. The backup definitely doesn’t front anywhere near as much, and doesn’t even need to be the second most frequent fronter, but does provide support and advice to the main fronter. Sometimes, these pairings can change. We don’t know when or why, but it does happen, and trying to cling onto the old pairings can be very harmful to us.

So that leaves me to introduce myself. I’m Lex, the current main fronter. My backup is named Spirit <Hi, lol>, and she’s been such an incredible help, especially with everything transition related. Before us, the tag-team was Yellow as main fronter, and White as backup. While neither of them were really aware of the dynamic for the vast majority of their run as system managers, looking back, we can definitely see how it seemed to work. We’re not sure who was before them, but I reckon The Jazz Club (the group formerly known as Troll) had a stint for a while.

<It’s pretty interesting being the backup. I get the comfort of not being in-charge of everything, but it’s nice to pay attention and cover for things when Lex needs it. Being at front all the time is very tiring, and I’m glad to take some of the load when required.>

<Names came individually for us quite quickly, but the system name took a lot longer. All the options we considered felt too personally tailored to some of us more than others. If Caps is a forever name or not, who knows, but we love that it passes as a non-binary name without outing us as a system. Having the name represent all of us, and all the potential us’s that we hadn’t found yet was incredibly important. Calling ourselves as brain capsules is funny for our more silly (affectionate) headmates, but the word capsule is very neutral for our more serious (also affectionate) headmates.> 

We’re still learning so much about each other, ourselves, and how to best fit into the world around us and I hope to be able to make another post like this next year just to compare how Year 2 compares with Year 1!

To any newly discovered systems, don’t lose hope. It does get so much easier over time, but you definitely need to set the tone right with each other. Judgments can harm each other. Doubting systemhood is very natural, but try not to dwell on them too much. Easier said than done, especially if your system doesn’t share memory as much as we do. My last bit of advice is to not rush anything. You have your entire lives together to work it all out.

<Here, here!>

Sparkle on!