#I think i might lean back into posting more suggestive stuff again

[thelostmoongazer]

yeah he's baby girl or whatever

[physalian]

How to make your writing sound less stiff

Just a few suggestions. You shouldn’t have to compromise your writing style and voice with any of these, and some situations and scenes might demand some stiff or jerky writing to better convey emotion and immersion. I am not the first to come up with these, just circulating them again.

1. Vary sentence structure.

This is an example paragraph. You might see this generated from AI. I can’t help but read this in a robotic voice. It’s very flat and undynamic. No matter what the words are, it will be boring. It’s boring because you don’t think in stiff sentences. Comedians don’t tell jokes in stiff sentences. We don’t tell campfire stories in stiff sentences. These often lack flow between points, too.

So funnily enough, I had to sit through 87k words of a “romance” written just like this. It was stiff, janky, and very unpoetic. Which is fine, the author didn’t tell me it was erotica. It just felt like an old lady narrator, like Old Rose from Titanic telling the audience decades after the fact instead of living it right in the moment. It was in first person pov, too, which just made it worse. To be able to write something so explicit and yet so un-titillating was a talent. Like, beginner fanfic smut writers at least do it with enthusiasm.

2. Vary dialogue tag placement

You got three options, pre-, mid-, and post-tags.

Leader said, “this is a pre-dialogue tag.”

“This,” Lancer said, “is a mid-dialogue tag.”

“This is a post-dialogue tag,” Heart said.

Pre and Post have about the same effect but mid-tags do a lot of heavy lifting.

They help break up long paragraphs of dialogue that are jank to look at

They give you pauses for ~dramatic effect~

They prompt you to provide some other action, introspection, or scene descriptor with the tag. *don't forget that if you're continuing the sentence as if the tag wasn't there, not to capitalize the first word after the tag. Capitalize if the tag breaks up two complete sentences, not if it interrupts a single sentence.

It also looks better along the lefthand margin when you don’t start every paragraph with either the same character name, the same pronouns, or the same “ as it reads more natural and organic.

3. When the scene demands, get dynamic

General rule of thumb is that action scenes demand quick exchanges, short paragraphs, and very lean descriptors. Action scenes are where you put your juicy verbs to use and cut as many adverbs as you can. But regardless of if you’re in first person, second person, or third person limited, you can let the mood of the narrator bleed out into their narration.

Like, in horror, you can use a lot of onomatopoeia.

Drip Drip Drip

Or let the narration become jerky and unfocused and less strict in punctuation and maybe even a couple run-on sentences as your character struggles to think or catch their breath and is getting very overwhelmed.

You can toss out some grammar rules, too and get more poetic.

Warm breath tickles the back of her neck. It rattles, a quiet, soggy, rasp. She shivers. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. Sweat beads at her temple. Her heart thunders in her chest. Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba- It moves on, leaving a void of cold behind. She uncurls her fists, fingers achy and palms stinging from her nails. It’s gone.

4. Remember to balance dialogue, monologue, introspection, action, and descriptors.

The amount of times I have been faced with giant blocks of dialogue with zero tags, zero emotions, just speech on a page like they’re notecards to be read on a stage is higher than I expected. Don’t forget that though you may know exactly how your dialogue sounds in your head, your readers don’t. They need dialogue tags to pick up on things like tone, specifically for sarcasm and sincerity, whether a character is joking or hurt or happy.

If you’ve written a block of text (usually exposition or backstory stuff) that’s longer than 50 words, figure out a way to trim it. No matter what, break it up into multiple sections and fill in those breaks with important narrative that reflects the narrator’s feelings on what they’re saying and whoever they’re speaking to’s reaction to the words being said. Otherwise it’s meaningless.

—

Hope this helps anyone struggling! Now get writing.

[angelltheninth]

Saw your post about Arcane sapphics, could I request the same characters with them reacting to being readers first serious relationship?

No problem Anon, I love all of those characters, feel free to send in more requests for them.

Pairing: Vi, Caitlyn Kiramman, Maddie Nolen, Sevika, Ambessa Medarda x Fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, developing relationship, casual to serious relationship, first kiss as a couple, teasing, slightly suggestive

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: I bring sustenance for the wlw part of the Arcane community!

Well, she's the same, which is surprising to you but when you think about where she was forced to grow up it starts making more sense. Both of you are in the same boat, but Vi carries herself with a bit more confidence. Much like everything else she does.

"Not a lot of stable relationships in prison, sweet stuff. I'd love it if you took my serious relationship virginity, I've been looking to lose it." She grins and leans in close to you, her hands roaming down your hips. "Now, how many of yours can I take?"

"None if you keep talking like that." You pushed her face away from yours, leading to Vi biting your hand, lightly.

"We'll see about that. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm very charming. Seriously now, how did a cutie like you stay single this whole time? If I met you before now I'd definitely want to date you." Her arms closed around your body, bringing you close and brushing her lips against your ear, making you shiver.

She was definitely buttering you up. Vi's lips pressed against the sensitive part below your ear. "I have a very specific type of girl that I go for, and that's you. Strong, brave, pure of heart, hotheaded, with tattoos, able to break me in half, you get it." Vi laughed, music to your ears but a moment later she lifted you up and smiled up at you, as if to show you that you chose the right with her.

"You do realize I was voted one of Piltover's biggest heartbreakers right? I'm not ashamed of that title, far from it. But darling, do you really think I care if you were in a relationship before?" Caitlyn could tell you were a little nervous while on your date. Now she finally knew why. If this worked out this would be the first serious relationship you've been in.

Of course you knew Caitlyn had a bit of a reputation among the ladies. She was popular for a reason, "It's... a little hard to believe that a woman like you would be seriously interested in me. Not that I don't think I'm hot, but I've been told I'm more hook up material."

Her brows furrowed in mild anger. "Who told you that? You deserve to be in a long-term relationship, anyone who missed out on a girl like you made a huge mistake." She pulled you against her chest, her hands gently massaging into your tense shoulders. "Better for me, I get you all to myself now." Her cocky grin made your body feel warm, a familiar kind of warmth.

Honestly you expected that she would be bored of you by now but Caitlyn kept asking you out again and again. Other people began to notice too, but she was never one to care about rumors.

"Does... that mean I get to call you my girlfriend now? And tell you I love you in front of other people?" Caitlyn nodded quickly, her hand cradling your cheek and pulling you into a chaste kiss, the first official kiss of your new relationship.

Being a spy doesn't leave much time for serious relationship, not that she doesn't try when she really likes someone. Someone like you. "Of course I'd love to date ya, love. What kind question is that? Yer a catch!" Maddie smiled right before she kissed you.

But when she pulled back and saw you biting your lip nervously she feared she might have rushed in or misunderstood things. Her hands found yours, her thumbs rubbing the back of your hands, leading you to the bed. "I've... never been in a relationship before, so I don't really know how to do it. Believe it or not I've been winging it this whole time."

"I had a feeling. No offense to ya but it's real easy ta tell ya were nervous the whole date. Glad to know it wasn't cause of me." She smiled to herself, also starting to get shy, she wasn't used to being so vulnerable. "I'm nervous too, don't know if ya could tell. Every time ya kiss me I get the shivers. Good kind! I think it's been... about a year or so since I've been serious 'bout anyone."

"And you want to be serious with me?" You asked, hopeful. Since she wasn't gonna stay here forever it was a lot to ask for of her. "I don't want to pressure you into it though."

"Gods no! I love being with ya! Yer so cute I can hardly hold myself back when I'm around ya. My boss doesn't like that but hey, the heart wants what it wants. For as long as I'm here I'd love to be with ya." There was really no telling how long that will be. Maddie knew that too, all too well, but she wanted to make good memories with you, for as long as she was able to she wanted to be with you, kiss you every chance she got.

Sevika blinked, slowly. "And? What is that important, sweetheart? Do you have some crazy ex hook-up or something? Point me in her direction, let's go." She was already gearing up for a fight. One that she would win.

"No! You meathead, not everything is a brawl! Listen to me!" You pulled her towards you and into the bedroom, closing the door behind the two of you. "I'm trying to open up about my relationship inexperience."

"Oh. Okay." Again, she didn't really have that much of a reaction. Instead of that she sat down and pulled you into her lap, "Does that make you feel bad or something? Cause I don't care about that stuff all that much, you know. I just want you all to myself, and if you're looking for more experience I am very happy to help out." Her hand smacked your ass, affectionately, grinning when your hips moved against hers in response.

It made you feel better, knowing that Sevika wasn't placing any pressure on you. Not even when you started your relationship. After the first night you realized she was assertive but not pushy, letting you make first moves and only then escalating to the point where clothes came off.

"You're so cute when you're nervous. Like a little kitten backed into a corner. But that also makes me want to protect you. If I'm your first real relationship then I'll make damn sure I'll be the last." When Sevika promised things to you she always delivered on them. It was basically a marriage proposal. Maybe she was moving a bit fast.

"I already knew that, pet. If you planned on hiding it from me, first you shouldn't hide anything from me, and second, you were really bad at it." Ambessa laughed out loud and patted you on the shoulder, her large hand eclipsing it. "Does that bother you?"

"Not exactly. I'm worried that it bothers you." Her hand grabbed your chin suddenly and forced you to make eye contact with her. "Uhm... yes?"

"Do not assume things about me. I rather like knowing that I'll show you the ropes, I'll get to take so many of your firsts won't I?" She moved your head to the side, her full lips pressing against your neck, her other hand against your lower back and her thick, muscular thigh between your legs. "Even if it's not forever I will make sure you remember every bit of it."

You shuddered against her hold, your heart drumming against your chest, blood rushing south. No matter what she did there was no way you would ever forget about her, she had to be aware of that already. Especially as far as your firsts go.

As soon as her hands started pulling at your clothes you yelped in alarm. "I-Is my body all you want to date me for?!" She didn't answer. She stared at you before she pulled her own shirt off. "Ambessa! Really?!" But what better way to celebrate a new relationship.

[snixkers]

Wrinkles like Rivers

Pairing: Alex Blake × Fem!Reader

Hurt/Comfort

For: @olderwomenaremyfavs

Content Warning: References to canon violence (drugs/crime), age gap (reader is in her 30s, Alex is in her 50s), very brief suggestive comment, insecurity over appearance

Summary: At a work function, Alex feels like the other agents have her beat, in more ways than one.

Author's Note: Omg! This is my first fic posted on this site, so I'm super excited! Hope this is what you were hoping for!

Feedback is always welcome!

Requests are OPEN

It was another Bureau function, and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual. Agents usually consumed with the worst of humanity were able to escape, just for a bit, and find comfort in a night out. You mingled with some people, recognizing names but not faces from your girlfriend's stories.

For some reason, these events seemed to have the opposite effect on Alex, who usually ended up silent and brooding in the corner. You could tell she was thinking about something, but she always brushed it off so confidently that you were certain you were imagining it. After all, she was the profiler, not you.

Tonight was a different story. You could see it in her tense shoulders, her narrowed eyes, and her half-smile. Her glass was still full, although that wasn't unusual for her. Even though it wasn't your profession, you were certainly a profiler when it came to her.

You excused yourself from an agent telling you stories about her escapades busting a drug ring, making your way back to the woman watching you with rapt attention. She blinked out of her stupor when she noticed you, quickly throwing on a smile and wrapping her arm around you. It was a nice attempt, but you couldn't be fooled.

"Alex," you began, "is something bothering you?"

She shook her head, although you anticipated that reaction. Alex always kept her emotions sealed away in a vault that you rarely were given the key to. You sighed, wrapping your hands around her wrist gently and leading her off to an empty hallway.

You decided to try again, within the comfort of your sole presence.

"Alex, I know something's bothering you. And I'd appreciate it if you'd let me help."

She let out a sigh, her smile fading slightly as she fiddled with the ends of her hair.

"It's not important."

You had to resist the urge to roll your eyes. Alex *was* important. She could tell you that the sky was green and you would agree.

"Alex, please. I want to know so I can fix the problem."

She sighed, avoiding your gaze and taking a small sip of the wine provided by a rather wealthy colleague of hers.

"Watching you talk to all of those other agents, it's just hard for me. They're young, they're good in the field. Their stories are more exciting."

Your heart melted in your chest, trying to soothe any insecurities she might have.

"I don't care. You've been in longer than they have. You're more smart logical and strategic. Plus, I like a woman with a little experience."

She held back a snort at your words, but her eyes still held traces of doubt.

"It's not just about the brains. Just look at me. I mean, you could date anyone you want. There must be someone out there who's younger and prettier."

You frowned, the warmth in your chest quickly evaporating. "Alex, no. I love you. I love everything about you. I love the way your eyes crease when you laugh. I love the wrinkles on your forehead. I love the gray hairs you're hiding. Do you know why? Because to me, that stuff makes you even more beautiful."

Her gaze softened, and you could practically see her trying to come up with another excuse for why she wasn't good enough. You shook your head, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I'm always going to pick you, Alex."

She nods, taking a deep breath and kissing you back a little deeper, trying to convey the gratitude she felt. Luckily, another part of being such an expert on how she felt was that you already knew.

You smiled back, glancing over at the party.

"Should we head home?"

She nods in agreement, wrapping an arm around your waist and leading you back out to the party, the both of you clinging to each other the way you always would.

"Absolutely. Garcia told me about this game called 'Wordle', and I want to try it out."

[groversimp]

Hey! First ever request, can i ask for a Luke Castellan x male reader where reader is an ill son of Ares and Luke nurses him back to health? Thank you lovely!!

Sorry, I Can’t Take Your Touch

YEARNING!!!

Ty for your patience anon!!

Warnings: stab wounds, slow burn, tension so hot it could burn someone, Luke, slightly suggestive?

This is post-betrayal, you’re a part of Kronos’ army

“I don’t need your help, Castellan.”

Those were the first words to come out of your mouth as Luke approached you with a first-aid kid, his darkened eyes glare down at you. You suck in a breath as you sit up from the blood-stained cot.

“Yes, you do, Y/L/N.” Luke’s voice is rough from the day of battle- screaming commands and demands. Anyone else would think he still looks confident, but you can see the exhaustion in his eyes. ‘He knows what he’s doing, this is his rebellion’ you tell yourself, if you were anyone but yourself you might believe your words. You know Luke, so much more than you know yourself even.

“No-“ You said, kicking a leg out to shove him away as he walks towards you. He dodges your attack with a swift step.

Leaning on the cot, his knee rests on your leg as he pins you down with one arm. “Stay.” He says, your witty response dies on your tongue.

He moves his arm to grab your waist, using his other hand to open the first-aid kit. He pours some rubbing alcohol on the deep cut, ignoring your wince. With a soft grunt, he shifts and pulls you up with him.

He starts to wrap the bandage-wrap around your mid-section, plush gauze and fluffy cotton over your wound.

“Where’d you learn this stuff, Luke?” You ask, soft words almost dying in the deep silence wracking through the room.

“These are just the basics, I picked it up from some Apollo’s kids before I left.” He says, Luke looks up at you- you’ve never called him by his first name. His eyes linger on you a beat too long, memorizing the concerned furrow of your eyebrows, the deep fire that lays beneath your eyes. Everything he loves about you. It’s like second-nature to him.

“You never learned, Y/N?” Hearing your name slip from his mouth felt so wrong yet so right, and you know you would give anything to hear him say it again.

“No,” you say. “No, I never wanted to.” Luke hums in response. After awhile of silence, he looks up at you, eyes looking over your form.

His lips are a hairbreadth away from yours, so close you can feel them but not close enough to be pressed against yours. It’s almost painful, the desire you have for him. The want, the need, to have him to yourself. To lock him away and keep him safe. Away from wars, away from commanding.

He pulls back, away from you, then stands up without a look at you.

“Rest, Y/N.” He says, voice deep and shadowed eyes not looking to you. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he left, you sighed and fell deeper into the cot. You really should stop this before it begins.

[sweetaliencheeks]

✵ THE ONE WHERE SHE HATES HIM ✵

Word Count: ≈1.87k

Notes: I’m very happy to be back at writing and you have no idea of how much stuff I have lined up to post! I’m making some changes on how I post and how I write. I feel like I need to get out of my comfort zone and write more dialogue and less “inner thoughts”, though I’ll try to keep it balanced. Thank you all for your kind messages and as usual, a special thank you to my girly @tina-isleeping for always being there 🤍 don’t hesitate to leave a comment & give me all your criticism and suggestions!

Love you all x

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

My hands were still shaking as I marched toward the engine room. Part anger, part something I didn’t even want to think about. I just hated how much he got under my skin, how easy it was for him to make me lose my cool and make me absolutely livid in only a second. He had done it again. Rocket always had to go rogue, always had to show off and prove himself better than the others, always had to ignore the plan and pull some insane stunt that, as if to make it even more infuriating, somehow always worked. And now that we had gotten back to the ship, everyone was acting like it was fine and like everything had just gone perfectly. No one seemed to bother to mention the fact that he could have gotten himself killed and, very clearly, it wasn’t bothering him either. So there I was, angrily marching toward the engine room, preparing a whole speech in my head and muttering it to myself. Not that he’d ever take me seriously, but he was about to hear exactly how I felt. Whether he liked it or not.

“Oh, so this is what you’re doing? Sitting here like nothing happened?” I stomped into the room with my arms crossed tightly over my chest to find him fixing some bits.

“What’re you yappin’ about now?” he didn’t even bother to look up at me, which did nothing but throw gasoline into an already burning dumpster.

“Oh, nothing. Just maybe the part where you decided to, oh, I don’t know, completely ignore the plan and blow up the engine room of an entire space station without telling anyone?” I yelled as I sharply leaned towards him, my finger hovering just inches from his face, trembling with barely contained frustration “And wipe that stupid smirk off your face, Rocket! This isn’t funny!”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” he looked up at me as he removed his goggles, revealing traces of powder and dust streaked across his fur, tracing the curve of his cheek and the bridge of his nose, a messy reminder of the reckless stunt he had just pulled. He flashed a cocky grin “You’re still standin’ here, screamin’ at me, ain’t ya? I must’ve done something right”

“I can’t stand you!” I dropped my arms limply to my sides, letting my head fall back in an exaggerated sigh of defeat “You’re so-” I groaned, not knowing what to say next “Right, you know what? The others might be scared of saying what they really think, but I’m not. So you wanna know what I think of you?”

“Not particularly, but I don’t think I’ve got a choice here” he leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, one foot propped up behind him like he couldn’t care any less.

“See? This is the problem! I hate that you’re always so smug, I hate that you don’t listen, and I hate that scratchy, annoying voice of yours that always sounds like you’re halfway to laughing at me” I started pacing around the room with exaggerated steps and sharp turns, the heels on my boots clicking against the metal floor and echoing with each stomp.

“This is very productive, please continue” one of his hands scratched idly at a smudge of powder on his cheek, boredom clear on his face. I spun on my heel, whipping my hair over my shoulder as I pivoted to face him again.

“You’re so full yourself! You always think you’re the smartest person in the room, which you are, because you’re incredibly bright and it makes it all even more annoying! And your jokes? Well, guess what? They’re stupid! But then sometimes you’ll randomly say something funny, and I hate that you make me laugh so often” I threw my head back with a groan, dragging my hands down my face as though I were physically pained by what I had just said “And you’re so loud and so rude, and I hate how your stupid fur is so… fluffy and shiny and-“

“You’ve been checking me out, huh?” he shifted his weight, leaning cockily to one side with a sly grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. My hands didn’t know what to do as the heat began to spread from my cheeks down to my neck. First they clenched into fists at my sides, then flailed around, gesturing wildly, as if the air itself could have carried my embarrassment away. I ignored him.

“And I hate your dumb little hands that somehow still manage to fix everything and make me feel useless and can’t help but admire it. And your ears? I mean, why do they twitch like that all the time? It’s distracting and it’s annoying! And don’t even get me started on how you scrunch up your nose when you’re annoyed, that’s gotta be the dumbest thing you do! And those stupid big brown eyes of yours! Ugh- I mean, who even has eyes that expressive? That pretty? I hate them and I hate how you’re looking at me right now” I pointed another accusatory finger at him, nearly jabbing him, my whole body leaning into the motion for emphasis. But instead of backing up, he leaned forward just enough to meet me halfway, smirking all the while.

“Got anything else?”

“Oh, I’m just getting started!” as I raised my voice, I noticed how his ears twitched slightly, but he didn’t react beyond an exaggerated yawn “I hate how you’re always acting tough, but then you go and do something sweet like fixing my stupid little pink blaster that you hate so much even though I didn’t ask you to, because like, what am I supposed to do with that? And I hate when you check on me and when you walk by me so close that your fur tickles my skin, and I hate that you’re constantly in my head because the mere thought of you is insufferable, and-“

“And?” he raised an eyebrow, his tail flicking lazily behind him, as though he was daring me to keep going.

“And you’re…” I exhaled loudly “You’re brave. And you’re caring, even though you act like you aren’t. And you’re clever, and you’re good at literally everything, which is just so irritating” I glanced at him briefly, panic flickering in my eyes as I slowly realised what I had said. Before I whirled away to carry on with my furious pacing, I noticed how he had tilted his head, eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint.

“You sure this is a hate list? Sounds like somethin’ else” his smirk widened into something almost teasing, his sharp teeth just barely showing as he leaned forward again. His claws tapped lightly against his belt, and although it seemed casual, it was brimming with arrogance and amusement. I straightened my back and lifted my chin, trying to act like l was far too dignified to let him get to me.

“And when you smile it’s like, I don’t know, the stars are jealous or something” my gaze darted to him briefly, then to the ceiling, then to the floor, literally anywhere but his eyes, as I pretended not to see the smug grin that had spread through his face “And above all, I hate that I don’t actually hate you at all”

“Oh, ya don’t?” despite the sarcasm in his voice, his ears twitched forward and locked on me like he was hanging on every flustered word coming out of my mouth.

“No, I don’t hate you. In fact, I like you. I like your stupid fur and your dumb ears and your infuriating smirk and how literally every single thing about you drives me absolutely wild” the corner of his mouth twitched once, deliberately, as if he was trying to hold back a grin but didn’t really want to. His posture exuding that smug satisfaction he wore so well “Don’t do that, Rocket! Don’t act like you knew!”

“Oh, I totally knew. But I gotta admit, it’s nice hearin’ you say it out loud” as he spoke, his smirk softened into something quieter, the sharpness fading until it became a soft, subtle curve. And if I hadn’t been so angry at him, I might have seen the affection beneath the teasing.

“You’re unbearable” with a quick, fluid motion, he hopped onto a nearby crate, his claws scraping faintly against the surface as he steadied himself.

“And yet,” he drawled, his voice dripping with smug amusement “You can’t stay away” my eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden shift in our dynamic. Having him so close was beyond disturbing, and the unexpected eye contact threw me off balance and made my breath hitch in my throat.

“Someone’s gotta keep you in line” I replied in the most nonchalant way that I could, before stepping closer and planting a hand on my hip. His nose twitched in response, and he let out the faintest hum of mock consideration, dragging out the silence before delivering the line.

“Good luck with that” he chuckled as he took a step towards me “And for what it’s worth, I like you too, always have. And I gotta say, I like it when you go on these little rants about me, makes me feel special” despite the terrible wink he gave me that almost made me cave in, I noticed how his claws drummed lightly against his arm, and how the uneven rhythm betrayed a hint of nervousness he would never admit to “So… now that we’ve got the whole you like me, I like you thing out of the way, what’re you gonna do about it?” his gaze was steady and unrelenting, and the question hung in the air with an edge of teasing that didn’t quite mask the sincerity underneath. How could I ever hate him?

“What I’m gonna do is forget we ever said anything” I rolled my eyes, trying to deflect his question, but I couldn’t deny the faint flush on my cheeks.

“Yeah? Too bad you ain’t that convincing” his claws came up to scratch at his jaw, feigning distraction, but his gleaming eyes gave away just how much he was enjoying himself.

“Oh, I’m plenty convincing” my finger jabbed towards him, stopping only when it reached his chest as I leaned in, eyes blazing with determination, and closing the already small gap between us.

“Then why are you standing so close, doll?” his voice dropped to a smooth, husky tone, and a sudden heat flushed through me. It was completely overwhelming and it was making it impossible for me to find something to say and reassert control.

“Maybe I’m just waiting to see if you’ll back off first” I finally said. There was a short pause before Rocket let out a low chuckle and took a deliberate step back.

“Ain’t gonna happen” his voice sounded calm but unyielding, with a rasp of stubbornness and a flicker of playful challenge. I felt his hand brush my waist, so lightly that it was barely there, it was just enough so I could feel it. I watched him lean in, slowly and deliberately, like he was about to kiss me. Like he wanted to kiss me. My breath got caught in my throat and my heart stumbled for half a second in anticipation, but as I was about to close my eyes, he stopped. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and tried to act as if I wasn’t getting hot all over from this. His mouth hovered so close to mine that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips and the heat of his body. Then he gave me his most handsome smirk and he pulled away. Before I could say anything else, he turned around in a smooth and unhurried motion, jumped off the crate he was standing on, and simply started walking away.

“Ya know where to find me when you’re ready” without looking back, he raised a hand in an almost casual wave, a silent, teasing farewell that dared me to follow.

“Has no one ever told you that you don’t start something you don’t plan on finishing, Rocket?” I yelled after him before lowering my voice. With a smirk, I waited until he was no longer in sight to take a step forward “And I always know where to find you, baby”

[lambilegs]

Just thought about lee teacher x reader student👀 not necessarily school type setting, just her showing you something but i imagine her being annoyed with u while you're teasing her on purpose or something like that? or roles reversed. (Reader showing her some recipe and she purposely keeps messing it up to get them riled up lmao) PS i also think her perfectionism makes her good cook

lee teaching reader something and reader being a menace + vice versa

note to anon: LOVE THIS!! like, yeah, both these ideas just have so much teasing and playfulness involved, I adore them. especially considering we don't always see lee in that teasing sort of position, so yeah hehe. thank you so much for the request!! and honestly, yeah, I could see her being such a stickler for exact directions during cooking, but then also, fumbling and panicking sm during her first few times HAHA contains: not proofread, suggestive stuff but nothing explicit, lots of teasing from reader and then lee, making out, implied post-story sex, my very limited knowledge of woodwork from the class I took at sixteen LMFAO pls bear w me

⭑･ﾟﾟ･:༅｡.｡༅:ﾟ::✼✿ ✿✼:ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

"so, do I put it against it on this side?" you inquire, raising an eyebrow at lee.

she shakes her head. "no. flip it around, otherwise the wrong edge will get rounded. and remember to secure the fence."

your lips quirk. "has that ever happened to you? the wrong edge getting rounded."

"unfortunately."

with a laugh, you follow her directions, turning the block of wood around on the surface router. much to lee's surprise, two nights ago, you had tugged on the end of her t-shirt, requesting that the two of you build a shelf together to commence you moving into her cottage. you had heard of the idea from one of your friends, and since then, hadn't been able to detach the novelty and romance away from the idea building something with your partner that you two get to live with forever. when you told, as her head rested on the crook of her elbow, her eyes had scanned you warily, lips pressing together.

you couldn't blame her for the hesitation. you don't have all that much experience when it came to woodwork, but the silver lining is that lee does. which means that, while she now has to deal with the brunt of the work in guiding you, you guys at least get to work on something together. a rarity considering most of her time is spent on investigations, something she usually tries to keep away from you.

plus, another pro is -- well, checking her out, really. she doesn't let you carry anything heavy, the rippling tones of her arms flexing when she does so herself. and when she does anything with her hands, even when it's simply sanding a plane of wood, you can't help but linger on the way her knuckles bend and curl with each movement, her veins sticking out as she does so. even now, as she prepares to use the router, and bends down to check where the button to turn it on is, she, so enticingly, stretches out her back as she straightens up. you bite your lip at the sight of the soft muscle there rolling and tensing.

the sudden attraction surging through you for your girlfriend has your stomach flipping in giddiness, and you lean in her direction with a grin. "you sure it won't happen again now that I'm here?"

"why would it? will you try to mess with me?"

"no!" you scoff. "because, you know, I might distract you." your tone shifts to a lower, more teasing tone, usually reserved to the privacy of her -- no, actually, your guys' -- bedroom.

she blinks at you. "you won't. woodwork can be risky, so I'm gonna focus."

you sigh at the total miss. "I was flirting, bozo."

"oh." she blinks at you, then turns back to the router. "well, still applies."

you pout as she softly grabs your wrist and tugs you to the table. "okay, now, what do you do?"

your eyes wryly skim along the machine. "I can drag the wood along it now?"

her lips fold in together, a small huff sliding from her nose. "no. you need to secure the fence. I just told you this."

your shoulders writhe slightly, embarrassment creeping through you. "I was distracted."

"I thought you were the one doing the distracting."

you roll your eyes, grumbling below your breath, "that doesn't mean we aren't at equal risk."

"the only thing we're at equal risk for is getting injured if you don't focus. now pay attention and lock the fence."

her firm tone, though lacking in bite and still gentle, has you frowning. in the throes of giddiness of just how goddamn hot your girlfriend it, part of you is petulant over the desire for her attention.

"but, don't you want to know why I'm distracted?" you ask, your voice teetering onto a singsong rhythm.

she spares you a momentary glance, eyebrow slightly arched. you know it's her silent way of telling you to proceed.

"well..." you trail off, leaning close to her so that no one else hears you. "you look really hot right now."

her nostrils flare slightly, and your lips quirk at the heaving weight her breaths take on. it may sound slightly sadistic of you, but there's something entirely satisfying in watching lee's usual cool, calm and collected state shatter because of your teasing, whether it's due to embarrassment, arousal, annoyance or a head-spinning combination of all three.

"not now -- we need to focus."

"but, how can you expect me to do that when you're here, in a tank top?" you reply, curling your fingers around her firm bicep and giving it a squeeze, which makes her lips tighten even more.

"I trust you can control yourself."

"lee," you sigh, tugging on the bottom of her tank.

she swats your hand away, eyes darting around your surroundings before her hand moves to your lower back, gently turning you to the machine. "later. now do it."

"only after you do me." you know how ridiculous you sound now, but you can't help it -- she's too cute to resist teasing.

she shoots you a sharp look, her wide, brown eyes narrowed in clear irritation. "we're in public."

"and? last time I checked, you didn't mi--"

"and last time I checked, building shelves together was your plan. not flirting with while I try to teach you how to do things."

"but, you just make for a hot teacher." you shrug, plastering on a mockingly innocent smile. "it's not my fault."

"and it's mine, is it?" she quietly asks, eyes flicking up to you in question.

"yes, all yours."

she hums, fingers rasping on the wood, before nodding to herself.

"what?" you ask, your curiosity sparked.

"if I'm playing teacher here, then I guess we have to go off a reward-punishment system, right?"

a warm feeling immediately swarms into your stomach, spreading and sending your body hot. "what does that mean?"

she tilts her head at you, the ghost of a smile kissing her lips. "finish the wood, and you'll get anything you want tonight. don't, and..." she ghosts her fingertips along your belt loop, giving it a slight tug. "you're aware of what I can do."

you swallow hard, your abdomen beginning to ache at the reminder of all her past punishments. "I, um-- yeah."

"get started, then."

mind feeling quite soft and malleable now, you nod, feebly picking up the wood, your face set aflame from her words.

lee watches you carefully. "at least I know now for future reference."

"oh, shut up," you huff, glaring when her lips curl up.

--

lee's mouth twists in amusement as she watches you stir relentlessly, your wrist a muddled flash as you turn it over and over again.

"I don't get it," you half-wail, face contorted in frustration. "I added the exact measurements, how is it still clumpy?"

lee feels a bit guilty, but she can't help but feel a spark of fondness flicker in her chest from watching you get so frustrated and devoted to this recipe. your eyebrows are furrows in intent focus, your mouth pinched into a frown, your nose scrunched as though the mixing bowl is your personal enemy. it's cute.

but, as time passes, and you abandon the bowl momentarily to wipe at the counter, pressing the wet paper towel into the smears and coating of flour, her stomach begins to tighten in a way that's all too familiar when it comes to you. your pants of exhaustion, the way you release those soft grunts, even the sweat lining your brow. she can't help but be reminded of the night before, when you wore such a similar expression while lee was towering over you, fingers pressed into your cheeks as she teased you in a low voice for being so needy.

that mental image is enough to know she'd like to prolong this -- at least, as subtly and tamely as possible. she doesn't want to completely ruin your recipe, but maybe just nudge your buttons for her own self-satisfaction. you seem to enjoy doing it to her all the time, so perhaps there's some merit in it.

and so, she adds a mere half-teaspoon of milk when you order her to add more fluids to the cake before leaving to use the bathroom. minutes later, when you're still stirring aimlessly, bottom lip jutting out, you whine, "why isn't it working?"

she shrugs. "I added half a teaspoon."

your head snaps up to her, eyes bulging out. "half a teaspoon? lee, what the fuck difference is that gonna make?"

she nearly snorts, but she tries, to the best of her ability, to remain neutral. not too difficult, considering it's her automatic expression always. "you said that every ingredient makes a difference. I didn't want to add too much and ruin it further."

"okay, one, me saying that applied to steps way more important than this, and two, please do not imply it's already ruined," you grumble, stomping off the the fridge to grab more milk.

"I mean, but it is," she remarks, eyes flicking to the dry, crumbled mess of your batter. "but, that doesn't mean it's not fixable."

"if it's fixable, that means it's not ruined."

"I don't think the term 'ruined' inherently comes with the implication something being irredeemable."

you shoot her a glare. "since when did you swap 'special agent' for 'english prof'?"

she's unable to resist the twitch in her mouth this time, trying to hide it with a sip from her water. she knows it's desperate of her, but honestly? there's something attractive about you giving her such a stern, authoritative look.

when you finally get the batter to your desired texture, you groan about being tired, requesting lee with an apologetic kiss to chop the chocolate while you rest, scurrying to the living room before she can protest (not that she'd ever truly deny you, you both know that).

when you pop your head back into the kitchen, she's already forcing down a smile when you innocently ask, "is it done?"

"yeah. dark chocolate, right?"

"lee!" you nearly screech. "they're gonna taste so bitter! this is why I asked you to get milk chocolate yesterday, and now--"

lee, just as she does in group discussions with coworkers, tunes you out, picking up a piece of the chopped up milk chocolate and slowly making her way to the spot you're frozen on, rambling as your voice hits pitches she's only ever heard in very different contexts. your hair is unruly, your bottom lip is swollen with how much you've bitten it, and lee feels very desirous to kiss you.

as your lips form the perfect o, lee slides the small piece of chocolate into your mouth, her eyes trained on your wet, slippery lips as you take it in so obediently, a smear of it swiped in the corner.

as you chew on it, your face relaxes, soon followed by a frown. "were you messing with me?"

she hums, smoothing her thumb over your mouth. "a few times, actually."

you splutter. "I-- of all the times-- of all the times you joke, this--this is when you choose to do it? why, what's even--"

she cuts you off without a moment's hesitation, her lips slotting over yours, tongue prodding at that sweet bit of chocolate that got to be tucked into the best place possible.

a soft gasp from you gives her the perfect opportunity to worm her tongue into your mouth, playfully flicking yours as your mouths grow slick and dripping with it. the taste of the chocolate seeps into her mouth, and she holds back from moaning as you two swap the sweetness of it.

when she parts from you, the hot moist of your breaths still mixing in together, she whispers. "you just-- you looked good angry." now that she's forced to admit it, she realizes just how ridiculous the entire thing sounds.

her eyes tentatively raise to you, widening when she sees not judgement, not confusion, but that half-lidded look you get when she does something you relish in, like working out from home.

before she can dissect it further, you're right back on her, messily kissing her as you yank her by the collar of her shirt. "bedroom. now."

a stifled laugh comes from her. "but, the cookies--"

"later, later," you mumble, pushing her onto her back before climbing on with a grin that has lee's stomach flipping. "I'll give you a real chance to enjoy some frustration now."

[mxjackparker]

hi! sorry if this isn't something you're comfortable answering publicly, but do you have any advice for someone starting full-service sex work? the conventional wisdom i've been able to find online is that you should ask your SWer friends for advice when you start out, but i don't know any irl, hence asking here...

for context, i'm US-based and have been (anonymously) selling solo videos online for a few months for a bit of cash while job-hunting, and i'm stillll unemployed and just so fucking done with the job search that i'm considering really leaning into sex work instead. i know it's not easy money and it can be dangerous, but i don't really have other good prospects and honestly i think i might kind of enjoy it? in that i like having sex and trying out new stuff sexually and talking about sex/sexuality with people, and frankly so far filming myself jerking off and posting it on the internet has felt way less degrading than doomscrolling linkedin and writing endless cover letters that will probably never be read by an actual human. i've found a website called tryst that has queer-friendly options (i'm a trans guy) but like. i feel like i have no idea what to do/how to prepare for actually seeing a client??

like i said, i understand if you don't want to give concrete tips or if it's too difficult to give general advice to stranger on tumblr; also, i really admire the work you're doing with writing about sex work, and even if i don't end up going the FSSW route i'm glad to have learned so much about the politics and history of the industry through your blog.

Hey! Totally fine to ask me things like this, and you're also welcome to e-mail or DM me with specific questions and I'll always keep that private and confidential.

I wrote this transmasculine guide to sex work a while back that I think would be helpful to you if you haven't already read it. It has general tips, though it's a little lacking in examples of sites and leaves out options like Rent Men and Bedpage etc. To work out where it makes the most sense to advertise, I'd suggest looking up sex workers in your area on social media or just other trans guys selling sex in the US to see what sites they're advertising on.

As for my biggest pieces of advice based on my experience:

Find community with other sex workers as soon as possible once you start, whether that's through joining online groups or in-person events if there are any near you. This will mean you have people who understand, who you can go to if something bad happens, and allow you to learn from the experiences they share with you.

Get a separate phone and sim card for work. Beg people you know for their old shitty second-hand ones, buy a cheap sim card under a false name, whatever you have to do. Your number is connected to your identity and no matter how careful you are someone will be able to trace it back to your real name and info if you don't get a separate device and number.

If you're someone who currently enjoys sex either with a partner or casually, don't neglect it once you start selling sex. You might think that since you'll be having way more sex, a lack of sex will be the opposite of your issue, but it feels different when it's for work and you don't want to develop a patter of treating all sex you have like it's work. That's less likely to happen if you maintain your current patterns in addition to work. (Disregard if you're not sexually active with others currently, out of preference.)

Decide on sexual boundaries in advance and stick to them even if you change your mind in the moment with a client. Example: if you decide no anal and then you're with a client and you feel like you might actually be fine with it, err on the side of caution and wait until after the booking to think about it again for the future. A sense of pressure can fall on you when there's a financial incentive without you realizing that's what it is at the time.

Find methods of self-soothing and plan what you'll do after bookings in advance, in case you have a bad experience.

Look into sexual health clinics that are sex worker friendly in advance, so you know you can be honest with them and they won't refuse to test you more frequently than people with a smaller number of partners.

These pieces of advice are from all over, but they're a bunch of the things that have been on my mind most recently and that came to me first. If you have specific worries, feel free to ask about them and I wish you ever bit of luck if you decide to start selling sex.

[butterflywannabefree]

Moodboards for @lmkobsessedmoth

Bro, where did my motivation go for me to be posting moodboards during the LAST MONTH OF 2024 ?! I don’t know but I am and still am ashamed. But hey, I’m here now. No time to procrastinate again when creativity means doing things for fun. And I admit, this was pretty fun. As the title suggests, these moodboards are dedicated to @lmkobsessedmoth who, I’m going to be honest, is one of the more nuanced artists in the LMK community. And one of the more underrated, I would say. They are the creator of the Death AU, an AU in which MK dies and is helped by their OC Yu Ling…At first. I don’t think it’s called the Death AU anymore and has a whole new plotline that involves spirits and monsters alike.

Which is understandable. Creators are able to change whatever they want about their AU and the characters within it. Lord knows how much I go back and forth on my own creations- Loyd, you’re my kindred spirit in that sense- But enough about that. I wanted to make moodboards, I made moodboard and you will now see the moodboards ! I’m back for now, baby, so let’s get the train moving !

Side note, I only made two moodboards for @lmkobsessedmoth ‘s main OC’s (Yu Ling and Diedie). I might be interested in making some for the others if we receive more about them. But for now, this is what I got.

First up is the main girl herself, Yu Ling. Or the Daughter of Death, as her title says. From what I know, Yu Ling is a being whose fate was reset by the gods, Erland and Guanyin. I believe her powers have something to do with souls and spirits. And in order to get that power, there was a deal made with the ten Yama Kings and she has been their student ever since, gaining many injuries from the accident which didn’t affect her. Though her origins were very different as in the beginning of the Death AU, she was originally meant to be a guide for MK when he died and helped him on his adventures.

Concept wise, that is a strong one. I’ve studied stories and writing before and I’ve always been one to enjoy anything relating to things like spirits and souls. So I really enjoyed learning about the AU. Even though things have changed, seeing Yu Ling change through it was also fun. Her design is both, dare I say, simplistic yet fancy. Loyd has managed the art of being able to replicate the artstyle of LMK almost seamlessly and Yu Ling looks like she could pass to be one of the characters. Simple but with just enough to make her stand out. Not to mention her character is pretty neat. When I was asking permission from her creator to make this, I asked them what represented her and I was answered souls, jade and stars. I think I leaned more into angsty territory by adding those quotes though. I dunno. I felt like they matched well enough. So I’ll give myself a pass. It goes with the picture I chose of Yu Ling well enough, I feel like.

Next is Diedie or Dandelion Child ! I’m gonna be honest and probably get hated for it but I think she’s more of my favorite than Yu Ling. Don’t get me wrong, both are great but I always did have an affinity for child characters. Especially…Ugh, tragic child characters. Loyd, who gave you the right to create one of the cutest little beans and put her through so much ? Is that even legal ? I doubt it. But it is what it is. From my research, Diedie is a child from 1920’s China. She became the guardian of an ancient artifact called the Lotus Reliquary after stopping a demon from destroying it. Diedie is also nonverbal and is seen as, and I quote, an INFECTION, by the villagers because of this and the way she acts.

Which…Bro, that makes me SO mad. If I had a choice, I’d burn that village down myself. But hey, fire is already a thing in Diedie’s story so I can’t do that. That’s all I can put in here. If you want to know more about her, please go check out @lmkobsessedmoth ‘s profile and check out their stuff. Pls, they are underrated and deserve attention. POSITIVE attention. Loyd, I hope I didn’t disappoint (as I usually do haha-) you with these moodboards. They were pretty fun to make and I’d be happy to do the rest of your characters when I have the chance. For now, I’m Vee and I’ll be back whenever with more moodboards if I can.

[silverofthunder]

☆ (the beauty of) your world ☆

Papa Emeritus IV x GN Reader

summary: With a smile on your lips, you just listened to him, enjoyed how his voice seemed to reach somewhere deep and touch you in a way you couldn’t quite explain. It was truly beautiful and you could swear that if you hadn’t already fallen for Copia it had certainly happened now, right in this moment.

content: 2.8k words, mystery (kind of), drama, fantasy, romance, fluff, SFW (i think?)

♡♡ part 1 ♡♡ part 2 ♡♡ part 3 ♡♡

Fourth part already, wow! Now I have finally started to plan this story so it might help keeping this all together - hopefully, at least. This is my fave part so far, it was so easy to write this. Enjoy!

The time seemed to pass way too slowly as it usually did on Fridays. You had checked the clock too many times and picked your phone up several times to scroll social media so you could have something to do when there were no customers to be seen. However, there wasn’t much to see in social media apps – only a few posts about weekend plans or cute photos of pets and then only random recommended, boring stuff that you just ignored.

You leaned against the counter with sigh and locked the phone, putting it aside and let then your gaze to take in the shop. It didn’t take long before a sound of buzzing got your attention and you picked your phone back up, seeing the notification of a new message arrived hovering on the screen. Your heart made a happy jump in your chest as you saw Copia to be the sender and quickly you unlocked the phone, opening the message.

Meet me by the abandoned church at 10 pm. - C

Smile rose to your lips instantly, excitement hopping up several levels within you. Your curiosity was aroused, too, so you had to reply and ask what that was about. It didn’t take long before Copia replied with ”you’ll see it, then” and a winking emoji. You let out a light chuckle, mind already starting to ponder all the options of what would await for you. The abandoned church itself was a cool sight to see and you had done your exploration there a few times but surely there was going to be something more.

”Whoever got you smiling like that must be a special one.” Your co-worker’s, Olivia’s, voice broke you out of your thoughts and you quickly unlocked your phone, turning your head to see Olivia looking at you with amusement.

”Yeah, he is,” you admitted and Olivia seemed to study you closely.

”It’s fairly new thing, isn’t it?”

”Yes,” you answered briefly as you really didn’t want to share much about your personal life. Olivia was nice and all but you wouldn’t exactly call her your friend.

”If he is a good one, please, tell me where did you find him? I’ve gotten so sick and tired of the assholes who just disappear after one meeting or who don’t know how to treat a woman respectfully,” Olivia said and you could almost sense her frustration.

She had talked about her… acquaintances several times and it seemed that she had been really unlucky with guys but you really couldn’t indentify with her situation. You had never looked for anyone, you had enjoyed your single life until Copia had just appeared in your life.

”Maybe you should just stop looking for someone,” you suggested, shrugging and then grinning. ”Worked for me, at least.”

Olivia didn’t look impressed, her one brow rising up.

”So I should just wait and see if I happen to run into someone in one day and then he magically falls in love with me?”

You chuckled, nodding. ”Yes. It honestly can happen.”

”I doubt it,” Olivia stated, though now there was a small smile tucking at the corners of her mouth. ”How did you meet your guy, by the way?”

You grinned, shaking your head.

”Trust me, you don’t want to know that.”

Olivia looked like she wanted to ask more but you shook your head again and she got the message. You weren’t going to tell her more. Not now, at least.

You were a bit late as you had taken too much time figuring out what to wear for the evening. Eventually you had settled for a button up shirt and some loose-fitting trousers with a long, warm coat, scarf and your favorite mittens. Copia was already waiting for you, leaning against the handrails in front of the church, a guitar case on the stairs by his feet.

”Sorry, I’m a bit late,” you apologized, smiling at him as you climbed a few stairs up.

”Don’t worry, I have all the time in the world,” he said, pushing himself off the handrails and taking a hold of your hand and leaning in to kiss your cheek.

”What’s that for?” you had to ask, pointing the guitar case. ”I didn’t knew you play a guitar.”

”I didn’t play for a long time but I felt it would be nice to do that for a special occasion.”

”And this is that special occasion?”

”Yes,” Copia said, smile wide, and picked up the case, still holding your other hand. ”Let’s go.”

You let Copia lead you away from the stairs, taking then turn to right and head behind the church. It was kind of hard to see when there were no working lights around on your path but you trusted that Copia, or vampires in general, had a good night vision. You tried your best at not to trip on any branches of bushes or anything else that grew or were on the ground as you walked forward and realized that maybe your choice of trousers and coat wasn’t the best.

Copia took you all the way to the back of the church and then continued forward where there seemed to be some smaller building. You walked past that, and then you could see another, a bigger building rising before you. Copia stopped by the metallic staircase and motioned you to go first.

”Is this safe?” you asked, eyeing the stairs suspiciously.

”Yes,” Copia said softly, gently patting your back and urging you forward.

You started climbing, the metal under your feet giving a small noises with every step. It was kind of unnerving but knowing that Copia was there with you, made you feel safer. With Copia’s instructions you climbed until you reached the roof and when you turned to look at towards the church, the sight that greeted you was so pretty. You could see the city spread out before you in all its night glory, the lights shining in different shades near and far, the moon casting its light above you.

”Wow,” you said in awe. ”I had no idea that you can see the city from here.”

”Well, now you know,” Copia said, stepping beside you and putting the guitar case down. ”This is one of my favorite places, I have spent so many nights here.”

”I can see why.”

You took a glance at Copia, seeing him looking at you with a soft, happy expression.

”What?” you asked, now properly turning to Copia.

”I thought that if I ever found someone… special I would bring them here,” Copia spoke softly, a dreamy smile on his lips. ”This is a part of my world – the quiet, oftentimes lonely nights. But seeing all this made me feel less lonely, no matter how odd it sounds.”

Something tugged at your heartstrings and you instinctively moved closer to Copia and wrapped your arms around him to comfort him. He relaxed into the embrace and for a while you just stood there, in silence.

”So this is a date, then?” you eventually broke the silence, pulling slightly back so that you could look at Copia.

”Sí, obviously.”

You smiled, moving your hand and giving him a light, playful shove to the upper arm.

”Such a romantic,” you teased, making Copia laugh, a proper, deep laugh this time. You loved the sound of it, your smile only growing wider. It always felt good when you made him laugh.

”Always have been,” he said, maybe half-jokingly, then leaning in and placing a kiss on your forehead. ”Now, sit down and get ready for some guitar tunes.”

You didn’t have to be told twice so you sat down, eager to hear Copia playing. While you waited Copia to take his time for getting ready, you let your gaze admire the night lights, and hoped that you had taken your notebook and pen with you. It wasn’t typical for you to leave home without them but this time you had thought that you would rather enjoy the moment as it was, without any distraction.

”Here,” Copia soon said, your gaze falling to the worn-out notebook he was handing to you. ”There’s some pieces of lyrics I’ve written.”

Surprised you took the notebook, examining the cover. There seemed to be some symbol on it, like it was embedded on it but due to darkness and wear and tear you couldn’t make out exactly what it was. Just as you hesitantly opened the notebook, Copia played the first chords, and you removed your other mitten and took your phone out of your pocket, putting the flashlight on and pointing it towards the page. Words were written in black ink, handwriting looking pretty and for a moment you just admired it.

Copia was now playing properly, the soft, slow melody filling your ears and you started to read the words. The longer you read and the more you listened Copia’s playing, it felt like the words on the pages and the melody matched well sometimes. Whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, it was beautiful nonetheless. Then you closed your eyes, for a moment just focusing on the sound of the guitar, letting the music paint a picture in your head. Sadness, longing, hope.

It didn’t take a long before you were caught off guard by a low, sweet voice. You opened your eyes, turning to look at Copia completely in awe. You had had no idea that he could also sing but it certainly was a nice surprise. With a smile on your lips, you just listened to him, enjoyed how his voice seemed to reach somewhere deep and touch you in a way you couldn’t quite explain. It was truly beautiful and you could swear that if you hadn’t already fallen for Copia it had certainly happened now, right in this moment.

When Copia eventually stopped singing and played the last chords, you put your phone and Copia’s notebook down and plunged then forward to smash you lips against his. Copia let out a surprised noise, then melting into the kiss, his other hand cupping your cheek. You balanced yourself by leaning against Copia’s shoulders with your hands as your mouths explored one another slowly. There were so many things you hoped you could say but didn’t have words for so you had to try to convey them all through the kiss.

Way too soon air became needed for you so reluctantly you pulled away, searching for Copia’s gaze, your heart beating faster inside your chest.

”That was amazing,” you breathed out, knowing it was quite an understatement but right now you had no better words to offer. Copia grinned.

”I’m glad you liked it.”

”Liked it? I loved it!” you stated emphatically. ”You really have a beautiful voice and the lyrics… Wow, I’m impressed.”

Now Copia was basically beaming and you couldn’t help but lean to place a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. It made him chuckle and you felt the sound of it in your heart, the warmth spreading all over you.

”You definitely need to play and sing more,” you said smiling. ”Have you ever played for the audience?”

Copia nodded. ”Si, but it’s been decades since the last time. For some reason I lost a bit of the spark to do that even tough it was fun. But I think that tonight I might have gotten a part of that spark back.”

The way Copia’s eyes shined even in the darkness of the night, made you feel so happy.

”Are you implying that I inspired you to pick up the guitar and start singing again?”

Copia flashed you a crooked smile, raising his other brow.

”Well, you’re an artist yourself, so you probably understand how the inspiration works.”

You nodded, lifting your hand up to caress Copia’s cheek.

”Oh, I know that very well.”

Copia leaned against your touch, smiling sweetly, and you were so glad that he chose this night to spread out his heart and show more of himself. This was a perfect date, if you were honest. While you would have been completely fine with the basic movie or dinner date, this seemed more… you and Copia if that made sense. You weren’t even sure how dinner date would even work with a vampire.

”What’s going on in that sweet head of yours?” Copia interrupted your train of thoughts and you shook your head.

”It’s silly…” you started, lowering your gaze. ”I was just thinking how perfect this date has been. And I was wondering how it would have worked if we had had a dinner date instead.”

Copia moved his hand under you chin, gently making you to look at him.

You hummed, running your fingers along Copia’s cheeks, stopping right upon his upper lip. Copia’s lips parted slightly and you could see the fangs coming out, a wind-like movement passing you before settling into a warm vibration around you.

”That’s not silly,” he spoke softly. ”I’m happy that this has been a great date for you and I have also enjoyed this so much. And what comes for the dinner date… Well, I can eat human food but it doesn’t do much, you know. It would have been a bit weird for me but I would have managed it, of course. But it didn’t feel right for us so I wanted to do this.”

”With you I feel more like a human,” Copia said quietly, caressing your chin with his thumb. ”But I also hate these vampire aspects less.”

Smiling, you leaned closer to Copia’s face, watching closely how his other eye changed its color to red, how his nose twitched and you felt that odd satisfaction deep down as you knew that your scent was causing that. Naturally you had to close the gap between you, capture Copia’s lips in a kiss again, your mouths easily finding a perfect, slow rhythm. The night was cool and his lips felt cold against yours but you felt so warm within. It wasn’t a full, blazing fire but something more gentle, lingering – like a fluffy blanket wrapped around you. You hoped you never would have to let go of that feeling.

With a fluttering heart you pulled then back, smile matching to Copia’s as your gazes met. There was so much to see in those beautiful mismatched eyes, whole books of stories, remnants of the long life lived and you were already so lost in the vastness of it, the world you were now the highlight of.

The next thing seemed to happen in a blink of an eye and you found yourself to be pinned down against the cold surface of the roof, guitar now resting on the side and Copia hovering above you, his gaze taking in the sight of you. Gently he took a hold of you hand, pulling the mitten away and bringing your wrist close to his lips, then placing a light kiss on it, making you shudder.

”Could you feed off from me?” you asked, feeling how Copia tensed for a moment.

”Now?” he asked, confused, and you nodded, surprising yourself a bit by that.

”Yes, if you want to.”

Copia stared at you as if he was looking for any signs that could tell you weren’t actually serious. Then he inhaled deeply your scent, your wrist still close to his lips and you could see how tempting your offer had been. Then he shook his head, placing another kiss to your wrist.

”As much I would like to do that, now’s not the right moment,” he said, letting go of your hand, leaning closer and cupping you face. ”I’m not ready for that yet.”

You felt slight disappointment tying its knot within you but this wasn’t all about you or what you wanted. You didn’t want to drive Copia away by being too eager or persistent.

”It’s okay,” you said, offering Copia a reassuring smile. ”I can wait.”

A half-smile passed Copia’s lips as he run his fingers along the side of your face.

”It would hurt no matter how careful I would be. Until the venom kicks in, at least.”

”It can’t be that bad, right?” you sighed, and Copia made a face at that.

”Well, it doesn’t hurt as much as turning into a vampire but it still hurts.”

You pondered his words for a while, trying to imagine different kind of pain levels but of course you couldn’t grasp the reality as you had no idea how it would be. The idea of him biting you, feeding off from you, was still intriguing and you weren’t going to take back your offer.

”Okay, enough of this serious talk…” you said, changing the subject. ”Could we leave now? It’s getting a bit cold.”

Copia was instantly on his feet, extending his hand to you, his usual warm smile returning to his lips.

”Sure, I’ll walk you home.”

taglist: @nijiru

[thornwolfy235]

WIP 6 - First Intimacy

I'm going to post a bunch of WIPs in a row now. maybe with a little feedback I'll get the gumption to finish one of them.

A bit of info on them first. I wrote all of these in an effort to deal with an exceptionally bad break-up (might as well call it a divorce, we lived together for 6 years). A lot of these are "how it should've gone" type stuff. I was never able to decide if they should be a full chapter by chapter "novel" or just a bunch of oneshots within the same universe and make a collection of them in order or whatever. Maybe I'll drop them to Ao3 as well. They are all xfem!Readers with my blorbos Grillby and Gaster (though most have no anatomy mentioned, so you can safely read no matter what gender you are). I'd appreciate a glance through if nothing else.

As the title suggests, this is Grillby and Reader's first intimate encounter. For as long as this WIP is, it doesn't actually get too terribly far into anything, but I still have to say MINORS DON'T READ. This is mostly fluff and consent and experimenting. Quick reminder that Reader is female, though again it doesn't get too very far, not even below the belt. Because I take too, too long with descriptions and dialogue.

Oh, also, Reader and Grillby have become SoulBonded, which in my universe is like a deeply committed relationship. Kind of an engagement type deal?

CW: 18+

((needs stuff))

He leaned down to kiss you, first softly, then with more force. His tongue ran along your lips, seeking entrance. You pulled away with a whimper, not anticipating the sudden passion from him. Though his flames seemed normal enough, his eyes were nearly white. “Sweet spark, please…please let me see you. I want to touch you…feel you…claim you…” he almost growled.

You pulled back further, a mix of fear and want fighting in you. “I don’t…I’m not ready to…Grillby…”

He took a breath and shook his head, a little of his intensity falling away. “No, dearest spark. I’m not seeking to make you my Mate. Not yet. I just want…need to be near you. I’ve learned your mind and your SOUL, and now I need to learn your body. I need to show you that your trust isn’t misplaced. I promise I won’t do anything you don’t agree to. Just let…let me be with you.”

You swallowed nervously. The proposition was…very attractive, but… “I’m scared. It feels like everything is going so fast now.”

He dropped his head with a hollow chuckle. “I know, I know. It’s a lot right now. Our SOULs are likely trying to figure out the Bond dynamic as well, which is only adding to the confusion. I’m sorry.” He looked at you, eyes closer to their normal golden-yellow, if still a little pale. “I won’t do anything you aren’t okay with, I promise. My SOUL is just begging to be as close to you as possible. I want to learn you and show you how much you mean to me.”

Admittedly, you liked that idea a lot. You wanted that closeness, to try out deeper intimacy with him. Your nerves just needed to be eased a little more. “W-will you stop if I ask you to?”

“Yes, and I won’t hold it against you, either,” he assured you, voice as tender as you’d ever heard it. “I would never hold it against you.”

“Then y-yes, I want to try,” you murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek. He put his hand over yours and kissed your palm. “Just…be gentle?”

“Always, my sweet spark.” He let you go, hands going to undo the buttons of his shirt as he leaned in to kiss your lips. “I am sorry for my forcefulness earlier. I know you don’t like open-mouthed kisses. I…lost myself for a moment. It wasn’t lust or aggression, just the need to be near you.”

“I-I…I think I understand. And you know I don’t mind trying them…I just still don’t know what to do with them…but if you want to try again…” you trailed off, watching his fingers work.

He paused, mulling the thought over, before resuming undoing the buttons. “Perhaps if the feeling is right,” he conceded. You watched as little by little his chest was revealed. As he finished with the last of them, you tentatively lifted a hand to reach for him but froze before actually touching him. He waited to see if you would touch him yourself, but as it became clear your were too nervous to try, he gently took your hand in his. He kissed your fingers softly before guiding it to where a sternum would be on a human and held it there for a moment. “Is this alright?”

“I’m scared I’ll mess this up somehow…” you admitted in a whisper, looking up into his eyes.

He affectionately bumped his forehead against yours. “You won’t. I don’t think you could.” He released your hand as your other one joined it, gently running over his chest and stomach. You weren’t able to look away from his face, strangely too nervous to see what you touched yet willing to meet his eyes. There was a solid, defined form beneath his fiery skin, though the shape seemed rougher than that his hands and face. They lacked human bone and muscle structures you were used to. No abs, no defined ribcage, things that made sense as you thought about them. He was magical fire; what need would he have for those? As you ran your fingers up along his sides, you grazed something cool, hard, and jagged. Alarmed, you recoiled with a gasp. “It’s alright, dear spark. It’s just a scar,” he murmured. He calmly shrugged his shirt off the rest of the way, revealing his shoulders, arms, and chest fully. What you had touched was a patch of black stone the size of your palm, its edges and cracks glowing red. There were a handful of smaller blotches littered across him, almost too small to notice unless you looked for them. “My form is fairly resilient, but some injuries do not…reignite even after healing. The large one was from a human mage with water magic,” he explained.

“I-I’m sorry,” you squeaked, set on edge by the old wounds and his suddenly bare top. He was much more intimidating this way, and it took you a moment before you realized why. The flames across his neck, shoulders, and upper arms flared high much like those on his head, like a lion’s mane unrestricted by gravity, making him appear much larger than you were used to. He looked imposing…threatening.

“Please don’t be afraid,” he said, startling you despite the softness of his voice. “I can feel it from your SOUL…I didn’t mean to frighten you…” Now ashamed, you held your hands to your chest as though it would stop your SOUL from projecting your emotions to him. “No, don’t…It’s okay. It’s important to me to understand how you feel. I don’t want you to hide that from me,” he said, putting his hands over yours and pushing them down.

You let out a stress-filled giggle. “W-wow, I really need to get a-a handle on this Bond thing, don’t I?”

“Stop, please. Just relax.”

“Grillby, you know telling me that is like telling a tree to take a walk!” you whined.

“Relax,” he repeated, now holding both of your hands. “Everything is big and new and you feel like you don’t know what to do with it, but I’m here. I’m here with you, and I’m going be to here for all of it. Take a breath, and relax. Tell me why you became scared.”

You swallowed and tried to do as he said. Your fingers tightened on his, which he returned, the pressure helping to steady you. “Y-your flames are…bigger. A-and that made you seem bigger, and then the scars, and what your SOUL showed me, and…I-I think it just occurred to me for the first time who you are…”

“Your friendly barkeep? Your boyfriend? Your SOULbonded? Because that’s who I am. The past may have shaped me, but I get to choose what I do with it. I chose to never don my armor or pick up a weapon again years ago. Now, I choose to be yours.”

You blinked back tears at the sudden rush of love you felt for him and from him as he let it flow through the Bond for a moment. “I choose to be yours, too,” you whispered.

He smiled sweetly at you. “I know,” he said, giving you a long, gentle kiss. He guided your arms around his shoulders, patiently accepting your trepidation as your bare skin passed into his flames, but like when you played with the ones on his head, they were borderline hot but didn’t harm you. “I would never, could never hurt you, my love,” he assured you.

“I-I know. You’d think I’d have caught on to that by now.”

He chuckled. “I’m patient. You have plenty of time to learn.”

You laughed with him. “Why…why are your flames bigger?” you asked.

“That’s what happens when fire is exposed to oxygen, dearest,” he teased with a smirk.

You blinked. “Oh. I should’ve thought of that.”

He laughed loud and long, hugging you hard. “I’m never going to be bored with you around, am I?” He caught your lips in a kiss before you could answer, then a second, more forceful one. You felt his tongue touch your lips and this time let him in. He explored for a moment, tongue touching the roof of your mouth, running along your teeth, before it found yours. You broke the kiss with a little gasp, still unsure about it. “It’s alright,” he murmured before you could apologize, lips finding yours again. He kissed from there to your cheek and down to your neck where he touched his teeth to your skin in the lightest bite possible. You whimpered softly, going boneless at the feeling, which earned a low chuckle from him. “Never bored at all,” he murmured, pressing his face into the crook of your neck with a happy sigh. His flames tickled your cheek, making you giggle. “May I see you, too?” he asked.

You felt yourself lock up for a moment before forcing yourself to relax. You were safe here. In fact, there probably wasn’t a safer place you could be. “Yes,” you whispered.

He eased you back, hands sliding under your shirt to rest on your waist. “May I undress you, or would you rather do that yourself?”

You blushed. “I-I’d rather do it, if that’s okay…” He nodded, thumbs rubbing comforting little circles into your skin as he waited for you to work up the courage to do so. Deciding to get the awkwardness over with as quickly as possible, you pulled your shirt and bra off at the same time. You sat there, fighting the urge to cover your breasts with your arms.

His fingers moved up your sides, pausing at the feel of your ribs before slowly going over them as though counting. There was a little trickle of emotions from his side of the Bond, as though there was so much there that they were escaping whatever dam he’d put up. Aside from the ever-present affection, there was curiosity, the desire to see-touch-learn-know you. “I thought human bones were rigid, but I can feel them shift as you breath,” he murmured.

“Our bones have a little bend to them, otherwise they’d facture at the slightest pressure, but the ribcage also isn’t a solid structure, not mostly anyways. There’s a lot of stretchy, flexible cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum, and they aren’t fused with our vertebrae either. They’re attached by tiny ligaments, and now I’m nervous-rambling.”

He smiled. “That’s perfectly fine, spark. I want to understand you, how you work and feel, what you like and don’t.”

You searched his face as you processed that. “This…this really isn’t about sex o-or even claiming me, is it? I’m just as much of a novelty to you as you are to me.”

“It has very little to do with sex, and while I do want to ensure you know that you are mine, learning your body is my primary goal,” he said patiently before tilting his head. “Why does this surprise you?”

You swallowed, suddenly embarrassed. “W-well…f-for humans, this sort of intimacy would usually be considered heavy petting or foreplay. It is for learning a little, but pleasure-seeking and potentially escalating into sex is generally the driving force.”

“Ah…” He frowned. “That’s…truly a shame. To not take the chance to use first intimacy to focus on learning and teaching feels like a waste.”

“So this…what we’re doing right now…It’s common for Monsters?”

“Very much so for those romantically coupled, especially after first Bonding. Even among similar forms, there is this sort of…learning period. Unlike humans who have a fairly universal shape, our physical forms are all so varied that it’s important to understand how the other works before attempting any sort of sexual intimacy. Not to mention it builds up trust and love and security,” he explained.

You mulled that over for a moment before going rigid. “Wait…I’ve been nervous this entire relationship about asking to touch you or how your body works, thinking I might be offending you, when it was totally normal and actually expected of me?”

His eyes widened. “You were uneasy all those times because thought you were offending me? I thought you were worried that you might get burned by me! I-I thought you were afraid of me!”

You put your head in your hands. “I’m so dumb,” you moaned, feeling your cheeks heat up.

He bumped his head against yours. “No dumber than me,” he said, sounding relieved. “I’ve been reassuring you all along that I wouldn’t hurt you when that wasn’t the problem at all.”

“No, no; reassuring is nice. I like being reassured. At the very least, it gives me the warm fuzzies, and there are definitely times I need those,” you said quickly, getting a little huff of laughter in return. “But… Yeah…I was afraid you’d get mad at me for asking something stupid or obvious to anyone else but me.”

“Oh, spark, I could never be mad at you for asking questions. You weren’t doing it out of malice. You wanted to understand me, which I think is wonderful. I’m just…shocked you were never afraid of me.”

“No. Just that little bit ago, when I first saw you without your shirt. And…I don’t think ‘afraid’ is the right word…More like…” You thought about it before changing your approach. “Humans have been told that we’re stronger than Monsters. Our bodies are made up of ‘stuff,’ so we can take more physical damage and have way more determination, which in turn means we’re harder to stop if one of us does want to hurt one of you. The PR people spun that to encourage humans to think that Monsters literally can’t pose a threat, which is probably for the best as it’s likely been keeping most humans from freaking out too much, extremists notwithstanding. But it also makes it easy to forget that Monsters aren’t totally harmless and helpless. So seeing you, way back then in your memories and just now, big and honestly kind of intimidating, sort of made me realize that I’m...outclassed by you. And it’s not that I think you would hurt me, but whatever instinctive, primal bit of my brain just kind of kicked in for a second to be like ‘Hey, idiot! You’re literally playing with fire here!’ I kind of forgot you were you, and suddenly thought that I could be in danger, o-or that there was the potential for it at least.” You paused, feeling guilty for your earlier reaction. “Does that make…any sense?”

He nodded slowly. “It’s a fair assessment of things,” he said, almost reluctantly. “Do you think that will be something in the back of your mind now? That you’re ‘outclassed’ by me. I don’t want…I worry you’ll feel like you have to tiptoe around me now.”

You shrugged but shook your head. “It might pop up once in a while, but I don’t think it’ll make me treat you any different. Just…when it does show up, I might need you to remind me that it’s still you.”

He smiled, though there was a tinge of sadness to it. “I can manage that. Thank you for being honest with me.” His hands slid back down to your waist. “Do you want to stop for tonight?” You shook your head, confused. “No. Why?”

“If this sort of exploration isn’t comfortable for you, I don’t want to make you continue.”

You glanced away, embarrassed. “It’s not uncomfortable, per se, but I will probably find such…intimate touching arousing, and I don’t know if that would make you uncomfortable.” His gentle smile became that teasing smirk again. “It isn’t unheard of for Monsters to get a little riled up during this. And there are ways of assisting with that without resorting to sex, you know.”

You blushed. “W-well, ye-es…”

His expression softened as he leaned in to kiss your forehead. “I am happy to take care of you, sweet spark. Whether it’s supporting you, reassuring you, or helping you when you’re wound up because of me, I’m here for you.”

“I know…I just…worry it’s too fast or too soon…or that you don’t want to but are just going along with my dumb body’s urges to make me happy.”

“Your body isn’t dumb; You’re simply designed differently from Monsters. And I’m not ‘just going along’ with it. I can say ‘no’ or decide what’s far enough, just like you can.” He grinned mischievously. “Besides, I am feeling a little…playful as well. And if I’m to be your Mate, eventually I’ll have to learn what makes you feel good, won’t I?”

You were positive you found a way to blush even harder. “Tr-true…You’ve just never made me feel rushed, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t rushing you. So…just to make sure…this won’t make me your Mate yet, will it?”

He shook his head. “No. There’s a lot more involved to the process than that. As I told you before, even sex wouldn’t do it. To become SOULmates, you must let your partner see and touch your SOUL, and do the same for theirs. It’s the ultimate expression of vulnerability and trust. Not that I don’t trust you or think you don’t trust me, but it’s…big. It’s like if…” he paused to think about his wording. “If we were to liken our Bonding to an engagement, Mating would be marriage…times ten.”

You nodded. “I…think I understand,” you said softly. You reached out and touched his chest, closing your eyes to focus his heat and his solidness.

He stayed still, though you were certain he was looking at your hand curiously. “What are you thinking about?”

“You. How you feel. I noticed…Your body feels less…formed? I-I mean, just compared to me. The shape is there, but I don’t feel the bone or muscle structure I’m used to,” you said. You opened your eyes as you ran your hand up to his shoulder and down his arm. “But that changes just above your elbow. It feels more like my arm. Your hands are even more defined than that. I can practically feel tendons on the back of your hand when you move your fingers,” you finished as you reached his hand. He took it off your side to intertwine his fingers with yours.

“It’s not a conscious decision on my part. I think that my SOUL simply focuses on refining the more important features. A well-formed hand is more useful to me than a chiseled torso, for example. Does it bother you?”

“No, no. It’s just…an observation. Besides, I’ve never really been into muscle-y people,” you joked, trying to ease some of your own awkwardness. “Why a humanoid form, anyway?“

“I think it’s a pretty good one myself, don’t you?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

You snorted. “Well, yes, of course, and it’s very handsome, too. But your magic could have chosen any number of things…given you wings or extra arms…”

“Wings could have been nice,” he mused. “I don’t know why this is my form. I never really questioned it. I guess my magic just decided this one would be the most useful.” He untangled your fingers to instead cradle your hand in his. Maybe it was some lingering unease from earlier, or perhaps it was that you suddenly felt incredibly inexperienced, but you felt so small and vulnerable right now. And yet his patience and gentleness also made you feel so safe, and that led to wanting more…to see whatever this intimate exploration might become. “Dearest?” You looked up from your hands and into his eyes. “May I touch you?” You felt his other hand slide up your side to stop alongside your breasts.

You bit your lip. “I-If we continue, I-I am going to become…needy,” you admitted.

“‘Needy’ as in ‘aroused,’” he clarified. You glanced down but nodded, embarrassed by your body’s reaction to this, to him. He kissed your forehead. “As I said, I’m feeling a little the same, so as long as you were okay with things only being done by hand…”

“Y-yeah. I’m a-also not ready for actual sex yet, b-but…I want…w-want the…” Words failed you.

His hand slid along the underside of one breast and gently cupped it, making your breath hitch. “The intimacy? The closeness that comes with being seen and touched and loved?” he asked. You nodded. “Then let me give that to you. Teach me. Show me what it is you like.”

You sighed, taking his hand from your chest. You needed to focus, and his touch was making that hard to do. “I-I don’t really know if I can just…tell you what to do. It’s just…I-I didn’t think we’d be having this conversation until way later, a-and you probably could guess this on your own, but…” You lifted his hand to your cheek to nuzzle it. “Safety is a big thing for me. I-in intimate circumstances like this, I’d go as far as to say it’s my kink. If I feel safe, I’ll let you do just about anything to me and I’ll probably love it. I feel safe right now, even if I’m also feeling embarrassed and nervous and shy…I’m safe with you, so I want you to do…whatever it is that you want to do. I know it probably sounds wishy-washy when I say that, like I’m just going along with things, but it’s true. I feel safe, so I want to let you do what you want and see what happens.”

His hand, which had been lax in your grasp, moved to under your chin, gently tilting your head up to look into his face. “I believe I understand. Would you still stop me if I did something you didn’t like?”

“Yes. I know we’re learning each other, and I trust that if I told you to stop or try something different, you would. And honestly, knowing that you would still respect me, even when I let you have permission to try anything…I think that just reinforces the feeling of safety.”

He smiled. “Good. I was a little worried you’d just accept anything I did, even if you didn’t like it. I don’t want to do that to you. Is there anything you absolutely don’t want me to do?”

“I-I don’t think you’d do any of what I don’t like,” you said, fighting the urge to look away.

“Tell me anyway. It’s best I know your limits.”

You took a breath, forcing your shoulders to relax. You hadn’t realized you tensed up again. “I don’t want to be humiliated or degraded. I don’t like derogatory terms, the kinds of things that could be used as an insult. ‘Spark’ or ‘girl’ or other pet-names are fine, just nothing…crass. A-and I don’t ever want to be hit hard, especially my face. It’s too close to…s-something someone would do in anger for me to find it fun.”

His hands had moved to your arms as you talked to rub them comfortingly. “You’re right; I wouldn’t do any of those things. I never want to hurt you, emotionally or physically.”

Your eyes flicked away from his, unsure if you could watch his reaction to what you were about to admit. “Like I said, playful names are okay, a-and not all pain is bad…I-I mean, I like when you nip and bite me, a-and…in the right circumstances…I-I do like being…spanked…”

He paused for a moment, considering that. “Those things aren’t really intended to hurt you. At least, it isn’t my intent to hurt you when I bite you. It’s play. It’s more intense than nuzzling and kissing, but it’s still play. A little sting to make gentle touches all the gentler. And I can see how spanking would be a form of intense play where hitting your face would not be.” He squeezed your hands reassuringly. “But I don’t want to do that tonight, if that’s alright.”

A nervous giggle left you. “No, that’s fine. I-I’m definitely not in the right headspace for spanking.”

He hugged you, lips finding yours. The kiss was hard, passionate, his teeth catching your lower lip and tugging it as you parted. You whimpered softly, feeling the tension that had built up again leave you. “Lay back and get comfortable. I want to explore you properly,” he breathed, his usual tenor pitching down slightly with a soft growl. Oh, if that didn’t do it for you. He watched with a smirk as you hurried to obey, scooting to the center of the bed and laying back against the pillows. “Ah, so you like being told what to do. Would you like it if I took control?” he teased, hands running up your legs.

“Yes,” you whispered, eyes fixed on his. Your legs automatically parted so he could kneel between them.

“Would you like it if I used a little force?” he continued in that seductive tone, leaning over you, one hand pressing down on the center of your chest. He had you pinned beneath him, though the pressure he put on your body was minimal, just enough to convey that he was indeed in control without coming across as hostile, and certainly not enough to hurt you.

“Yes,” you breathed again, letting yourself relax. His flames flared out behind him, still making him seem huge, but now the sight calmed you. ‘In control’ could have multiple implications, and he was in control of himself, so it was safe – and admittedly hot – for him to be in control of the situation as well.

“Would you submit to me if I wanted to dominate you?” he growled, leaning further down over you, baring his teeth in a wicked grin.

You tilted your head back to expose your throat, inviting him to use those teeth on you. “Yes,” you answered, never taking your eyes from his.

He pressed a burning but tender kiss to your neck. “Why is that, sweet girl?” he purred against your skin. While his voice was still that deliciously-dangerous rumble, the question was genuine.

“You promised to take care of me. You’re bigger and stronger than me, and you could force me to do things I didn’t want, but you promised not to, and I trust you not to break it,” you answered honestly.

His dominant façade broke, everything about him softening in an instant. “Yes, sweet spark. I’ll always take care of you,” he murmured. He lowered himself carefully onto you, body pressing you down fully. The feeling of his bare chest against yours was fascinating, hot and heavy and solid without being crushing, the little flames between your bodies creating a light, tickling sensation against your skin. He pressed his face into the crook of your neck and you found yourself doing the same, arms wrapping around him. “I love you so much. You mean the world to me.” His breath was delightfully hot as it feathered over the sensitive junction where your neck met your shoulder. He mouthed it softly, teeth touching your skin before leaving it. A low growl rumbled in his chest. “I think I’m still feeling a bit possessive.” He kissed further down your shoulder. “This is where he touched you. I want…I want to mark you, bite you, so I can erase his memory from here and replace it with me...so when you see it and feel it,you will know you are mine.”

You shivered at the roughness in his voice. “You can. I want to be yours,” you murmured, running a hand up his neck and to his head, his flames curling around your fingers as though trying to hold onto them as they passed through.

“You are, little spark, but I don’t want to hurt you. Even if it’s a good hurt like we talked about…”

“Grillby, I want you to. Please. Mark me,” you whispered.

You stilled as his mouth closed over your shoulder, bracing for a bite that never came. Instead, you felt his fiery tongue lave over your skin, literally warming you up, before digging his teeth slightly into you and sucking hard on the caught flesh. You mewled, arching beneath him even as his body kept you trapped. His mouth released you with a kiss so soft you almost couldn’t feel it over the ache of the bruise that was definitely forming. He nuzzled back against your neck with another gentle kiss, lightly rubbing where he had marked you. “I’m afraid that’s the best you’re going to get from me for now, dear spark,” he rasped.

“I-I’m not disappointed,” you breathed, a little dazed.

He laughed as he sat up to run his hands down your sides and up across your stomach to your breasts. A little shiver went through you as he palmed them, squeezing lightly. “So soft…you are so beautiful,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss your chest. His fingers trailed to your nipples, making you squirm with a whine. “Sensitive?” he asked with a smirk that told you he knew exactly what he was doing to you. You didn’t care that he was teasing you, just as long as he kept touching you. You just nodded, knowing you wouldn’t be able to say anything coherent. He circled one nipple lazily with a finger, watching it pebble before closing his fingers over it in a soft pinch, rolling it slowly before releasing it with a little tug. The moan that came out of your mouth caught you both by surprise, and you quickly rolled onto your side (or at least as far as you could with him still kneeling between your legs) to hide your face. “I’m sorry. Was that too much?” All teasing was gone from his voice as he put a hand on your back.

“N-no…er, yes? I-I can’t tell,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest. “I-I don’t…I didn’t think…I-I wasn’t expecting to have that strong of a reaction,” you stammered after a moment.

He huffed softly. “Neither was I. I knew you were going to be responsive, but I didn’t realize it would be so much.” The hand moved to your cheek, coaxing you to look at him. “That’s not a complaint, just so you know, but with how you twisted away, I thought I did something wrong or hurt you.”

“No, i-it felt really good…I guess it’s just been a while since someone’s, well…yeah.”

He smiled, understanding. “Yeah…Are you still okay with this?” You nodded with a soft ‘yes.’ “Is there anything I should do differently?”

“N-no, I think you’re fine. I just need to…not react as much.”

“Oh, please don’t do that,” he said quickly, surprising you. “Not to sound creepy, but the sounds you make are beautiful. To know that you feel so good because of me is…it’s intoxicating. So please, don’t try to be quiet. I want to hear you.”

You searched his face for a moment before nuzzling his palm affectionately. “Okay.”

He smiled, rubbing a thumb across your cheek lovingly. “Will you lay back again for me?” You rolled onto your back again, laying flat under him, arms at your sides. He chuckled at that. “ Relax. You look a little stiff like that, spark,” he said, gently taking your hands. The tiniest gasp escaped you as he lifted them over your head and held them against the pillows. “Now, aren’t you pretty like that…” he purred, grinning down at you.

“Grillby…” you breathed, eyes locked on his.

His smirk softened. “Is this too much?” he asked, his fingers twining with yours.

“Maybe, but…I think I’m okay with it,” you said softly.

He chuckled, leaning down to nuzzle your cheek. “I don’t want you to feel trapped or forced. I want you to know you’re safe and loved,” he murmured into your ear, kissing your cheek.

((needs stuff))

You lifted your hips and tried not to whimper at the feeling of him pulling your pants off. “Everything okay?” he asked, picking up on your unease despite your efforts to hide it.

“Just…feeling exposed,” you whispered, shutting your eyes. “I-I mean, of course I’m exposed, I’m practically naked, b-but somehow i-it’s more th-thanjustphysicalandI’msuddenlyscaredand–”

“Hey, hey, shh-shhh, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m here. I’m going to keep you safe, remember?” The bed shifted as he spoke and you felt his hand cup your cheek.

“I-I don’t know what changed. I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me –”

“Shh, look at me, sweet spark…Please look at me?” You reluctantly opened your eyes again to see he had moved to sit beside you, probably in an effort to keep you from feeling trapped. You bit your lower lip to keep it from trembling, which he immediately eased back out from between your teeth with his thumb. “There’s nothing wrong with you. We just found a limit, that’s all.”

“B-but I didn’t really have any at the start, a-and now allofasuddenthatchangedandIjustfeellikeI–”

“Hush…That’s okay,” he soothed. “Neither of us really knew what to expect at the start of this, right? So we talked and we teased and we played, but now it’s become a little too much. That’s okay. My only expectation of this was to learn you and let you learn me. I think we’ve made pretty good progress on that, yes?” He poked your side gently, making you giggle, even if it was a little weak. “We can stop for the night if you want.”

“But I…I don’t know if that’s what I want to do. I-I want more, but I’m also…everything is overwhelming me right now…C-could we just…sit for a little bit? L-let me get used to…to being like this with someone again?”

“Of course. Come here, sweet spark,” he cooed, gently pulling you up and into his arms. “We have all the time in the world. You can take as much as you need.” He rubbed small circles on the back of your head with his fingertips as he spoke. It was strange to feel so much of his fire against your skin. It was always shifting, little licks and wisps of it moving against you, which created the false sensation that he was about to move or do something unexpected. You buried your head into his shoulder, your arms crossed to cover your breasts. “You’re so tense, little spark,” he murmured, kissing the top of your head. “Would laying down and cuddling help?”

“I-I don’t…m-maybe? I-I can’t tell.”

“How about we try it and see if it makes you feel better, hm?” You couldn’t tell if it was a genuine suggestion or instead gentle persuasion, but you found yourself nodding. He eased you down and cradled you against himself as his little spoon. His body was so warm and solid and comforting that you couldn’t help but snuggle back into him, making him cuddle you all the closer. “There, all comfy and cozy,” he hummed, the sound reverberating through his chest and into you.

“Wh-why…” you whimpered, breath catching in your throat.

“What’s wrong, sweet girl?”

“Why are you being s-so patient with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve learned that you do things when you are ready, and not a moment before. Rushing you along would only make you anxious, resistant, and frustrated. Besides, being patient has always given me exactly what I wanted with you.”

“Y-you mean us ultimately doing what you wanted?”

Grillby sighed, and you can imagine him rolling his eyes. “I mean making you feel safe and happy. Seeing you at peace is what I always want most. Sometimes that peace shows itself differently – love-drunk after a make-out session, sleepy when I play with your hair, teary-eyed during the credits of a good movie, laughing loud with your friends – but in all of those moments, you are perfectly, openly, beautifully you. It’s merely a bonus that you become much more willing to try different things when you feel secure. And as much as I want to add ‘blissed-out from pleasure’ to that list, it will be done on your terms, not mine, because you are at your most radiant when you let your walls come down yourself, my bright spark.”

You blushed deeply. “Laying on the flattery a-a little thick, there…”

His lips caught your earlobe and gave it a teasing tug. “Truth isn’t flattery.” The arm around you shifted so he could take one of your hands in his. “Now, let’s just cuddle until you decide what you want to do next,” he continued, giving your hand two soft squeezes.

“You a-already know that I’m going to want to continue, right?” you whispered, squeezing back.

He hummed. “Yes. But the decision is still yours. I would never take that from you. You wouldn’t make me do something I didn’t want to, right? The same is true for you. It will always be true for you.”

You weren’t sure how to respond without sounding like a complete love-struck idiot, so you instead brought his hand to your lips to kiss it. He nuzzled the back of your neck, giving it a light nibble and a soft kiss in return. You snuggled back against him and let your eyes close, feeling him against you, his fiery skin moving gently against your bare back, the weight of his arm around you, the hand that still held yours. “I could fall asleep like this…” you murmured, the nervous tension in you eased by the familiarity of being cuddled like this.

Grillby hummed again, just a hint of amusement in it this time. “You can if you want. We don’t have to do anything else tonight, really.” You felt him kiss the back of your head. “Just knowing that you feel safe and comfortable enough to sleep while I hold you like this is enough for me, little spark.”

((needs stuff))

[traegorn]

Going from Script to Page

(originally posted to my personal blog)

So the big difference between Peregrine Lake and my earlier comics is, obviously, that I'm not the one drawing it. When I was doing my earlier comics, I never wrote down what I was planning, I just had it in my head and would translate it directly to the page. At most I'd write one sentence lines about strips so I could plot out pacing. I did a few thumbnails early on to figure out page layouts, but more often than not the pages didn't exist in any form until I wrote them. That obviously isn't a way we can work for this comic. I can't sit there over Ethan's ( @wistfolie ) shoulder while they draw, since that would be weird and we don't live in the same city. So I do what comic writers have been doing for quite some time. I write scripts. That's where every page for Peregrine Lake starts. Then, if Ethan needs any clarification on a description or has an alternate suggestion for a setting or scene, we talk about it. But again, we start by my writing a script. So I thought it might be fun to take a look at a recent installment and compare the final art to the initial script I wrote. Our example is the October 22nd page titled "Greg." It is, unsurprisingly, the first page where we see the final of our four main characters. I love this page, but let's see the initial script:

Panel 1 Greg emerges from the curtained doorway. Tall panel. If this were television or film, we'd smear some Vaseline on the lens for the best gooey soft focus shot we could get. God damn, we want everyone seeing this to want a piece of Greg. Like take a second slice home in a take out box and eat it while watching Netflix. Let's make this far more detailed than any other panel. Let's get people to demand we print this man on body pillows. Panel 2 Close up of Bev's face. She wants to just lay Greg down and cover him in butter. Bev: (tiny ass words, whispering to self) Yeah... not talking good. Panel 3 Greg leans on the counter towards Lynn, Bev is... "reacting" quietly, but no one's paying her any attention Greg: Hey Lynn, Bob hasn't gotten me those antique iron nails yet. I said I'd call when they come in. Lynn: Thanks, but not what I'm here for. I may have an... off the books job for you Greg: How off the books Panel 4 Close up of Lynn. Lynn is very serious. Lynn: Off the books off the books. Greg, this is my new friend Bev. Panel 5 Back to a shot of the three of them, Greg turns to Bev smiling Greg: Hi! Nice to meet you. Bev: (tiny words) Hello tall man

Yep. That is... that is pretty close to what we got. We moved some of the dialogue around to fit better with the art (moving some of Greg's stuff to panel one from panel three), but overall we stick pretty true to it. Ethan read my ridiculous descriptions and understood the assignment. And yeah, I think it's safe to assume at least some of our audience wants a piece of Greg now.

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Major Update

The request will be opening soon because I'm down to like the most obscure requests that I'm actually struggling to find photos for. So in preparation of this I have to get a lot of announcements out of the way so this post might make a lot of people angry. Might make some of you happy But I need to get this out of the way before I open up the request again.

Let's start with the things that I know are going to piss people off as of right now. No. Webcomics no. Webtoons. Yes, I do know several webtoons/webcomics have been turned into anime. Those will be allowed but that's because they're anime now. Also no mechs. However, this is just for now. Remember I've only been doing this blog for maybe 3 months. So let me get more into the groove of things before we add on all of those things. So maybe when I've been doing this for 6 months to a year we can start allowing that Web comics, webtoons and mechs but I'm already struggling with keeping up with requests and keeping enough stuff in the queue as is. So I don't want to complicate things even further and make things as easy as I can on myself. Now there is a reason for this because I may be changing jobs soon and I don't want to have to put the blog on temporary hiatus during that transition.

Now on to the next thing and this is probably going to make a lot of people happy but people please do not make me regret this decision. But, after hearing the many lamentations from mostly the Naruto fandom, much personal debate and seeing how a similar blog handles things. I have decided to lower the minimum age for the polls to 16. Now that means minors can and probably will be matched up against each other and against 18+ characters. Please don't come at me about that choice, these characters are fictional. You can't hurt them, and a blog like this isn't going to normalize preying on minors. YES it's wrong in real life, but anime teenagers are not normal teenagers. I literally just finished an anime about a assassin trying to get back to his wife. He was 16 and had a wife I swore he was at least 20 sometimes anime ages don't make sense. Please don't start anything or I will start blocking. But for those of you who don't want to participate in those polls, I will make a special tag so you can block all polls that have confirmed 16 and 17-year-old characters So you can block the tag so you don't have to see it and participate You will be able to find it when I update the rules post in the next day or two when I have everything finalized. Now this is subject to change if people do not behave. So do not start attacking me because I allow this or I will bump that age back up to 18. Do not make me regret this

Now when it comes to requests you have 10 characters and can request up to Four-way matchups. I don't care how you break that down so you can do two four-way polls and a two-way poll or request five two-way polls don't care. Figure it out. I'm pretty sure everyone can do math but the max is 10 characters However, you want to break it down with two-way, three-way and four-way polls.

I'm also setting a limit on how many times you can request a day. Please only do it twice. That's up to 20 characters. So everyone gets a chance to request polls

Remember Six-Way polls are not something you can request directly. They are something I make as a special thing, when the queue leans too much into one character or fandom. However, you can suggest a theme. I have done fire and ice powers. You all seem to like the goth girl and the anime men in suits. You get the idea. You can always put some theme ideas at the bottom of your request. So I can add them to my list of themes that I have saved when I need to make a six-way poll

I think that is all the major announcements So now with these updates everyone can start thinking of the new matchup request because they will be opening up soon and that request box fills up fast

[yandere-sins]

Poll Feedback Replies!

Results beneath the cut! Thanks to everyone responding, you are all so kind to leave such nice replies and I am glad you are enjoying the polls as much as I do!! ♥ I am very grateful to everyone reaching out and working on this together with me, thank you everyone and of course—if you have any more thoughts you are welcome to share them!

(I put similar suggestions together! And there might be a poll if you read through it all ;) I know you guys love them :P)

Thank you so much!! I am glad you are enjoying my writing and the weekly polls ♥

The more interactions with the yandere is a very good suggestion and I put it on my little reminder note to include more interactions in future polls! :D

Thank you for your response! More and faster replies are noted!

Although a good critic point, I do have to defend myself a little on it. I know I've not been the most active with replies, sometimes taking a week or two to catch up to them, but I do reply to every. single. comment. that I get. The problem as to why it takes so long is honestly just mental/physical exhaustion (as you know there's been a lot going on in my life and having a fulltime customer service job is taxing as well), so I usually wait until the polls are over and then go through all replies. I sincerely try and hope to be able to get back to at least replying to new comments every day, but I hope you guys can understand that interactions can be tricky and I'd hate not to have the mental capacities to really think about what people reasoned and just reply the same words over and over instead ^^'

Edit; you are still right and I'll catch up to them. I have been neglectful on them for a while.

However, as a sidenote, I don't go into stuff explicitely when I reblog the polls because think about it this way: You only see the poll when I reblog it and not when I post it for the first time. So you read the blurb, think of what you would do, and suddenly see my reply. Now you might change your thoughts and go for something else just because I made a good/bad point with my reply. I do sometimes give hints as to where the poll is at currently, but if I take a side that could inevitably influence people to not choose what they want ^^' So the half-time and last day announcements are staying vague on purpose to give everyone a chance to make a decision without being actively influenced unless they decide to check the comments.

I am very glad you guys are enjoying them so much!! Thank you for reaching out and giving me feedback!

What I will do for more clarity: I already put a note at the beginning of the blurb if the polls are multiple parts, but I think will do it like "Part 1 of 2 (or like 1/2 and 2/2)" so it will be obvious if it's finished or not. That is IF they are consecutive, week after week. However, if it's planned as a standalone, I might just continue to not mention any parts so you guys know it's just this one for now, and if I ever pick it up again, I'll just leave a note saying "Continuation of this post" before the blurb and link to the previous one. I hope that helps and lifts some of the confusion!

As for the writing a "conclusion" I am somewhat split... I always wanted to give the chance for everyone to use their own imagination and problem solving skills to think of the solution they lean towards. It's like a creative exercise that invokes moral values and mindful thoughts. And of course it's fun to see how and why others agree/disagree.

It would really take the magic away of the polls being genuinly without judgement (there being no right or wrong answer) but I do understand the curiosity about what happens next from a storyteller point of view. I do have a bit more background information that could be shared but is purposefully not mentioned because neither you, the protagonist nor you, the reader have that information available and need to make a decision based on the information you have (e.g. as the writer I knew what is in the last package the yandere wanted to send you). I need to know that information to make the story more convincing, you don't need it so you can make a real, genuine decision with the same amount of information that your yandere gives you.

There might be some disillusion if I take away the freedom from you guys to think about what comes next, and you might end up hating the conclusions that I came up with, especially if it interfers with your imagination and I'd hate to disappoint you all :( -> And just to add on, there are a lot of small things that could entirely change a decision for better or for worse. Like for the hiding poll, if the reader was small or tall that could influence the situation's outcome as you guys have proven with your replies! Thus not every outcome that I portrait might actually be an accurate or realistic one, rather one I thought of?

I could offer doing like a "monthly" review (or like every 4 to 5 polls or so) where I go through my ideas of what each choice does, but even though I have a writing blog I just don't think people would much care for me yapping, trying to go through every possibility I can think of... ^^' (I don't have that kind of confidence lol) But! I am not against it. I'll let you guys decide if this is really is something you want despite the danger of disillusion I spoke about before. To me, a lot more speaks against writing conclusions to the polls so I haven't done it until yet, but if there's a genuine interest in it, I will try my best to include it between requests!

@watch-out-for-them

Thank you for your reply! I am glad you are having a lot of fun with the polls! :D I'm afraid the not showing up is out of my hand, but if it helps: I post the polls on Sunday, the first reminder on Wednesday, and the last one on Saturday. I don't like promoting myself too much but there's still the possibility of turning on notifications if that is an option for you!! Still thank you for interacting and leaving feedback ♥

[ @lorkai / @furudolove / @kiwi-donut ]

Thank you for all the insights, praise, and love for the polls, I'm so glad you are here to enjoy them and participate!! I am especially glad to see a lot of you coming back for every poll and it's always fun to interact and read your thoughts!! ♥ I'm glad I get to have a chance to inspire you and reflect on your decisions, that is truly and honor that I am grateful to have!! ♥

[gmariam321]

I'm sure I've posted this before, since I started it years ago. But I think I can actually finish it now, so here's the beginning. Nothing deep, just a long one shot that puts Ianto and Gwen in quarantine. Because why not? Interesting dynamic, especially set after 'Meat.'

I'll be sure to share when I post it to Ao3! Enjoy!

Sunflowers and Seclusion

"You do know you're not supposed to touch the pretty things either, right?" asked Owen, his white hazmat suit failing to obscure both the tone of his voice and the roll of his eyes. He taped a plaster over Gwen's inner arm and pocketed three vials of blood. "SOP with unidentified flora or fauna in the field, Cooper. Didn't you read the manual?"

"There's a manual for flora and fauna?" Gwen asked. She sounded more upset than annoyed at Owen's rebuke.

"And Merriweather too," Ianto murmured, leaning against the glass outside the large suite where Gwen would be spending her time in quarantine now.

"Ha bloody ha," she said; now she sounded slightly annoyed, though also a bit scared. "You could have stopped me, you know."

"I believe I did say something to the effect of 'Let me get the hazmat gloves and containment box first,'" Ianto replied easily.

"They looked like sunflowers," Gwen replied sullenly. "I like sunflowers."

"A comically large bouquet of bright red sunflowers in the middle of the park didn't raise the 'Don't touch this without gloves' flag?" Ianto asked. Gwen sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought they were nice. We never get anything nice from the Rift."

"Maybe you were supposed to think they were nice and pick them up," Tosh piped up from behind Ianto, where she was studying one of their field scanners. "I'm getting some strange preliminary readings from them."

"You're being careful, right Tosh?" Owen turned and asked.

“They’re still upstairs in the box,” she said. “I’ve got a scan running remotely.”

“Good,” Owen replied. "I don't want us all coming down with some strange intergalactic rash."

"Ooh, I had that once," Jack said, appearing behind Tosh. "Found some cute guys with tentacles to rub in some cream and was better in no time."

Gwen blanched, Tosh frowned, and Ianto rolled his eyes. If he had pound for every time Jack talked about tentacles, he could eat at the fanciest seafood restaurant in Cardiff. Owen snorted and turned back to Gwen.

"I've got what I need to start looking into whatever this is." He waved his gloved hand vaguely over Gwen's body. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, her arms and legs covered in bright red spots. They were perfectly circular with a pale center, and apparently quite itchy, as she laid down on the and started scratching her arms like mad the moment Owen stepped into the decontamination airlock.

"Maybe it's just hives?" she suggested.

"I don't have any allergies on file for you, though that doesn’t rule it out," Owen said, taking off his helmet in the corridor. "It could be anything— allergies, a fast acting virus, bacteria, even fungus. But I don't think those flowers are quite normal given that you found them after a Rift alert, so we're going to assume your rash isn't normal either."

"Do you have anything for the itching?" she asked. "It's bloody awful."

"The shot I gave you should start to help. I'll bring down some cream once I start some tests running. If it’s not an allergic reaction—and if it’s alien—it might be a while before I have some better answers."

Gwen sighed and laid down, still scratching. "Thanks, Owen. Make it the good stuff, yeah?"

"As long as you don’t go picking alien flowers again," he tossed over his shoulder as he turned to leave. "Hey Tosh, what kind of readings? And can you help me with some of these tests while your scan runs?"

They walked upstairs together, talking quietly. Jack watched Gwen for a moment before turning toward Ianto. "And you're feeling all right?" he asked. "No spots, no itching?"

Ianto shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "At least, not yet. I didn't touch the bouquet, not being much of a flowers man myself, but I did help Gwen to the car."

"So we'll keep an eye on you as well," said Jack. "I doubt it's contagious, as it seems directly linked to the flowers, but you were close when it happened. Let us know if you notice anything."

"I figure I would have by now," Ianto replied. "Considering how quickly it hit Gwen."

"Maybe," said Jack. "But maybe indirect contact takes longer to create a reaction."

"Thank you for the optimistic outlook, sir," Ianto replied with the driest tone he could manage. "If you don't mind, I'm going to start looking through the records for other alien sunflowers that may have fallen through the Rift and infected past agents."

Jack motioned at the door. "After you," he said with a grin. He turned back to Gwen first. "Take it easy and get some rest. We'll figure this out."

She sat up, clearly miserable. "Can I talk to Rhys?" she asked. "We were supposed to work on the wedding tonight."

"I can call him if you like," Ianto said.

"I want to talk to him," Gwen said. "I'm already going stir-crazy in here!"

"You've been here for barely half an hour, Gwen," Jack pointed out. "If you're that freaked out about being in a room by yourself, maybe you need to spend more time alone."

Ianto tried not to roll his eyes. Of course Gwen was going stir-crazy, because, like Jack, she was the kind of person who thrived on the company of others. She liked action and adventure and functioned perfectly well with chaos and noise. Ianto, on the other hand, would love the chance for some peace and quiet in the Hub once in a while—even if it was in quarantine.

"How about I call him first,” Ianto said. “I can tell him what's going on, reassure him you're all right and we're doing everything we can, then bring your mobile. I'm not sure about the signal down here, but if you’re still awake, you can try. Sound all right?"

"Thanks, Ianto."

"You're welcome. Anything else? Some water? Owen says coffee might not be a good idea with the shot." "Shit," she said, falling back down on the bed. "No coffee? Tea, maybe? Isn't that supposed to be calming?"

"I'll see what we have," Ianto replied. "Give me ten minutes."

"Always ten minutes with you," Jack murmured, wagging his eyebrows. Ianto smirked at him. "And counting," he murmured. "Excuse me, sir, work to do."

He headed upstairs to call Rhys Williams and prepare some tea. Jack winked at Gwen and followed, while Gwen sighed, flung her hand over her face, and clearly tried not to cry.

* * *

It wasn't ten minutes later, after Ianto had got off the phone with Rhys and was waiting for Gwen's tea to steep, that he noticed a strange feeling on his hands. Glancing down, he saw several familiar looking red spots dotting both the tops and bottoms of his hand. Mouthing a curse, he took off his suitcoat, rolled up his sleeves, and saw even more covering his arms. And as soon as he saw them, it was as if his mind gave his body permission to start itching like mad.

Suddenly he wanted to rip off the rest of his suit; he understood now why Gwen had insisted on shorts and a t-shirt, as the heavy wool fabric was hot and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he didn't have anything besides long pants at the Hub at the moment; maybe he could borrow something from Jack. But first he had to let Owen know.

Walking toward the medical bay, he was hit by a wave of dizziness and found himself clinging to the railing as he glanced down at Tosh and Owen running their tests. Taking a deep breath to stop the world from spinning, he cleared his throat.

"Looks like I'll be joining Gwen downstairs," he said, his voice coming out lower than he'd expected. He rubbed the back of his neck. "And I think I'll take one of those shots you gave her as well."

"Shit," said Owen. "Get down there fast, I'll grab my gear and meet you."

"Right." Ianto nodded and turned to leave. He scratched at his arms. "Tosh, can you ask Jack if he has any shorts I can borrow?" he asked. "There is no way I can stay in this suit."

"Of course," Tosh said, looking concerned. "We'll be down right away."

"Quarantine, teaboy," said Owen. "Now." He started gathering supplies while Ianto hurried back to the suite that Torchwood had long ago set up for exactly these situations. Used only for agents compromised in the field by unknown biological agents, it was a large, sealed off chamber with several beds, a table and chairs, and its own bathroom. It was rather like something from a medical thriller, but it did what it was supposed to do even if it looked cliche: kept the pathogens in and the rest of the Hub safe. Assuming Gwen and Ianto hadn't already spread it by making their way through the Hub.

Gwen sat up as Ianto let himself into the chamber without a hazmat suit. "Oh no," she said. "You didn't get it too?"

"Yep," said Ianto, taking off his shirt and tie. He left on his white undershirt and tried not to claw at the red blotches rapidly covering his arms. "So either it's spread through contact or through the air."

"God, if it's through the air, then the entire Hub might be infected!" Gwen exclaimed. "Or the park!"

"We've got procedures in place for this sort of thing," Ianto replied. "I imagine they'll lock down the Hub and go into quarantine mode now to filter out any particles in the air. And if we need to, then we quarantine the park, though we've never done anything that big since I've been here." They'd have to disinfect the SUV as well, and keep an eye out for any reports of the rash spreading beyond the park. It was the worst possible timing, that two of them were in seclusion when there was suddenly so much to do. Jack would almost certainly have to call UNIT if the park was involved, and he always hated that.

Ianto glanced around and claimed the bed opposite from Gwen, then let his elbows fall to his knees, wishing he could rip the itchy trousers off, but not wanting to sit around in his pants with Gwen. He was rather stunned at the ferocity of the rash and how suddenly it appeared. It was exactly as awful as Gwen had said in the SUV as he'd driven them back to the Hub less than an hour earlier: the sudden dizziness, the hot and itchy spots, and increasing fatigue. He only wondered why it had taken longer for him to break out. Perhaps he hadn't contracted it from the flowers directly, but from helping Gwen back to the Hub.

"I'm sorry I picked up the flowers, Ianto," Gwen said quietly. "You wouldn't be stuck in here if I hadn't."

"They were quite pretty," Ianto replied with a shrug. "But you really do need to read the manual."

"Maybe Tosh can find a copy and you can stand over my shoulder and quiz me," Gwen said with a laugh. She scratched at her forearms. "Because I will never, ever touch another plant, flower, or seed in the field again."

Ianto snorted and let his eyes slip closed as a wave of pain and discomfort gripped his legs, causing him to tense. He breathed deeply through his nose to try and resist the urge to scratch.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" she asked quietly. He nodded silently.

"I'm going to scratch myself raw soon," she said. "It's my arms that are bloody awful."

"Legs for me," Ianto replied, lying down to try and calm the unexpected anxiety. What was it that could cause such an intense and quick reaction? Why was it affecting them in different places? Was it alien? Was it fatal? Where were the others?

"You'll need to get those trousers off," she said. "We're all friends, after all." She tried to sound light-hearted, but Ianto could hear the effort.

"I asked Tosh if she could borrow some shorts from Jack," Ianto replied. "Hopefully they’ll appear with the shot Owen is getting ready."

Gwen was silent for a moment, then abruptly giggled. "Jack owns shorts? I don’t believe you. He only ever wears blue trousers!"

"Or black," Ianto pointed out. "Occasionally grey."

"And brown, I think I remember brown." She turned her head toward Ianto. "You'd look good in brown."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "A brown suit? Seriously?"

"I saw one at Marks and Spencer the other week, it was gorgeous. Rhys doesn't need such a thing, but you could pull it off—tan shirt, burgundy tie…" She trailed off, her eyes slipping closed with a sigh.

Ianto watched her with concern. "You all right?" he asked.

"My arms hurt," she said quietly. "Probably why I'm babbling about suits, I'm trying not to think about it."

Ianto smiled as he stared at the ceiling, wondering where Tosh was with his shorts and Owen with his shot. "There are worse topics of conversation."

There was another pause of silence. "Can't really picture you in shorts either," she said. "Seeing you in jeans is shocking enough."

Ianto laughed quietly to himself. "Believe it or not, I used to be quite the jeans guy. I've got myself a studded belt and everything."

Gwen rolled over onto her side. "Now that is something I'd like to see, Ianto Jones decked out for clubbing! And what about Jack? Does he ever wear jeans? That’s even stranger than him wearing shorts."

Ianto smirked as he thought about the last time he and Jack had gone out. They'd gone to a local pub and played pool, and Jack had looked amazing dressed more casual. He almost said something, but was saved when Tosh, Owen, and Jack all came dashing into the corridor.

"Ianto!" Jack exclaimed. "You just told me you were fine!"

Ianto sighed and sat up. "And ten minutes later I broke out in spots, so clearly I misdiagnosed myself."

"Whatever it is, it's quick and virulent," Owen said. He stepped into the airlock and started pulling on his hazmat suit again. "I want a blood draw to compare with Gwen, and I've got a shot for you, plus lots of cream for you both." Jack waved a pair of shorts and socks and tossed them into the airlock. "Oh, and we get to see your legs. Wonderful."

"I have perfectly fine legs," Ianto protested. "At least when they’re not covered in spots."

"How do you feel besides the rash?" Owen asked as he stepped into the room. "Any other symptoms?"

"It's getting more painful," Gwen said. "And I'm dead tired. Feel like I could sleep for a week if only my brain would stop running in circles."

"That might be the shot," Owen said. He tossed her the cream and walked over to Ianto to start his examination. "How about you?" he asked. "Anything besides the rash?"

"A bit achy," Ianto replied. "Tired. Head's starting to hurt."

Owen stuck a thermometer in his mouth. "Low grade fever. So maybe not an allergic reaction. If it gets worse, I'll give you both something for the fever, but right now I'd rather let your body fight whatever this is on its own before throwing something else at it that could end up making it worse. Speaking of which, give me your arm so I can get some blood."

He did a quick draw, then had Ianto turn around so he could give him a shot in his upper thigh. Gwen giggled and Jack wolf-whistled when he unbuckled his pants enough for Owen to get it in the muscle. Owen grumbled under his breath. Ianto decided his legs itched bad enough that he didn't particularly care about dropping his trousers anymore and stepped out of them. He grabbed Jack's shorts, pulled them on and changed his socks, then collapsed on the bed, the small effort exhausting.

Owen bent over him and started poking at his legs. They were worse than Gwen's, and he flinched as Owen pressed on several large red welts, finally smacking the doctor's hands away as a furious burst of itching commenced.

"Stop it," he muttered. "Hurts enough without you poking it."

"It's blanching," Owen said. "Which is a good sign. Could still be an allergic reaction, which would be a damn odd coincidence if it were earth-based, but not so much if it's alien. So slather some cream on it while we go run some more tests. Call if you need anything."

Gwen was sitting up on the bed, her face pinched. "When is the medicine going to help?" she asked, her voice laced with pain and frustration. She hissed as she started rubbing the cream up and down her arms.

"Depends on what’s causing it,” Owen said with a shrug. "Not much else I can do until I know exactly what to throw at it. I'll be back to check on you in a while and bring a steroid in case it’s worse."

He left the suite and returned upstairs with Tosh. Ianto sat down and rubbed the cream onto his arms and even more on his legs, then laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying his hardest not to scratch and rub them. It was worse than any childhood illness he could remember; he half wondered if adults were in fact weaker than children, as he seemed to recall his niece and nephew going through their fair share of rashes with little complaint. Then again, maybe these things hit adults harder, or they worried about it more while kids kept playing their video games with little thought for things like aliens and death by spots.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked quietly from the other side of the glass. Ianto sat up, surprised he was still there. Jack was standing close to Ianto's bed, watching him with a look of concern. He tried not to read anything into it.

"Pretty rotten, actually," Ianto said. "Never itched so bad in my life."

"I'm sorry," Jack started, but Ianto stopped him before he could continue.

"What for? It's not like it's your fault."

"I sent you out there," Jack pointed out.

"And did you drop the poisonous sunflowers in the middle of the park?" Ianto asked. When Jack shook his head, Ianto sighed. "Whoever went out there would be in here now—even you, I suspect."

"Yeah, but I could always—"

Again Ianto stopped him. "Don't even say it."

"Sorry."

Something occurred to Ianto, and he glanced over at Gwen, wishing he had a bit of privacy, then stood and walked around his bed over to the glass, turning so his back was to her. Jack moved closer, mirroring him as if he wanted to reach out.

"The…you know…" He tried to give Jack a look, knew it wouldn't work though. "The thing tonight? That we were going to? I won't be able to go. I'm sorry."

Jack frowned as his hand came up to the glass. "I didn't even think about that," he said. "Of course you can't, and don't apologize. We can go another time."

"You could still go," Ianto suggested, though he sort of hated it. "Maybe take Tosh? She'd enjoy it. Not Owen, though, since I'd prefer to have my doctor on call." He offered a smile, but Jack shook his head.

"Of course I'm not going without you. We're all staying here until we know what we're dealing with."

"Lockdown?" Ianto asked.

"Teamwork," Jack replied. His face softened and he smiled. "We'll go another time. I promise."

Ianto sighed. "All right. Sorry I mucked it up."

"You didn't muck anything up," Jack said. "Besides, you're wearing my clothes, and that's a good show too."

Ianto rolled his eyes, then made a motion back toward his bed. "I'm going to go lie down again. Standing is actually quite a chore."

The look of concern reappeared instantly. "Do I need to call Owen?"

"No, let him work on figuring this out," Ianto replied, slowly letting himself back down to the bed. The fatigue was a weight on his shoulders, heavy and overwhelming on top of increasing soreness and stiffness. "The quicker he runs his tests, the faster he can cure it."

"All right. I'm going to poke around the archives and see if I can find anything similar." Jack grinned when Ianto sat up, eyes wide. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"If you make a mess," Ianto said, laying back down. "I'll know it was you."

"And if I find something that helps, you won't care. I'll be back in a while to see how you're doing." He turned to leave, then stepped back. "How're you hanging in there, Gwen? Still awake?"

Gwen opened one eye and offered a crooked grin. "Can't very well sleep through all that, can I?" Ianto groaned, because he knew from that tone of voice—even sick—that as soon as Jack left, she was going to start asking questions. Lots of questions.

"I'll leave you two to it, then," Jack laughed. "Get some rest and call us if you need anything."

Ianto nodded, Gwen waved, and Jack left. Ianto closed his eyes and flung an arm over his face, hoping he gave off the clear impression of trying to sleep.

He heard Gwen turn toward him and imagined the curious look on her face.

"So," she started. "You had plans for tonight."

"So did you," Ianto pointed out without moving his arm. If his voice was muddled, he didn't really care.

"You had plans for tonight with Jack," she said. "Personal plans?" He was silent. "Date-like plans, perhaps?"

"Gwen…"

"Come on, Ianto," she said. "We're stuck here together so we're going to have to talk about something."

"How about the wedding?" he suggested. "How're the plans coming?" She snorted, which finally prompted him to open his eyes. She was laying with her head on her left elbow, her right hand idly scratching at her forearm, red lines streaking her pale skin.

"I know perfectly well you lot are sick of hearing about it," she said. "And that's not what I want to talk about. Do you have a date with Jack tonight?"

"No," Ianto grumbled under his breath. It was true, since he was stuck in quarantine.

"Did you?" she pressed, catching on quicker than usual.

"We…we had plans to meet someone," he admitted. "Piano player. Friend of Jack's."

He saw the look on Gwen's face and huffed in frustration; everyone always assumed that any 'friend' of Jack's was a 'friend' in the sexual sense of the word. But contrary to the image he worked hard to project, Jack did not sleep with everyone he crossed paths with. Yes, he had quite an impressive back catalog—that much he'd admitted was true. He'd also confessed that as the decades wore on, his usual inclinations toward such things started to slow down. Not that he was celibate; far from it. Yet he didn't sleep with nearly as many partners as he liked people to think he did. He said it was fun to keep up the reputation; Ianto suspected the playboy image was as much of a shield as his own suited archivist persona.

"Jack does have friends, Gwen," he said. "Some of whom are even aliens."

"What?" she exclaimed. "What do you mean, alien?"

He turned back toward the ceiling, satisfied that he'd distracted her from her original line of questioning. "Winstead Wallis is a jazz pianist. Second generation Mintoo. His family was stranded here a long time ago. Jack helped them settle, kept in touch with the family, and never slept with any of them. Now Winstead's retiring and playing some of his last shows. So we thought we'd go out and support him."

Gwen was silent for a moment. "On a date."

"Gwen…"

"Ianto," she parroted back.

"Leave it."

Silence.

"Why?"

Ianto turned toward her in surprise. The simple question sounded completely honest, with none of her usual guile, manipulation, or frustrating ignorance.

"Because it's none of your business?" he suggested as dryly as he could so she would get the point.

"If you're going out to meet aliens, that is certainly Torchwood business," Gwen replied. Sometimes she was smarter than she came across; Ianto tried not to roll his eyes.

"Then I’m sorry we didn’t invite you all. We'll plan a team bonding night to go hear the six-fingered alien pianist retire."

"Six fingers?" Gwen asked in surprise. Ianto simply smirked in reply.

"That's not the point,” she huffed. “You're good at deflecting, you know."

"And you don't know when to let something go."

"All I asked was if you were going on a date with Jack."

"And I told you where we were going."

"But not if it was a date."

Ianto sighed and sat up, his head fuzzy. He glanced around the room, trying to find something to distract him from scratching his legs, but there was nothing, so he did, letting his frustration find an outlet. "Why do you want to know? Why do you need to know? Just because there are only five of us working here doesn't mean the expectation of privacy is null and void."

"When two out of five coworkers are dating, the probability of privacy is pretty low!" Gwen said. She sat up as well, hugging her arms to her chest, her face a pinched mask of pain. "Look, Ianto, I'm not trying to pry—"

"Could have fooled me," Ianto muttered.

"But … well, you know how Jack is. He doesn’t seem…well, like the dating type, does he?"

"And you know this how?" Ianto asked, his voice both flat yet pointed. She flushed and waved her hands about.

"I don't, I'm…from the way he talks, the way he acts…" She trailed off with a sigh. "He's clearly a player, Ianto. He's not one to settle down."

Ianto grinned, showing his teeth in that same way Jack did when he was playing the shark. "Who says I want him to settle down? Maybe I don't want to settle down."

Her eyes widened, and he stood up to loosen his tense legs. A quick turn around the room convinced him to return to his bed and lay down again. The silence was uncomfortable, but the effort of walking upright and doing something was almost too much.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," Gwen said quietly. Ianto bit his lip, then released it, and with it the words he'd wanted to say for almost a fortnight came tumbling out.

"Gwen, if that was true, then all those things you said and did when Rhys was here helping with the space whale wouldn't have happened." He waited for the inevitable response of hurt and anger, protestations of defense...

[s-creations]

🛁🛁 platonic bathing in like a lake or small river with the M & L & W²

🛁 Bathing together/platonic bathing (specifiy)

((Woof, this one is long and rather difficult to write, enjoy!))

Link to Post

Mario and Luigi couldn’t help but let out a groan as they dropped on their bags. Both followed soon after. Sitting on the ground as they leaned against the other in exhaustion. 

“You two really aren’t built for hiking? With all the stuff you’ve done so far? This is a worrisome development.” Waluigi casually pointed out as he placed down his own bag. Further back, Wario was already doing his best to set up the large tents, grumbling as he did so. 

“We’re not really one for nature.” Luigi argued back.

“City boys, right here, all our lives, never left the city limits. This is different for us.” Mario added on. 

“...Wow. Mushroom Kingdom heroes, right here. Can’t handle a little bit of nature.” 

The conversation paused when Wario let out a cry of triumph. Who stood back from his handing work on getting the two large tents set up. With that out of the way, he turned to join the conversation properly. “Think your sensitive skin is going to bruise sleeping on the ground?”

“Very funny,” Mario huffed, “This is just a different kind of terrain for us. Give us some slack.”

“Absolutely not! As your mentor, it’s our duty to make sure you’re ready for any situation.”

“Okay, ‘mentor’, what lesson are we being taught here?”

“How to rough it, in a very moderate way. If we need to leave the Mushroom Kingdom for something major, our best bet might need to be a sneak approach. So, how do we survive the wilderness with very little with us? We’re taking it easy on you two this round.” 

The twins groaned again, but didn’t argue back. Merely standing once more with their bags still resting on the ground. Mario stated, “Alright, what’s the first thing we need to get done.”

“Well, we have the tents set up-”

“I have the tents set up.” Wario interrupted his brother with his arms crossed. 

“Fine, whatever, they’re set up is the bottom line. Now we get the rest prepared and properly stored away.” 

Bottom line, it took a few hours before the camp was properly set up. Each twin paired with another brother so enough information was covered. Food safely stored, a place for a small campfire, tents secured so each set of brothers had their area set up for sleep. 

“And…that’s it,” Waluigi looked around, “We have it all set up. Nicely done you two.” 

“That wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.” Luigi admitted. 

“Well, with that being done, we should probably-”

“Heads up!”

That was the only warning given before Waluigi had grabbed onto the twin’s arms and pulled them out of the way. Rushing past the three was Wario, now wearing only his underwear, let out a loud ‘Woop!’ as he jumped into the river. Creating a large enough splash that Waluigi had to pull them all back further with a look of disgust. 

“Do you mind!” Waluigi huffed as his brother’s head popped out of the water’s surface. 

“No, I don’t,” Wario smirked back, “What are you worked up about? You’re gonna be getting here soon enough.”

“That doesn’t mean I want the rest of my clothing wet!” 

“What is happening right now?” Mario cautiously asked.

“Bathtime,” Waluigi replied simply, “We’re disgusting and this is the closest thing we’re going to get to clean water. Come on, clothes off.”

“Um…we’re good.”

“No you’re not. Trust me, nothing is more aggravating than trying to sleep covered in a good layer of dirt. You’re not going to be in your birthday suit, just your underwear, you’re fine.” Waluigi casually commented as he started doing as he suggested. 

Mario and Luigi gave each other a worried glance before starting to do the same.

“How long are you lot going to take, I’m almost done!” Wario called out.

“Not without soap you’re not!” Waluigi argued back, “I’m not going to be stuck in that tent with you if you’re going to smell like sweat.” 

“I have water washing over me.”

“That is not enough.” 

Being the first of the twins to approach the river’s edge, Luigi let out a yelp as he pulled his foot back out of the moving water. “It’s freezing!”

“Well, yeah, this isn’t indoor plumbing. Nothing’s here to heat it up,” Waluigi stuck his foot in, “And it’s not that bad. Come on, in you go.”

The twins stuck close together as they inched into the water. Realizing it wasn’t as cold as they originally thought it was. But still keeping their arms crossed to hold into the stable point of warmth they created. Only for that plan to end when Mario suddenly felt hands in his hair. Waving his own arms in a desperate attempt to push the other away.

“What are you doing!?” Mario turned, glaring at Wario. Who was holding a sheepish smile with shampoo covering his hands. 

“What? Just trying to help.”

“I can wash my own hair, thank you.”

“With how much you were whining about being tired? No way. Now hold still!”

Luigi only watched as Wario quickly wrapped an arm around the other twin and furiously scrubbed his fingers into Mario’s hand. All the while, the fire user was kicking his legs in an attempt to get Wario to stop or to break away from it. Just as Wario started, Mario was able to slip out. Quickly diving under the water to make his escape. Only for Wario to follow close behind. 

He was pulled away from the ‘fight’ feeling a tap on his shoulder. Finding Waluigi there with shampoo pools in his other hand. “Keep your eyes close.”

“Okay.” Luigi smiled softly and faced forward again. Remaining still as fingers gently ran through his hair.

Both respectfully ignoring the ‘fight’ between their brothers.