#I think it’s so cool when characters have floating screens

[tipsy-scales]

I prefer daylight but it’s good to play with different lighting & darker colors~

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Mad Season 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, social anxiety, chronic illness, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker

Summary: a class project gets messy. (short!reader)

Note: happy weekend.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

“Hey, how’d you get in?” Peter rushes in, a tray of drinks in hand. 

You pop up on the stool, broken from your trance. Uncertain what else to do, you spent much of your time trying to distract yourself with his schematics. You twist to face him. 

“Um, Bucky,” you answer and cringe at home dumb you sound. “He helped.” 

“Bucky? Helpful?” He nears and puts the cardboard tray on the table, “I guess he can be.” He picks at the edge of the tray, “I got you a blueberry matcha. The place I hit didn’t have strawberry in season anymore.” 

“Oh, sounds... interesting, but you--” 

“Didn’t have to. I know, you always say so but I felt bad for being so late. I told may to get an airtag for her wallet. She can be so--” he stops himself and chuckles. “It’s whatever. She’s got a lot going on.” 

“Mhm,” you accept the cup he offers. “I was just looking over the plans. I think we could probably just go with yours. Makes more sense.” 

“What? Oh, no way,” he takes his iced whatever. It just looks like layers of sugar and cream. “I think we could easily bring together both. Take some of your features and mine. I don’t want to take over.” 

“Yeah, but...” 

“But nothing. Really. It’s a team project, not my project,” he insists as he hops up on the stool next to you, “so,” he swipes his hand in the air and a holographic screen appears. You flinch. “Let’s compare and redraw.” 

You gape as another floating rectangle appears before him. No wonder his look so much better than your Paint hack job. You want to sink down and disappear. You always figured you’re not interesting enough to be his friend but now you’re certain you might be too stupid and poor for him too. 

“So, I’m going to get logged in...” he mutters. 

“Um, Peter?” You murmur, “are you sure you wanna be my partner?” 

“Why... wouldn’t I?” He hovers his hand before the screen as he looks at you. 

“I dunno. I don’t... I don’t have much to offer. Not a lab, not all these cool computers...” 

“Oh this? No, it’s not—it's not a big deal. Dude, I'm so lucky Mr. Stark is letting me use this. I’m not ignorant, you know? I just thought it would be easier. I don’t think your roommates like me much and mine are so loud.” he explains as he lowers his arm, crossing both over the table as he leans on it. “Do you not want to be my partner?” 

“Nnnooo,” you drag the word out. “No, I do, but I want to contribute to and I don’t know how to use any of this.” 

“That’s cool. I’ll show you.” 

“Um, okay,” you nibble your lip sheepishly. “I guess...” 

“Did you try the tea? Is it good?” He changes the subject. He does that a lot. Pivots around before you can finish your thoughts. 

“Not yet,” you look down at the bright pink lid, “where did you get this?” 

“Some place called Berry? I don’t know. Everything was bright. You’d hate it,” he laughs again. “Oh,” he snaps his fingers as you blow into the lid cautiously. “Before I forget, I’m having a party. I know it’s not really your thing but it’s ‘my turn’,” he makes quotations with his fingers, “and I don’t really wanna but I also thought I'd invite you in case you wanted to not be there with me, too.” 

Your blink in surprise, “a party?” 

“I know, too much. Well, I didn’t wanna leave you out.” 

“Mmm,” you drone nervously. It is really nice of him to think of you and after everything else, you hate to say no. “No one ever invited me to a party.” 

“No?” His brow furrows, “really?” 

You shake your head, “I’ll come. Yeah. I’ll try. You know, it’s college and ...” you take a sip and clear your throat, “should I bring a dessert?” 

He laughs and gives you a playful grudge, “wow, I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone ask me that except my aunt’s friends. Nope, you can just come as you are. You can always bring some drinks for yourself but I’ll have more than enough to share.” 

“Oh, okay,” you nod. 

“The tea good?” He asks again. 

“Yeah, sweet,” you put the cup down. 

“Awesome!” He grins. “I really didn’t think you’d come. I’m so excited.” 

“Really?” You ask. 

“Well, duh. You’re so fucking cool. Like all my other friends, they try so hard. It’s all ‘let’s go do shots’ or ‘watch me do this dumb shit’. You don’t even try, you’re just you. It’s like people don’t realize they can just be nice and be cool for just that.” 

“I... yeah,” you don’t know what to say.  

It’s like he’s calling you boring but not. You know you are and you don’t mind but you can’t ever remember when you just felt like everyone else. Where you weren’t the odd one out. Despite trying to include you, Peter still manages to push you to the edges. 

You wince as you notice how he stares at you. You fidget and pick at the button on the front of your corduroy skirt. His eyes flick down to the nervous movement. 

“I like that,” he reaches to touch the ridged fabric, “blue. Oh, thick.” 

Your leg twitches in surprise, “uh, yeah... found it at the student thrift shop.” 

“Really?” His fingers brush over the hem and touch your coloured tights. They linger for a moment before he pulls away. “Cute. I’ve never been there.” 

“It’s not bad...” you cross your legs as you knee tingles from his touch. That was strange. 

“Well, anyway,” he waggles his fingers as he turns back to the table, “uh, where was I?” He squints at the screens and taps in the air. He pauses and looks at you. “Here, I’ll show you how it work, alright?”  

He reaches over again and you brace yourself. He grabs the underside of the stool seat and drags you closer. He it so easily, you gasp. He’s a lot stronger than he looks. He slides his hand around so his arm is diagonal around your back. 

“Right, so...” his shoulder presses to you as he points with his other arm, “you can just use your finger. I’ll have to add your prints to the program. Put your hands up.” 

You obey as he stays close. You’re overly away of it. The way he’s pressed to you. He doesn’t seem to notice at all. You try not to think of it and focus on his instructions. The project. That’s why you’re here. 

[comment-day]

Some Resources To Help With Commenting

If you have ever gotten a comment full of pull-quotes, you know it is a joy to get as an author. You get to know exactly which parts of a fic stood out to someone! Which lines made them keysmash or delve into character or made it all click! Amazing!

If you've ever tried to write one yourself, you know that scrolling to the bottom of the screen to get to the comment box again and again is an exercise in frustration only matched by repeatedly closing your hand in a door while the fire alarm goes off. So. Here are some resources to help with that!

(Note: The high-tech versions below are for Ao3, but they replicate functionality Wattpad already has built in— you can comment line by line on that site! The low-tech resource linked below should work for any site that allows you to leave comments.)

The High Tech:

There is an amazing use script written by @ravenel which gives you a comment box that floats on your screen, which is detailed below.

It can be intimidating to install a use script, so @bourbon-ontherocks wrote a tutorial about it here:

For people who use Ao3 site skins, here's the code to make an Ao3 site skin and add a bookmarklet that turns having your comment box at the bottom of the screen on and off. Bonus: this will also work on mobile!

Here is an alternate Ao3 comment box that lets you open a box, type your commentary in the moment, and then send it down to the comment box at the bottom of the page, and then close it again! Includes an update by @aidaronan which was designed to work on mac and firefox!

The Low Tech:

Honestly I have been meaning to install one of these cool scripts, but I keep putting off installing them, so I just use my notes app. I open up a new note, and on my computer I put it behind my browser window so I can click to it, and on my phone I just keep it so that I can swipe across apps. So Then I copy-paste the quotes I want, dump them in the notes app, and put my commentary below! Simple, fast, and fantastic for when you are stuck on the bus for an hour.

So what do you comment?

What kind of commentary, you ask? I will be honest, a lot of the time the commentary is me going OH NO or keysmashing after lines. And that's also okay! I have been told so by authors before!

I know I have personally gotten comments where commenters did delicate character analysis after lines and those comments are in my treasured forever box, and I also have comments where someone went OH NO OH NO AOHNFDIOFNDISJFODISJIDJSIOFD YOU DIDN"T AUTHOR NO and I also hold them dear to my heart all the same. The author gets to know the reaction a work got from their reader! And that's fantastic!

The point of the pull quotes comment is showing the impact a work is having on you as you go through the work, section by section, and sometimes that's a digression about how this line made you think about the characters relationship and how he DESERVES THIS HAPPINESS, and sometimes it's responding to a heartbreaking line with twenty weeping emoji. The impact of opening up a comment email and seeing 10 lines of quotes of your own work will hit whether you have thoughtful commentary or you are rolling yourself into a little ball like an octopus and tumbling across the screen (ordinary standard unhinged comment I have left on the works of writers who make me feel Like That).

Go forth! Comment in detail! Let the authors know which lines made you go "oh no" out line in the kitchen as you made soup! Let them know about callbacks that you just realized and now you figured out the whole mystery! Let them know about how this one bit was so cute you had to step away from the computer for a sec! Let them know what you thought!

[flowerandblood]

The Sin & The Penance

[ modern Frollo • Aemond x Esmeralda • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, smut, angst, revenge motive, description of physical and mental disabilities, remorse, depression, hysteria attacks, swearing, trauma, suicidal thoughts ]

[ description: After a car accident, his brother has to deal with the consequences of what happened, and he, as his protector, does not know how to help him. His sister comes up with the idea of hiring someone as his carer who will be able to cheer him up and occupy his mind. It turns out, however, that the girl he hired charmed not only his younger brother. Obsession, self-destructive behavior, verbal and physical aggression, sexual tension, dark, malicious Aemond. ]

Author's note: This story is a request, but I decided to freely use what I liked in the book and Disney film to create a new, disturbing story taking place in modern times. It is intended to be uncomfortable and will contain scenes that are at least morally questionable, in my version "Esmeralda" is not Romanian. This story will also include motifs from Jane Eyre, which was a separate request. My story will also touch on the problems of people with disabilities, so if these are sensitive topics for you, I advise against reading further. You have been warned.

Part 1 − The Knight & The Judge Part 3 − The Doubt & The Delight Epilogue

Main Characters Moodboard Aemond NSFW Alphabet

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

That night he could not sleep – he wriggled in bed, checking from time to time whether she had perhaps called him back or written anything. Although he had tried to reach her at least ten times she did not answer and he was afraid to write her a message.

What if she went to the police with this?

Maybe that's what he deserved, he thought after a while with regret, staring blankly at the bright screen of his phone, wondering if he should try again despite the late hour.

As much as he tried to find some logical justification for what he had done, he couldn't explain what had really driven him.

Admittedly, at first he was guided only by anger and spite, but then these emotions disappeared, replaced by a hot, dark desire that filled his loins, completely overshadowing his cool judgement.

Something about her brightness, her lightness, her joy, made him long to lean over her like the dark sky, like night over the stars, and cover her with his blackness, his emptiness, consuming and devouring her.

He had never experienced such a disturbing and overpowering sensation before and was horrified that he was prone to such thoughts and such actions.

He had completely lost his mind because of her.

She had asked him to let her go, so why didn't he do so?

Alys had always been eager for his aggressive, violent games, he knew that, and he felt no remorse about what he was doing to her or where, but this little girl was terrified, trembling all over with fear, and yet all he could think about was how desperately he needed to feel her.

Perhaps subconsciously her cheerfulness, her attitude attracted him.

Maybe after years of sadness and mourning he wanted to feel at last something more than grief.

He covered his eyes with his hand, sighing heavily at that thought, feeling a squeeze in his throat and heart.

He only fell into a restless sleep in the morning with his phone lying next to his face, and was awakened two hours later by his alarm clock anyway, which he switched off with displeasure, tired, sad and embarrassed by what he had done.

He couldn't look Daeron in the face as they ate breakfast together. His little brother looked up at him from over his bowl of his favourite cereal with milk – he knew he was about to start asking questions about her.

"When will Esmeralda come here to sew our costumes?" He asked finally, stirring the milk with his spoon, looking at the chocolate balls that floated on its surface.

He pressed his lips together, not knowing how to explain to him how much he had fucked up.

What he had done to her.

"I don't know if she'll even show up here again." He replied truthfully, Daeron gave him a quick, horrified look.

"She promised me. She promised me we'd sew them together and go to the ball." He muttered, his eyes filling with tears again.

He decided he wouldn't be so cruel as to let him believe it was her fault, though part of his mind opted for that.

"I know, but I hurt her and I'm afraid she won't forgive me." He said lowly, swallowing hard, fiddling with his coffee cup, not daring to look at him, his heart pounding like mad.

"What do you mean? Did you hit her?" He asked in disbelief, and he clenched his eyes, realising that in his childish mind the greatest harm a man could do to a woman was that he could slap her.

He was silent for a while, not sure how or if I should explain it to him, whether it would be too much.

"In a way. And I did something else, much worse. Against her pleas. I could go to jail for that." He muttered, covering his face with his hand, feeling that even though he hadn't eaten anything he felt sick to his stomach.

"Why did you do that? She's so kind. What did she do to you? Did you get angry with her because of me?" He mumbled through his tears. He felt a tightening in his throat at the thought that, like any child, he was trying to justify the adult in his head, deciding that after all he was smarter and more experienced than him, so his behaviour must have been because he, his little brother, had done something wrong.

"No. No, it didn't and doesn't have anything to do with you. This is our adult business, but she has the right to be very angry with me and not speak to me. However, I'm completely sure she doesn't blame you." He replied quickly, biting his lower lip.

It wasn't until he spoke it aloud that it occurred to him how pathetic, inappropriate and cruel what he had done was, how afraid she must have been of him.

Was she telling herself she liked it so she could somehow survive it? She decided to go along with it so she wouldn't suffer?

"Do you think I can call her?" He asked in a quivering voice, and he looked at him with his heart pounding fast, recognising in the back of his mind that it was an excellent thought, that she might want to at least talk to him.

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'll give you her number, but call her from your phone. She's not answering from me."

He stared feeling the cold sweat on his back at his brother's reflection in the mirror driving towards the centre, seeing as he pressed the numbers written on the piece of paper on the keypad of his phone and lifted it to his ear – he heard the quiet beep of a call waiting.

He shuddered as someone answered, trying to focus on the road, complete panic in his mind.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Hello? Hi, it's Daeron. Can you talk? No, he can't hear what you're saying, we're just driving to the centre." He muttered, and he swallowed loudly, feeling a constriction in his chest from which he found it hard to breathe, trying to erase from his mind the image of him slamming into her again and again with the brutal, sharp thrusts of his hips.

"He told me that he had done you wrong and that he had hurt you very badly. I'm very sorry he did that. I just wanted to ask when we're going to sew our costumes." He mumbled out quickly. He felt his eyebrows arch in shame and covered his mouth with his free hand, resting his elbow against his car door, looking ahead in disbelief.

How could he do this to her?

For a moment Daeron listened to what she was saying on the phone with concentration and he was dying inside, afraid that she would explain to him with details of what he had done to her. After a moment he nodded as if he understood what she meant, he saw his face lighten a little.

"Okay. Okay, I'll ask my brother if he agrees to it. Bye bye." He said softly and hung up, sighing heavily.

"And?" He asked looking at him in the mirror, stopping in the car park, feeling like he was about to go crazy. His brother looked down at his fingers.

"Esmeralda said that after your argument she can no longer come to our house, but that I can come to her at the University. She said that the building is modern and wheelchair accessible, there are special toilets, lifts and everything needed. We could do my homework in her room in the dormitory and then walk around the campus, sewing and painting." He said uncertainly, glancing at him pleadingly. He swallowed loudly, feeling disappointed and at the same time understanding of her decision and grunted softly, turning off the engine.

"Would you like that?" He asked him calmly, and his brother nodded quickly.

"Then so be it."

Despite his requests, Daeron refused to tell him which of the boys had called him Quasimodo.

He said that it didn't matter now.

He thought with regret that his younger brother had more maturity and calmness in himself than he did.

Sitting at work he was all nerves, he had not received any notification that anyone had filed a police report on him, so for some reason, perhaps out of fear, she had not done so.

He felt both relieved and ashamed at the same time, unable to look at himself, thinking that he was not only disgusting on the outside but also on the inside.

When Alys suggested that they go to the toilet for a while he simply agreed, feeling that he needed to lash out, to expel the grief, shame and desperation that seemed to fill his whole body.

He turned her body violently with her back to him, thinking with fatigue that he didn't want to look at her face. As he unzipped his trousers he tried to focus on what he saw in front of him, on her panties lowered halfway down her thighs, her entrance sticky with arousal. He closed his eyes and grasped his cock firmly in his hand, giving it a few aggressive, hard strokes.

As much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her sweet moans, about how wonderful she smelled, about how tight she was, about her body convulsing in his embrace.

He got instantly hard, wasted no time and surprised his lover, who moaned with delight at feeling how direct and exceptionally violent he was this day, his thrusts full of desperation and aggression, his groans low and throaty.

Something was wrong – her insides were different, her buttocks were different, her scent was different, too intense, her moans too deep, too sensual, not as innocent and surprised as hers.

He pressed his lips together feeling he couldn't focus or get as much pleasure out of it as he would have liked.

"− shut the fuck up −" He growled speeding up but it was to no avail – when he opened his eyes he saw a completely different woman in front of him. He slowed down, swallowing loudly, feeling that nothing would come of it.

"− fucking bastard − ah, don't stop − what happened? − did I do something wrong? −" She asked as he slid out of her and fastened his zipper in a quick motion, furious, disappointed, humiliated, distraught that he wanted her, this little girl, her moans, her scent, her touch, her gaze, her tight, weeping cunt, being able to spend whole nights with his face sunk between her thighs, begging her forgiveness, muttering between the flicks of his tongue that he would make it all up to her.

"− no − I'm sorry, it's my fault −" He said lowly, not wanting to lash out at her. She grunted quietly, surprised, putting her lacy underwear and trousers back on over her hips, fastening them with a quick, nimble movement.

"− you seem stressed − something wrong? − do you want to talk? −" She asked softly, and he felt a kind of gratitude that she hadn't laughed at him or judged him, that she had acted as if nothing had happened.

He decided, however, that he didn't want to share his thoughts with her.

"− no − forgive me − have a nice day −" He said calmly, opening the cubicle door and left the restroom, moving down the corridor in front of him, clenching his eyelids, brushing his short, slicked-back hair with a quick movement.

What had happened between them, what he had done to her had left a mark on more than just her.

He felt as if he had woken up from a lethargy after five years, everything around him was sharper and brighter, painfully clear.

The next morning, according to the arrangements made between her and Daeron, he was to turn up in the car park outside the University from where she was to pick up his brother.

He dreaded this meeting, dreaded what he would see in her face, disgust, regret and bitterness, all the way to the place he felt like stopping and throwing up.

He felt a shudder and a loud pounding of his heart when they arrived at the agreed spot and he noticed her, standing between the cars dressed in a fitted strapless dress with daisies on it, her beautiful hair the scent of which he could still smell in his nostrils loose, trainers on her feet.

He stopped, swallowing hard, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out, glancing at her – she stood at a safe distance from them and looked away, playing with the fingers of her hands, thoughtful and sad.

What he saw hurt him even more than if she had been staring at him with hatred.

He walked around the car and took out Daeron's wheelchair to which he helped him move from the back seat – his little brother beamed at the sight of her and began to move the wheels himself heading towards her. He saw with regret that she smiled warmly when she saw him, genuine joy on her face.

"Hi. High five!" She said to him cockily and their hands hit each other in the air, even though he was standing a few steps away she didn't give him a single glance.

"So, shall we go?" She asked encouragingly, and Daeron nodded.

He wanted to ask if she was sure he would be safe here, if she would remember to take him to lunch, if she would watch out for him, but he didn't dare, shame took his speech away.

He decided it would be better if he kept quiet and led them away with his gaze, then got into his car and drove to work.

He spent all day thinking about her, sitting over the case files recalling again and again her appearance, her pleasant figure, her warm face that beamed all over at the sight of his younger brother.

Why did she have to be like this?

Why did she have to be what he craved, the personification of his deepest, darkest needs, a ripe peach that someone had placed in front of him on a platter while he was starving?

When he arrived after work to pick up Daeron they both stood in the distance, said their goodbyes, and she turned away without even bestowing a single glance on him. He got out of the car, intent on helping his brother into the back seat.

"And how was it?" He asked lowly, feeling sadness and emptiness, anxiety and a strange tightening in his stomach.

"Great! We studied together in her room and then she showed me around the whole campus. We even looked in the classroom where the students were painting portraits and she told me a bit about how it was done. Everyone was very friendly." He said quickly, clearly excited and pleased. He swallowed hard, sighing softly as he folded his wheelchair and threw it back into the boot.

"Have you eaten anything?" He asked calmly, returning to the driver's seat, buckling his seatbelt and turning on the engine.

"Yes, we had lunch in the university canteen. I could choose whatever I wanted." He said with satisfaction, a wide smile on his face.

He felt like asking him if she had mentioned anything about him, if she had anything to convey to him, but realised that there was nothing she might want to tell him.

She was doing this to keep her word to Daeron.

For a few weeks it seemed to him that he had locked himself in some kind of circle, looking forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays, days during which he would see her, albeit only from a distance, her figure bright and graceful.

He wondered with pain if she still had the bruises on her neck that his lips had left and swallowed loudly, feeling ashamed that his manhood reacted to that thought with a strong throbbing in his trousers.

He had suspected it before, but now he was absolutely sure.

He was fucking mad.

On the day the carnival ball was to be held, he was supposed to drive Daeron to the centre and pick him up after a few hours, but he decided that it wouldn't be worth going home for such a short time and he would just wait for them somewhere off to the side without bothering them.

As he pulled up in front of the building he swallowed heavily, seeing her from a distance, already dressed in her Esmeralda costume, her dark, loose hair tied with a violet scarf to form a headband, bells tied to her purple skirt, simple black ballerinas on her feet, round gold earrings in her ears, clanking bracelets on her wrists.

However, what drew his attention most was her white, buff long-sleeved shirt, tucked into the the sea-colored corset under her breasts that wonderfully emphasized her waist, it's sleeves lowered so that her shoulders were bare, it was slit down in the middle, showing the bare skin of her chest.

He swallowed loudly, looking away, feeling with horror that the very sight of it made him hard.

He grunted, helping Daeron out of the car and moved behind him, guessing that she wasn't going to help his brother dress after all, not wanting to invade his privacy.

"You really look like Esmeralda! So beautiful!" Exclaimed his younger brother, and she turned gracefully raising her hands with a clink of her bells and bracelets, showing off her costume in all its glory.

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Where's my costume?!" He asked excitedly, and she picked up the large paper bag that stood next to her feet and smiled.

"Here. Let's go." She said lightly without looking at him, Daeron immediately pushed the wheels of his wheelchair and headed after her.

He moved behind them, feeling like an intruder, looking everywhere but at her, trying not to think about the sight of her partially exposed back.

She explained to him quickly what needed to be put on first and how – he was impressed that what she had made really did look like golden armour, but when he took out the individual pieces they turned out to be surprisingly light.

He locked himself and Daeron in one of the toilet cubicles, helping him to change, his brother looking extremely pleased.

"Are you two reconciled?" He asked, clearly thinking that since she was speaking to him again she had forgiven him. He swallowed loudly, not knowing how to explain to him that what he had done could not simply be taken back.

"I don't think so. But don't think about it. Hm?" He asked softly and he lowered his gaze, disappointed.

The sight of himself in the armour gave him confidence – it appeared that the whole thing had been designed so that he could flex his arms, elbows and wrists, the parts fitted together.

He thought with a pained grin that she had really made an effort.

"You look great. What a real knight you are. Come, it's time for you to dance a little with your beautiful Esmeralda." He said calmly, opening the door for him. He wheeled out into the corridor with a smile, his Esmeralda catching her cheeks with a wide smile of delight.

"My knight. Promise to protect me from the evil thugs!" She called out theatrically and glared at him – he swallowed loudly, turning his face away in shame, his younger brother assuring her that he would not let anyone hurt her.

Too late, he thought.

For some reason, he felt tears under his eyelids, his throat squeezed so tight he had trouble breathing.

He watched as they moved ahead into a large gymnasium where the lights were slightly dim, a disco ball was spinning on the ceiling, Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper was playing in the background, children and their caretakers spinning around, dressed as various characters and creatures.

Although many of the costumes looked quite impressive, he couldn't take his eyes off her – as she danced she sang the lyrics of the song with theatrical devotion as if she knew them by heart, her hair, bracelets and earrings glistened in the light of the multi-coloured lights, the sweat on the bare skin of her exposed arms glittered like little crystals.

He looked at her leaning with his back against the wall with his hands folded in front of him, feeling the heat in his lower abdomen, covering up what was happening in his trousers.

He looked around the room and noticed a group of boys looking at her and Daeron. He frowned, wondering if they were the ones calling his brother Quasimodo.

He felt some kind of satisfaction at the thought that they were watching his brother dance with a pretty girl.

He really deserved her.

Such a good kid.

He left after a while, pulling a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket – even though he hadn't smoked in months and was trying to quit, he felt that what was happening was too much for him.

His hands trembled as he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with his lighter, taking a loud drag, closing his eyes, clenching his fingers on the base of his nose.

There was only chaos in his head.

"We need to talk." He heard her soft, trembling voice and turned around immediately, taking a few steps away, for some reason terrified by her sudden proximity.

He stared at her with his lips slightly parted, his body froze still, his heart pounding like mad, his cigarette burning slowly between his fingers.

God, she was pregnant.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"I can no longer take care of Daeron. I just wanted to keep my promise and go to the ball with him. I think he's had enough disappointments in his life and I didn't want to provide him with any more." She said shivering all over, looking everywhere but at him – he felt like he was about to vomit from terror and grief.

What?

"But…if I'm the problem, we can arrange it so that I bring him in a while early and you pick him up from under the main entrance. I'll pay you more." He muttered, completely surprised by her words, not knowing what to say, not wanting to imagine how his little brother would react.

She shook her head quickly at his words, fiddling with the bracelets on her wrists in a nervous gesture.

"I can't. He reminds me of you. You two are similar in appearance." She mumbled and burst out crying, drawing in air loudly, covering her face with her hand in an attempt to calm herself. He looked at her in disbelief, feeling his voice get stuck in his throat.

"I haven't told anyone about what you did to me, because in his eyes you are his authority. I don't want to put him through unnecessary suffering, but I expect you to come up with something and find some convincing explanation as to why I can't continue to take care of him, Mr Prosecutor." She muttered regretfully wiping her cheeks swollen from tears, struggling to catch her breath, her plump lips parted, her eyebrows arched in despair.

He didn't know when he fell to his knees in front of her, when he clasped his hands around her waist, dropping his cigarette to the ground – he pressed his face to her womb, breathing loudly, feeling like he was going through some kind of panic, his lungs compressed, tears streaming down his face one after another, everything around him seemed to spin.

"− I'm sorry − I'm sorry − I'm sorry − I'm sorry − I'm sorry − I'm sorry − please, please, forgive me −" He mumbled hysterically what he had wanted to say to her for weeks – he heard her gasp loudly in shock, raising her hands in a gesture of helplessness, felt her place them on his shoulders trying to gently push him away, her stomach trembled under his face in sobs.

"− l-let me go − please, get up −" She whimpered pleadingly, but he shook his head – he thought he couldn't do it, he couldn't let her go.

"− I need you − even if for the rest of my life I will only look at you from afar −" He exhaled helplessly, sinking his nose into the material of her soft skirt, feeling her wonderful scent fill his lungs again, the warmth of her body that enveloped his face.

He didn't care that the people around them were looking at them like they were crazy, didn't care that perhaps they knew who he was.

"− I can't − I've tried − I've forgiven you, but I can't forget − you robbed me of my dignity −" She said in a raspy, broken voice – he felt himself whooping with his own tears, clasping his fingers at her back, his helpless mumbling ripped from his throat as if without the participation of his free will.

"− do what you want with me − fucking destroy me −"

"Aemond? What's going on?" He heard his brother's frightened voice and immediately rose from his knees, letting her go, both of them wiping their faces quickly, her cheeks pale and at the same time red from tears.

"We needed to talk. I'll be right back." She said quickly, forcing herself to smile – Daeron could sense the tension between them though, his lips tightened, his gaze wandering from him to her.

"Have you…reconciled yet? Has my brother apologised to you?" He asked uncertainly and she nodded and laughed lightly, something in her response made him clench his eyelids and swallow loudly – he covered his face with his hand, feeling that for some reason he couldn't stop crying.

You robbed me of my dignity.

"− y-yes − yes, we've already explained everything to each other, we simply got a little emotional − come on, let's go back inside −" She said softly and stroked his head – he smiled at her and glanced over his shoulder.

"Are you coming?" He asked, but he shook his head, choking out that he would wait for them in the car.

He locked himself inside in the driver's seat and put his forehead on the steering wheel, feeling an overpowering emptiness and this awful, terrifying chill, as if someone had gouged out his insides with a spoon like the flesh of a fruit, leaving only a mere shell.

He thought that he had died five years ago, on the day of that accident.

He only existed so that Daeron could live on.

He shuddered, as if awakened from a deep, restless slumber, hearing a knock on the window on his side – he glanced there and saw Daeron waving at him and his Esmeralda, looking at him uncertainly, terrified of his condition, dark night all around them.

He got out of the car, massaging his forehead, feeling a terrible headache, not being sure for a moment where he actually was or what time it was – in an automatic reflex he opened the back door and helped Daeron get in, he could smell her scent beside him, her gaze fixed on him.

"Are you sure you should drive?" She asked hesitantly, and he swallowed loudly, thinking that since the day of that accident he had never gotten into a car that someone else was driving.

"Yes. Shall I drive you back?" He asked lowly, not looking at her, folding Daeron's small wheelchair.

"No need, thank you, I'll get an Uber." She muttered, his younger brother furrowed his brow, looking at her worriedly.

"We'll drive you back. It's late, you shouldn't be going home alone." He insisted.

She sighed quietly and nodded, walking around the car, sitting down next to Daeron in the back seat.

He got behind the wheel and started the engine, involuntarily glancing at her in the mirror – their gazes met, her eyes sad and tired, full of a regret she had every right to feel.

He drove ahead, trying to wake up and focus on the road, looking at the lights of the cars passing him and thought that maybe if he had killed them it would have been better for all of them.

He grunted loudly, tilting his head back, leaning against the backrest, recognising that he had completely lost his mind, that he was sinking into depression and hysteria, that he had reached the very bottom.

It seemed to him that she sensed that something was happening to him – he was catching her on the fact that she was glancing at him uncertainly, answering something to Daeron who was chatting her up, talking about his friends' costumes. She was just nodding, pretending to listen to him, her hands playing with the material of her skirt in a nervous gesture.

God, how he longed for her to drive with him to their house, to go with him to his bedroom, so that he could kneel before her and whisper how sorry he was, how he wished he could make it all right, to slide with his hands the material of her shirt and her skirt, so that his lips could kiss her whole beautiful, warm body with devotion and adoration, her feet, her calves, her thighs, her stomach, her breasts, her neck, her face, her….

"WATCH OUT!" He heard her scream of terror and pressed the brake suddenly, at the last moment stopping in front of a crossroads where he should have given way to those driving on his right and left – a man almost rammed into them and started honking at them, gesticulating aggressively, opening his window and shouting, asking what the fuck he was doing.

He looked quickly in the mirror, feeling as if he was deaf, his brother was crying loudly, snuggled into her, shaking with fear, her eyes wide, staring at him in horror.

"… are you all right?" He asked dully, feeling like his head was spinning – he saw her nod quickly, and then suddenly he went dark in front of his eyes, his head dropped limply and hit something hard.

He was awakened by someone's conversation. He felt someone touching him, something pleasantly warm enveloped him – his body was lying on something soft and comfortable, he thought he was lying on the sofa in his house.

"− overwork, dehydration, stress, trauma − anything could have caused this, ma'am − when can his sister come? −" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"− his younger brother called her, but she only managed to buy a plane ticket for tomorrow −" He heard her soft, warm voice – he shuddered and opened his eyes with difficulty, wanting to see her, to make sure nothing had happened to her.

He spotted her blurred silhouette in the warm light of the night lamp – she was sitting next to him on the sofa in his living room, still dressed in her Esmeralda costume.

"− can you stay here until she arrives? − are you a friend of the family? −" Asked the man who was apparently a paramedic, packing his suitcase and pulling off his latex gloves. She nodded.

"− y-yes − yes, I'm his little brother's carer −" She replied calmly, the man and she both glanced at him when they noticed he was awake.

"− how are you feeling, sir? − you had a panic attack and fainted − I have given you intravenous sedatives and strengthening medications, you should feel better soon −" The man with the black beard, surely a few years older than him, said to him.

He grunted quietly as he tried to raise himself up on his elbows, feeling everything around him swirl and lay back, giving up.

"− fuck − I'm dizzy −" He muttered, his stomach sore and clenched.

She rose from her seat as the doctors left Daeron's room, sighing heavily in relief when the woman explained that he had only been scared.

"Aemond!" He shouted when he saw that he was awake, riding up to him in his wheelchair, wiping his face red from tears.

"− I thought − I thought you had died − you weren't moving − w-we couldn't wake you up −" He mumbled, and he hugged his head to his chest, closing his eyes, stroking his soft hair with his large hand.

"− I'm sorry − I'm so sorry − I've been working too much lately and I fainted −" He lied, swallowing loudly, his brother nodding his head in understanding, cuddling into him like a teddy bear. He kissed his temple, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

He thought he needed to pull himself together.

"− Esmeralda said she would stay with us until Helaena arrives − now it's up to us to take care of you − lie here and don't worry about a thing −" He said in a voice hoarse from crying and patted his head – he felt a tightness in his throat at his words, his eyebrows arched in emotion, he smiled involuntarily, feeling his lower lip tremble.

"− then I'm in good hands −"

He watched wordlessly as the doctors and medics left their house, Daeron showing his Esmeralda where she could find clothes to change into – she appeared a few minutes later in his long black hoodie reaching halfway down her thighs, her legs wonderfully bare.

She bustled around the kitchen with Daeron, trying to make dinner – he couldn't get out of his awe at what a harmonious duo they were, his brother talking to her without shame or embarrassment.

If he had been wiser, if he had given her a chance then instead of humiliating her, maybe now they would be preparing dinner together.

He rose to sit down when she brought him tea and sandwiches, thanking her meekly. He sighed heavily feeling he wouldn't swallow anything and although the medications were starting to work, he felt like his head was going to burst.

She only returned to the living room after she had helped Daeron change into his pyjamas and put him to bed. She approached him hesitantly and sat down next to him on the couch, not looking at him but at the floor.

"How are you feeling?" She asked quietly, covering her knees with the material of his sweatshirt.

He looked at her, silent for a long moment.

"Exactly as I should after what I did." He replied finally, not knowing how else he was supposed to call what he was feeling.

She looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed in pain, regret and sadness in her gaze, but at the same time also some kind of concern.

He thought in disbelief that his fate mattered to her despite what he had done to her.

She lowered her gaze to her knees, fiddling with the material that covered her thighs in a nervous gesture.

"He needs you composed. Emotionally stable." She said sadly, her lips trembling.

He stared at her face unable to take his eyes off her, thinking only of how much he wanted to touch her, dreaming of her hugging him and locking him in her arms.

"I know." He said dryly, understanding exactly what she meant.

He couldn't be unpredictable, distracted while driving in the car, at work and on a daily basis.

Could not be distracted by her.

"Why did you do it? Then when I wanted to leave?" She finally asked in a voice quivering with grief, and looked at him, the depth of disappointment, sadness and emptiness in her bright eyes.

He licked his lower lip dry with stress and swallowed hard, feeling his heart pounding like mad as he stared straight into her face.

"Because I wanted to feel you. You were so sweet and soft. You were melting in my hands. I couldn't stop." He muttered at last, feeling with shame how pathetic that explanation was, thinking he was just a fucking pervert.

He drew in a loud breath as she slid the blanket off him and sat on top of him, pressing her buttocks against what was under his trousers – he wanted to grab her hips, feeling a rush of adrenaline from disbelief, but she grabbed his wrists.

"No. Don't touch me. If I feel your hands on my body I'll start screaming. I will tell Daeron everything you did to me and that you tried to do it a second time." She said with a seriousness from which his breath caught in his throat; he immediately placed his hands as before on either side of his body, watching in disbelief as her tiny fingers undid his button and zipper, his cock immediately swelled and began to pulsate, a loud shuddering sigh escaped his lips.

God, was she really going to do this?

As if in response to his thoughts, she spread the material of his trousers to the side and slid his boxers down, revealing his throbbing erection, twitching with lust, the head of it pink and glistening. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, swallowing loudly when he felt her grab it's base with a gentle flick of her hand and direct its thick tip between her warm thighs.

She had no underwear underneath.

She lowered herself onto him a tiny bit, barely sinking the fat head of his cock inside her, teasing him with the lewd click of her moisture – the sight of him stretching her slit and how wet she was turned him on so much that a low, helpless groan escaped his throat.

"− be quiet or I'll stop − do you want me to stop? − you didn't give me that choice, but I'm not that cruel −" She said with regret as he shook his head quickly, feeling how desperate he was to feel her again.

"− please −" He heard his own pathetic voice, not believing he was allowing it, but he no longer cared what she would do to him, he wanted to fuck her in any way she would let him.

He felt some relief at the thought of being humiliated, he wanted her to do to him what he did to her even though he knew she didn't have his awful nature.

"− what are you asking me to do? −" She whispered softly, almost tenderly, as if her superiority over him was giving her back what he had taken from her, her power over her own body, over what was happening to her.

"− use me −" He breathed out in a voice hoarse with emotion, saw that something had changed in her gaze, her lips parted in a shuddering breath.

He clasped his hands on the fabric of the couch and leaned his head back, gasping out loud as he felt her let him all the way inside her, his hard, fat cock throbbed aggressively with desire squeezed wonderfully by her hot, tight walls – he knew he was embarrassingly close to fulfilment and that she felt it too.

She put her hands on his shoulders, leaning over him, but not moving, waiting for his manhood to stop twitching inside her – her pretty, flushed face surrounded by her dark, shiny curls, her bright eyes fixed on him, her plump, swollen lips parted in a quickened breath.

"− use you? − mr. prosecutor wants to make me feel good? −" She asked in a whisper, her voice trembling with fear and arousal, as if she herself was shocked by what she was doing and by the fact that he was listening to her, by the way he was responding to her, by how much he desired her.

"− yes −" He mumbled out and closed his eyes with a low moan, feeling that with flick of her hips she slowly slid his cock out of her only to push it back in with a loud click of her wetness.

"− why? −" She exhaled, moving on top of him painfully slowly, her tight fleshy muscles giving him a wonderful squeeze each time she forced him back between her plushy folds, they both began to breathe louder and louder. He bent his legs at the knees, involuntarily tentatively responding to her thrusts with deep stabs of his hips.

"− God, don't you see that I crave you? −" He groaned low, with the last of his strong will restraining himself from tightening his hands on her buttocks and forcing her to move faster.

There was something wonderful about this slow agony, in the way she teased him, rubbing herself at the spot from which she felt the greatest pleasure, a sweet moan escaped her lips at his words.

"− are you always like this when you see me? − like you are now between my thighs? −" She mumbled in embarrassment, speeding up, their naked bodies began to slam against each other with splats of her moisture – he dared to buck into her harder, they both began to pant loudly, looking at each other with their mouths wide open, her lips puffy with desire.

"− of course − I jerk off every day thinking about you − fuck −" He muttered with difficulty, feeling the tickle and heat in his lower abdomen, his cock swelling with desire so much that he felt like it was about to explode if he didn't come inside her, their naked bodies slamming against each other.

He delighted in the sight of her throwing her head back at his words, her hot core pulsed hard around him, sucking him inside, her fingers clenched on the material of his sweatshirt, her buttocks slapping loudly against his thighs, soaking him all over.

"− touch me − touch me −" She cried out and he caught her quickly, one of his hands weaved into her hair and pressed her face against his, their lips joined in an aggressive, thirsty, sticky kiss, the fingers of his other hand clenched on the soft, firm skin of her ass.

They moaned loudly into each other's mouths as he began to pound into her like mad, almost not sliding out of her anymore – he embraced her and hugged her body to his, gripping her around the waist, her hands stroking his cheeks, his neck, his scar, his cock thrusting into her weeping folds twitching and throbbing like crazy.

"− fuck − fuck, baby, m gonna cum −" He babbled between the flicks of their lips, tongues and teeth. She gasped and came at his words with a loud mewl of surprise – he felt her moisture run down her thighs onto his lower abdomen, her muscles began to clench on him greedily, squeezing him wonderfully. He threw his head back and moaned in relief when he felt his warm seed spurt out inside her.

"− oh God − oh my fucking God −" He mumbled, experiencing such an intense orgasm for the first time in his life – for a moment he went dark before his eyes, he could see or hear nothing, there was only the wonderful hot pleasure spilling over his whole body, his hands clenched on her hot skin.

He hugged her close, snuggling her face into the hollow of his neck, covering their bodies with his blanket, not wanting Daeron to accidentally find them in this position, while having no intention of changing it.

He felt wonderful.

He stroked her soft hair placing tender, wet kisses on her temple, his other hand trailing reassuringly down her back, feeling that she was trembling all over with emotion, unsure as he was of what had really happened between them.

"− sleep here, little one − I won't touch you against your will − I promise −" He whispered, but her silence answered him – she breathed loudly along with him, lying still, his half-soft manhood still throbbing deep inside her.

"− I know −" She replied quietly after a moment, rising on her shoulders, sliding him out of her with a soft motion of her hips, his hands clasped helplessly on her thighs.

"− please, don't go −" He muttered, looking at her in horror, his heart pounding like mad.

Please, let me go.

"− I'm sorry −"

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Please, let me go.

She rose from the couch, trembling all over, covering her thighs with his sweatshirt, his semen mingled with her moisture ran down her naked skin.

"− I'll sleep in the free room next to Daeron's bedroom − I'll lock myself in − don't come to me and don't ever touch me again − we're even −" She said in a calm, quivering voice full of sorrow, sadness and emptiness.

He wanted to touch her fingers but she turned and left the living room, hiding her face in her hand as if she was crying again, disappearing down the corridor.

He lay looking dully at the spot where she had stood just a moment before, feeling a squeeze in his throat – with trembling hands he slipped his boxers back on and zipped up his trousers, feeling tears of disappointment running down the sides of his face onto the pillow under his head.

We're even.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96 @rwdkarla @echos-muses

[writingduhh]

hello!! This idea has been floating round my head for a while but my writing skills aren’t great…so, reader and schlatt are both in a ludwig stream, the theme being just dance (yk the silly dance game) and reader and schlatt are made to pair up for it. (And maybe reader insists on being the male character purely to laugh at schlatt) and its them goofing around, trying to keep up or whatever you think.

Im not really sure what form this would be best written in, but maybe like your hcs as too how it would go or whatever,

much love 🫶

You got it!! I hope this is what you were wanting! <3

Jschlatt || Dance Stream

▷ So, you and Schlatt get invited to be part of Ludwig's Just Dance stream. The room's buzzing with excitement, music playing as everyone is getting ready to play. Ludwig's doing his usual hyped up intro, getting everyone pumped for the stream.

▷ You're excited but a bit nervous to dance in-front or so many people , especially with Schlatt there too. He catches your eye from across the room. He must’ve noticed your nervous demeanor as he gave you a warm reassuring smile.

▷ Ludwig announces that you and Schlatt will be paired up for the competition. You both share a look, grinning because you know this is going to be hilarious.

▷ When it’s time to pick characters, you insist on being the ‘male’ character. Schlatt raises an eyebrow but goes along with it.

▷ Schlatt is completely out of his element, flailing around with exaggerated movements. You can't stop laughing at how he's trying to keep up. Every time he messes up a move he throws a playful glare your way.

▷ You're not much better, but you're having the time of your life. The fact that you insisted on being the male character just makes it even funnier when you try to do the over-the-top masculine moves and Schlatt has to follow the more delicate ones, something very out of his nature.

▷ There are a few moments during the stream where you bump into each other. Every accidental touch sends sparks flying through your body. During a particularly tricky move Schlatt grabs your hand to steady you both. You share a quick, shy smile. You tried to act cool but inside you were screaming.

▷ Suddenly, the game switches to an unexpected slow dance segment. The music changes to a romantic tune, and the on-screen characters get into a ballroom dance pose. You step up, taking Schlatt’s hand and placing your other hand on his waist, taking the lead. Something he isn’t used to.

▷ Schlatt's face turns bright red, clearly flustered by the unexpected intimate touch. He stammers out, "What are you doing?" but doesn’t pull away. (The chat goes wild)

▷ You both try to follow the slow dance moves, but it's clear Schlatt is out of his comfort zone. You guide him gently, grinning as he awkwardly tries to keep up. "Relax, it’s just dancing," you tease, slightly enjoying how flustered he is.

▷ As you guide him through a spin, he mutters, "You better not drop me," with a half-smile, trying to cover up his nervousness. At one point, you lightly tease him, saying, "See, you’re a natural," which makes him chuckle and roll his eyes. When you dip him, he lets out a mock dramatic gasp, causing both of you to burst into laughter.

▷ Throughout the stream, there are lingering glances and subtle touches that make it clear you’re both into each other. Schlatt’s usual sarcastic demeanor softens whenever he talks to you, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the chat.

▷ The viewers can’t get enough of it, and clips of you two dancing and goofing around start making the rounds on social media. It becomes a highlight of the stream and something fans keep talking about.

▷ Even though you don’t win the dance-off, you celebrate your little victories together with high-fives and playful shoulder bumps. Schlatt jokingly declares you both the “real winners” of the night, and you can’t help but agree.

▷ After the stream ends, Schlatt offers to walk you home, and you spend the walk talking and laughing about the night. There’s a comfortable silence that falls between you, filled with unspoken feelings and shared smiles.

▷ As you part ways, Schlatt musters up the courage to ask you out on a proper date, suggesting you skip the dancing and just have a nice dinner together. You agree with a shy smile, your heart racing with excitement.

[breyito]

When you are not, actually, the first

@painlandweek Day 4: Domestic AU

Second entry, little fic explaining this little drawing of mine.

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen, M/M Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV) Relationship: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland Characters: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne Charles Rowland (DCU) Crystal Palace (DCU) Additional Tags: Celebrity Crush, Silly, Jealous Charles Rowland

Here on AO3

Summary:

It's the 14 of July of 2024, and both the EURO Championship and the Copa América are about to determine their winner. Amongst teasing and some shit talk about their chosen teams, Charles discovers the reason Edwin got into football in the first place. He's not pleased. He's also not pleased about Edwin and Crystal's discussion about which current player is the most handsome. (When he mentioned them being similar, he did not expect their tastes being this similar.) That may just be the reason he accepts that bet. (Crystal is so done with both of these idiots. Well, at least they are endlessly entertaining.)

"Hey, guys-" Crystal started as she entered the office without warning. Interrupting herself, she stopped and stared at the picture the boys presented her. "What is going on?"

Both of them were sitting on their little couch, but at the edge of the seats. Charles' right leg was practically vibrating. Edwin was just in his shirt (which is a state of undress that she had never personally seen him in unless the usage of excessive amounts of energy and magic had been done), and didn't even have his 'braces' on. Charles was in his maroon polo, and didn't have his braces either. 

She turned to see what the hell they were watching and discovered a...TV? A very old one, the square boxy type that she had only seen in old movies. The TV seemed to be floating, somehow. Which was cool, but, you know, didn't explain anything. They looked like they were engrossed in some sport match, which is something she never thought Edwin would be interested in. He always seemed so much....refined than that.

"Oh, hi Crystal." Barely looking at her, Charles waved. "Today it's the finale for both Football Championships!"

"Yeah, and England already lost ours." Edwin stated, eyes not leaving the screen once.

"Give it a rest, mate." Charles complained. "You can't still seriously think-"

"Since David Beckham retired, the England team has been in shambles ."

"It's not like we won anything with him either!" The punk boy complained, making the other one gasp, offended. 

"Beckham? The really hot blonde footballer that owns the Miami team Lionel Messi plays in?" she asked, sitting down on the desk. She was not getting in range of those over-excited boys cheering for a sport.

"Yeah, the very same." Edwin answered, still not looking away.

"Wait, hot one ?" exclaimed Charles, at the same time, turning his head and looking at the other boy, gaping.

Crystal pressed her lips together not to laugh. She really should have brought popcorn (she needed to learn to have some snack on hand whenever she visited the boys, they were just so entertaining.)

There was an awkward pause where the only sound came from the TV narrators (were they speaking Spanish?), until Edwin finally looked back at Charles. 

"What?" he said,  defensive, blushing. "He has always been exceptionally fit." 

Despite Charles' offended face, Crystal couldn't stop poking.

"Edwin...."she started, smirking, jokingly aghast. "Do you have a crush on David Beckham?" 

"...perhaps." he cleared his throat and smoothed down his shirt. He looked like he regretted not having more layers to fuss over in order to avoid looking at them.

"Wait a minute." Charles started. "Is that why you kept taking my magazines, back in the 90's? I thought you were just throwing them away!"

"Charles, you kept cluttering the office." He defended himself. "And they were only red tops. Drivel and sensationalised photographs, little else."

"Well, you still took them, didn't you? And you kept lecturing me about wanting to keep up with the living!"

"Please, I was not about to encourage your crush on this...'Posh Spice Girl'."

"Are you kidding, mate? You also-" Charles started, agitated.

"Are you both kidding me?" Crystal interrupted, standing up. Both boys shut up and looked at her. "You" she pointed at Edwin "had a crush on a playboy athlete and you" she now pointed at Charles "had a crush on his brunette ' posh' girlfriend" she continued "and that didn't give either of you a clue?" she finished, incredulous. 

Both boys just blinked at her, not understanding.

"About what?"Charles asked, gesturing, lost.

" I literally can't with you two sometimes. " she mumbled to herself as she slid her hands across her face. "Nevermind." he told them louder, sighing.

There was an odd silence as the TV announced that the last additional time was about to start.

"So, Edwin." Charles started, tone leading.

"Charles..." the other boy tried to stop him with a look, to no avail.

"I just want to know if you still find him 'exceptionally fit'!" He finished with a winning smile, leaning closer. After a few moments, Edwin caved and finally answered.

"Not as much now, of course. He's aged gracefully, but."

"He has more daddy energy than you're comfortable with?" Crystal finished for him, grinning wide. Charles made a hilarious noise, like a deflating balloon.  

"...I suppose that is not incorrect." Edwin finally said, with a pained expression.  

"So who do you like now? Messi?" The Edwardian made a little moue. Charles seemed to relax slightly at this negative.

"He appears to be a kindhearted individual and is not unattractive. But I find myself drawn in by the more...rakish players." Edwin cleared his throat again, looking at everything but the two of them. 

"Oh, like De Paul, if we keep it to Argentina?" she inquired, more than curious. (Also, Charles' face was a lesson in microexpressions and it urged her to keep prodding).

"Not that rakish" he said, affronted. "Rodrigo De Paul is handsome, but no." A pause, before he reluctantly added. "Agüero, perhaps, although he is retired now. Paredes, from this line-up, then." Crystal hummed, as she looked up pictures of them.

"Ooff, yeah. Those eyes ." she said, dreamily, showing her screen to Edwin.

"Exactly." The older boy smiled. 

"He's just so...pretty." she sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch to keep sharing the photos she found.

"In that we agree." Edwin said, eyes locked on the screen. "He also-"

"No matter how fit they are, they are gonna lose." Charles spat, interrupting, with his arms crossed. Were he a cartoon, Crystal would bet Charles would have had a dark aura surrounding him. Edwin looked baffled at his words.

"They are the World Champions, Charles. You were rooting for them earlier."

"Well, they don't have Messi anymore, do they? They are going down ."

"You really think so?" she asked, amused.

" Yes ." Charles doubled down. "I'll bet you anything: they lose."

"Anything?" questioned Edwin, now interested.

" Anything. "

"I'll take you up on that bet, then." The Edwardian ghost said, extending his hand. Charles swallowed and hesitated, before Edwin's raised eyebrow made the decision for him.

They shook hands and turned back to watch the rest of the match.

Charles had nobody else to blame when he lost.

(And Beckham. He also blamed Beckham.)

[dballzposting]

Hi . . .

I mean it's really not hard to google things. Yknow. So you would think that I would know things. Yknow.

That tiny EOZ strip in the anime is what had made me go cuckoo for dragon balls initially, or, it was the circumstance surrounding the inevitable. And, yknow. When I found out about the EOZ Kakarot DLC, I was stoked.

And, yknow, I had the thouhgt the other day. "Is there EOZ manga? What is Kai sticking true to?" Easy google, right?

No . . . I decided tyhat if that was real, SURELY I would simply Know about it by now. But I've never heard of it, So it must not be .

Which is unfortunate, becasue ive always mourned how the art at EOZ kind of sucks. I would like to see it by Toriyama's true hand.

Um . . .

Well . . . Howdo I put this . . .

IT'S REAL !!!!! TINY VWEGETA !!!!!! NEVER BEFORE SEEEN SCREENSHOT OF GOTEN !!! GOOD ARTSTYLE !!!

LOOK AT VEGETA'S BILL MURRAY SWAG !!!!! HIS BROWN JACKET & ORANGE SHIURT

TUNKS !!!

TEE-HEE !!! Ive observed in he anime and in the kakarrot dlc, how Cool Trunks is/thinks he is ... He's just like "yeah."

Awesome Cool panels and scnees

MR SATAN AND MR BOO SWAGGED UP

ARE YOU SEEING THIS /1/1/!??!?!\

IM SO THRILLED BY THIS !!!!!! IT'S REAL IT';S SO REAL !! ! ! !!!

Goten Rude AF for just calling him "Satan." I'd slap him if he were mine. No I'd slap him anyway. It takes a village to raise a bastard.

Perusing this EOZ strip in the managa, I feel like I understand Goten's character BETTER .... Therwe's always been this teeth-grinding contradiction to me, with what I want and what I extrapolate from his circumstance and what they actually present. But this makes sense to me.

Goten is like ... an insect. Like a dragonfly or butterfly. Just sort of . . . Floating.

He is what he is ... He frowns when the more lucid Trunks rememberes to smile . .

He is just ... There ... NOT COMPLETELY DAFT .. Just .. Earnestly airheaded. He's definitely present but . . . . Not intensely.

He still looks around and talks shit.

And he is like a frazzled little bee. LOVE HIM <3

Also what did Goku mean by that. The coupling was by chance (save for a few. . .). There's really no correlation or causation. "Why did all the dinosaurs die out?" "Becasue you touch yourself at night." That's pretty much what they said

VEGETA BUTT:

Truns & Goten Tee-Hee

I LOVE THIS PICTURE OF TRUNKS. FLINCHING HARD WITH BOTH ARMS

Now Fopr Something Really Impressive .

They Cut This Out For The Anime And They SHOULD NOT HAVE .

It is Key .

THIS

THIS IS THEMATICALLY SIGNIFANT OR WHATEVER .. LIKE .. IT'S CYCLICAL . THIS IS IMPORTANT .. WHY DID THEY NOT REPRESENT THIS IN THE ANIME ?

I always assumed that Kinto-Un must be a family heirloom or something. BUT NAUR .. UUB SHOULD GET IT. HE'S GONNA PROTECT THE EARTH AFTER ALL.

Also these were in the prwevious chapter so I ddint see them until the end but this is here too. I love how Trunks just doesnt mince words. None of them do becasue it's the manga and it's shorter but still, it was like this on screen too. In the anime he didnt hang around to visit with Chichi. In the mnaga he doesnt even hang around to visit Gohan. He's like Hey what's up. Where's Goten. I have business with his candy ass

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU COULDNT BE SURPISED ANY MORE ...YOU FIND EOZ MANGA ONLINE.,

CHEERS

[linderbeegames]

[ID: Title screen of Paradise Killer. Showing its name with the following characters behind the text. A man in a wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved shirt with a cut-out chest. A man with robotic arms and a pink mohawk. A woman with a gold headpiece resembling a halo. Woman pointing forward accusingly. A man made of gold with their arms outstretched. A woman with a streak of blue hair in a fun pose. A red skeleton wearing a white and gold blazer making a shocked face and holding sunglasses. There's also an island full of trees, and an ominous skull floating above it all.]

Basics

You wander around talking to people and finding clues.

You're investigating a murder! It's a closed-island mystery, so the suspects are limited

The characters are very distinct and enjoyable. Did you see that skeleton dude? He's cool as hell.

There were a couple of reveals that literally made me gasp, and even more that made me forget to breathe. It's so fun.

The world-building is so interesting and unique.

One of my favorite games of all time

Chillness (5/5)

No timers whatsoever

All I did was just walk everywhere and talk to everyone and I’m pretty sure I’ve got all there was to know

At the end you have to make a few choices that require you to draw your own conclusions, but I think it would be fine if you took wide gaps in between sessions because it takes good notes for you and it saves in checkpoints and is pretty obvious when you picked wrong

As far as I can tell there’s no consequences from saying literally anything to anyone. If you mess something up, you just start the conversation over again.

There's optional collectibles around where a couple of them needed careful platforming, but no actual clues needed any skill.

You might get a bit lost, but there's lots of landmarks.

Queerness (4/5)

You can be very gay. You can even flirt with a lady with a deer head!

Beauty (5/5)

It's a fun simple hyperwave style with 2-D NPCs that turn to face you in a slightly creepy way.

The character design is so cool; it made me want to keep staring at everyone forever.

I think if the textures were more detailed, it would be overwhelming. I wouldn't change a thing.

[giggly-toybox]

now that you're writing for One Piece, if you don't mind, u could share some general tickling thoughts/headcanons on the series? (hcs of characters, scenarios between them etc) if this is too broad u can feel free to ignore, thanks!

HI OKAY SO!!!! I was literally so excited to make this bc this show has absolutely taken over my brain AAAAA

But here we go! For now, we’ll only be doing MY personal favorite characters! If you want a character that isn’t on here, let me know when requests open up again!

Also note: I am in the middle of the Marineford arc (and might have cried a little bit) meaning I am nowhere near up to date with some of the newer stuff!

Basil Hawkins:

EASILY my favorite character. Me and my mutual have been rambling about him for days. So far he’s only had like eight minutes of screen time so don’t know why I like him so much, I just do. My silly babygirl. My borblo Right off the bat, he’s feather ticklish

Like, really. Feathers affect him more than actual fingers

I think he has a very gentle and soft laugh most of the time, but it can get loud if you hit a bad spot

I think his worst spots are his belly, neck, and chin

If you use a feather on any of those spots he will die

EXTREMELY squirmy. He will buck, kick, shove, squirm, whatever he has to do to get away

He’s a really gentle ler most of the time

He’ll just hold you close with an arm while he mindlessly traces his finger on your belly, reading his cards like nothings happening

If you want to get away he’ll let you

But if you tickle him first, that gentleness is thrown out the window and he immediately targets your death spots, scribbling his gloved fingers all over your squirming figure

He doesn’t do it for long tho, and he’s nice enough to get you some water afterwards :)

Perona:

MY GIRLLLL! I love her so so much she’s easily my favorite female character! I just love her style sm, I need her outfit! I love her little ghosts and her aesthetic as a whole, she’s just so pretty!

Persona just oozes sister vibes, both big and little. So I would say she’s an even 50/50 switch

She’s probably ticklish all over, but I would say her worst spot is her belly, specifically her belly button

She doesn’t shut up when being tickled. She’ll scream, beg, plead, complain, or try to distract you

Either that or she’ll send her ghosts to make you depressed

She would be such a brat after being tickled tbh 😭

She would pout and scold you before eventually moving on and floating away

She only tickles things she deems cute, so if you’re not cute in her book, you’re safe

But once she has you in her sights, she’ll playfully tackle you and absolutely wreck you

She likes your cute laugher :3

Crocodile:

My boy Crocodile! Gosh he’s just so cool. I didn’t like him too much in the Alabasta arc, but he got a lot better in Impel Down and Marineford! I just really love the way he looks, and his sand powers :3

Yeah…In all honesty I don’t think this guys really ticklish at all

As much as it pains me to admit

The only spot that could really make him laugh is his neck

Even then all you would get are a few chuckles

He’s not sensitive enough to wreck sorry 😔

He doesn’t really participate in tickling either

He thinks it’s childish

Nico Robin:

The best Strawhat. I do not take criticism. She is my girl and I love her so much. Her “I want to live” made my heart ache! And she easily has my favorite devil fruit

We love a canon ler

Gosh her ability is so well for tickling as we’ve seen in the show twice!

Like she can summon two arms to hold yours and then two to tickle you silly

She’s a nice ler most of the time tho, she won’t torture you for too long

As a lee I think she’s one of those people that are ticklish on most of their body, but not too ticklish

Like no matter where you tickle her, tummy, neck, feet, she’ll giggle but that’s about it

As I’ve said before I think her worst spot are her sides so that’s where you’ll get the most reaction

She’s a bit louder but other than that there’s not really a lot of difference

She had a lovely laugh though <3

Jewelry Bonney:

Another supernova! I really like Bonney, I find her devil fruit really interesting! I can’t wait to see more of her Ticklish thighs. I don’t take criticism she’s definitely weak there

She also has pretty sensitive armpits, but her thighs are a bit worse

Her laugher is kinda rough, and she definitely snorts

If you’re really close to her, she doesn’t mind being ticked by you

But if not you’re getting kicked in the face

Since she’s a big foodie, I see her favorite tickling methods to be things like nibbling or raspberries

I would say licking too but I’m super uncomfortable with licking tickles

X Drake:

X Drake! I love him so much, my dinosaur boy. He easily has the best animal devil fruit so far (I forget what the type is called)

While I do think he’s ticklish, I think he has a lot of tolerance for those kind of things

I mean he used to be a rear admiral he definitely has some endurance

He doesn’t actually squirm around that much. He’ll flinch and shove a bit, maybe kick his legs a few times, but for the most part he just takes it

But he does have one weakness: raspberries

If you blow one right on his belly, like on the middle of the bottom of the huge X on his torso, he’ll laugh louder then the sea

He’s definitely more of a ler. I see him tickling people in his dinosaur form

Like he’s carrying them like a doll and tickling them all over

Or holding them by the ankles and wrecking their soles

Human or dinosaur form, if he’s tickling you you’re not escaping until he lets you go

[thepunkmuppet]

sorry for saying i was going to live blog my reactions to the show, i over-estimated my attention span and under-estimated my excitement lmao

anyway so um What The Ever-Loving Fuck

ineffable bureaucracy is… real?? like really actually real?? what the fuck?!?!! i thought it was just a crack ship but i guess neil saw it and went huh that’s pretty nice actually because THEYRE REALLY ACTUALLY REAL OH MY GOD. i will say despite being really cute, i thought they were a bit cringe at the end, it could’ve been less lovey dovey because those characters just… aren’t? like that?? but the buildup with them meeting up was absolutely GORGEOUS and so cute and so romantic and just… yeah i love them. i think they probably would have been a bit more awkward / reluctant to admit feelings rather than “baby i love you so much you are my heaven you are my hell my darling sweet beloved” but hey. they were cute. NEW SHIP LET’S GO

nina and maggie were really really cute because of the actresses’ chemistry but pretty underdeveloped in my opinion. still i really enjoyed when they were on screen together, i just had different expectations (i was expecting like a romcom, azriaphale and crowley trying to put them together throughout the season, which was eluded to but then just… didn’t happen i guess). still they were very sweet and i really really liked them

saraquel is great, michael’s hair was terrible, uriel is the hottest character, beelzebub’s new look was cool as fuck, i love the repeated gag of that one demon who just seems to have infinite versions of himself and REECE SHEARSMITH DEMON CHARACTER LET’S GO!?!?!! i was not expecting him to have a significant role again and he was so good, furfur is literally amazing and as an inside no 9 fan seeing him and steve pemberton was soooo much fun

we’re all agreeing that the flashbacks were the best part right?? because they were the best part

shax is my silly little pathetic little skrunkly who talks like a constipated snake and looks like a milf wearing leather that squeaks when she moves. truly a blorbo to behold

crowley’s confession was the most perfect in-character thing i have ever seen and i am SO happy with the way it was written and performed, him almost crying and then grunting in frustration i just i can’t i w AAAAAAAAA IT WAS PERFECT

aziraphale’s realisation was also perfect. sheen is so freaking good at being adorable and smitten

the plot was… odd. every actor was amazing, the visuals were amazing, the jokes were hilarious, every episode was extremely enjoyable to watch… but it just felt a little half-baked to me. every scene was tight and again, really fun, but the overarching plot was kind of…??? i’m not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination but i’m allowed to have an opinion, and my opinion is pretty damn mixed when it comes to the season arc. there’s obviously going to be a season 3 (i say, literally begging neil gaiman on my knees while screaming and sobbing) and so i think season 2 felt so slow and uneventful because it’s supposed to be a kind of bridge between big plotlines. because so much interesting stuff was picked up and then simply put down again. or kind of just… left to float aimlessly in the air and make me confused as to why and how some of it even happened. but honestly i trust neil and the other writers and creatives so… season 3 here we come! overall i really enjoyed it a lot, but the (modern day) plot was just a bit of a weird one for me

AND FINALLY TO ADDRESS THE FUCKING ENORMOUS ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. IF I HAD A GODDAMN NICKEL-

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Been binge reading your poke pasta stuff, I don’t see much it especially reader fics so I’m very greatful. I saw your explaining new gens to Glitchy.

If you could please write that or with another character if possible! (Btw my fav piece of urs was the reader saving Blake 🙏🙏🙏🙏 luv him sm)

“Oh hey, Gold! There’s a new kind of Tyranitar that I think you’ll love. Wanna see it?”

Nodding, the limbless trainer floated over, sitting down beside you on the bed as you showed him your [Scarlet/Violet] game.

While the rest of the pokepasta trainers either rejected or were indifferent to newer generations of games, Gold was impressed by some of the new features, such as the Mega Tyranitar you showed him earlier today.

You had a feeling he’ll adore this version just as much.

“So here’s a Tyranitar, but from the future. It’s called Iron Thorns.”

He blinked in surprise upon seeing the robotic dinosaur with metallic armor on your screen. It had bluish-green liquid encased inside it, visible through transparent pieces.

His face didn’t show much of an initial reaction, but you went ahead and explained the gist of Paradox Pokémon without diving too deep into spoilers (not that you think he’d care about them, but you’re considerate).

“That’s..really cool..” He rasped after you finished, giving you a small smile. “Are there-?”

"Jeez, are they running out of ideas or what?”

You jumped, completely forgetting that Glitchy Red was also in the room with you. 

He was in the corner, looking through your trading card collection when your rambles of Paradox Pokémon got his attention--while also irritating him at the same time. It was enough to make him snap the book shut and teleport over to you, huffing.

Normally, he wouldn’t care about all this new stuff; he only got curious when you mentioned Charizard’s mega evolutions, and he thought it was a cool and simple concept: a more powerful form of a Pokémon done via a special stone, with its appearance depending on the game.

That didn’t sound too bad.

But then he accidentally put himself into a Diggserby’s hole when he wondered out loud what else changed in the series. You ranted to him about regional forms, Ultra Beasts, Gigantamax, Z-Moves, and Titans.

Suddenly nothing made sense to him, and it gave him a headache as he simply wondered...why?

Back in his day, the most complex evolutions were Eeveelutions, the only “variant” that mattered was a Shiny, and there wasn’t any past or future “relative” nonsense...only fossil Pokémon.

“Honestly I think it’s cool and brings some unique stories to the game.” You frowned slightly as Glitchy sat on the other side of you. He took off his hat to run his hands through his hair, clearly lost. “Don’t give yourself any viruses, bud. It’s not that deep.”

“I just....it’s unbelievable. They’re just grasping at any theme they could find out there..trying to keep players coming back for more.” He scoffed. “So what’s next? Pokémon changing their types now?”

The ridiculous idea made him chuckle a bit..

Until he noticed your expression was dead serious.

“Wait..don’t even tell me-”

“Actually they can. Scarlet and Violet also have this new battle mechanic called “Terastallizing”, where you can use Tera Crystals to alter your Pokémon's type.”

“..I was joking. Why would--ugh, nevermind...” Groaning, he put his hands over his face. Gold could see how distressed he looked and pouted a little bit.

The Unowns spelled out “I KNOW” for Glitchy, showing that their trainer sympathized with him. He looked at them, and then to him, sighing. “I’m stunned your head isn’t exploding again.”

"Boys, you’re being dramatic.” You chuckled, shaking your head before deciding to continue the game. “Now if you’ll excuse me..I got a Charizard raid battle to do. You’re both free to watch me play. My Tera Crystals have some cool and unique effects to them.”

His eye twitched at your emphasis on those words, and he would have retaliated with some snark had Gold not shuffled closer to you, watching the screen. 

And after some hesitance himself....he gave in and ended up doing the same, observing the battle while making sure he didn’t accidentally corrupt your gameplay.

Both of them were actually impressed by the way you battled.

If you were in their world, you’d be a great Pokémon trainer for sure.

Hopefully not cursed like them, obviously.

[yesiknowlahee]

I have A LOT of thoughts on Dawntrail. Do not open this if you haven't finished it.

Seriously if you go below the cut and haven't finished, it's your fault. I tagged it. I warned you up top. Warned. Extra warned. W A R N E D for spoilers.

Okay so let's begin.

My RUNNING MAJOR, ABSOLUTELY BIGGEST GRIPE is that the game plays Show and Tell. And I would like to *do*

The biggest one is that- so this expansion we are a side character. Very rarely do the events circle around us, we are pretty consistently supporting someone else. And that is FINE. I am more than okay with that. BUT it means that we do miss out on seeing and experiencing certain things.

An example is catching the Llama at level 90. A quest Wuk Lamat goes on off screen. I would've loved to have gone either with her, or played as her, and had the opportunity to try it for myself. I think that would've given us an opportunity to appreciate her journey as a character more, and been more engaging than the cutscene we got. And realistically, we could've had both.

Another point at which I would've LOVED to have seen or interacted with, was finding out a trade agreement had been made with Radz at Han, and the dragons coming in, and generally, the defense of Tuliyollal during the second invasion. Literally getting to interact with any of that. I would've been fine if that had been a VERY long duty or two consecutive duties, just to experience that aspect a little more.

Inb4 "but development time, they can only do so much" I am not willing to give concessions to this big a company with some of the most popular games in the world. They have had concession and patience from me for four years. Now, I am going to have critiques.

Another point at which I would've liked to DO rather than being shown- the train scene when we're shooting at things. COME ON. GIVE ME A LITTLE POINT AND SHOOT MINI GAME. Cutscenes are cool, but I want to play with what you're showing me and feel immersed.

Finally, as someone who is an omnicrafter at 90, that is acknowledged all of ONCE. I realize not everyone is, but a lot of us are. It would be INCREDIBLY cool if they gave us a temporarily optional quest in which we got to help repair the ini'hana float, like a custom delivery. Or something that they found to be within reason. Just, a little more to let me interact with the classes I have at hand. It would be a really great opportunity to immerse me as a player. Same goes for when we're cooking. I'm glad I got to help but maybe a little mini game would be nice.

Overall I unfortunately feel our questing is a bit of a stale slog.

If you've read this far, you're probably thinking,

"Okay you're bitching, so what did you like???"

The cultures. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and wonderful, the first half of the expansion- I had an amazing time. I LOVED the journey we went on with Wuk Lamat. I liked trading with the Pelu Pelu. I loved ini'hana. I got to develop a love for the people with Wuk Lamat, and I really appreciated that. Tural was wonderful. I had a lot of fun in the first Dungeon. I didn't hate the others, but because I loved the beauty of the Turali aesthetics so much, I felt disappointed the further we got into Alexandrian sci-fi vibes, and when we went to Shaaloani. The game even acknowledged we'd seen this before. It wasn't really fresh. And while it laid important groundwork, I feel it could've been more interesting.

Meeting versions of people from across reflections feels a little lazy to me.

Other things I take issue with, the game is *too* formulaic at this point. The expansions follow the same formula. The dungeons. They bring the same characters from different worlds back from across expansions. Come on. Deviate. Please.

This is our THIRD FINAL BOSS IN A ROW where the final dungeon is their memories. And we go through a world of their lost people for the final zone. Come on. C O M E ON. It was cool for Emet. I tolerated it for Sad Bird. I cannot do another glowing white girl that numerous problems coalesce around. (No I am not implying that Emet is ShBs Token glowing white girl, that is Ryne. Who is just *Minfilia again* )

And in us getting that key and them setting us up for interdimensional fusion, I fear that we may be on the precipice for more laziness. And that is really disappointing to me.

So, let's end this on a few positives. Because I didn't hate dawntrail. But there were a lot of decisions made that I am concerned by or disappointed by.

Gulool Ja, I am his guardian. Wuk Lamat said we're family. Imma be his aunty and we're going places. Love that kid. Enjoyed the motif and discussion of family that stayed at the center of this Latin America centered expansion. That was beautiful and I enjoyed it.

Bakool Jaja. ;)

SEEING THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND THE BIRTH PARENTS AND THE CLOSURE THE CHARACTERS GOT AND HOW THEY PROCEEDED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE. OH MY GOD I LOVED THAT. THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I CRIED SO MUCH IN LIVING MEMORY. SO. SO. MUCH.

Koana's growth brought me A LOT of joy.

Sena Bryers performance was delightful.

A lot of the character designs were wonderful.

I'm looking forward to further interacting with the world they've built.

They almost made me like Solution Nine. I'm sorry but we cannot keep ending the expansion in Scifi fuck nowhere guys.

Also if you come in to these comments and rts and try to defend ANYTHING with "Well in another final fantasy--" no. Make it stand on its own. A GAME SHOULD STAND ON ITS OWN. ESPECIALLY A MULTI EXPANSION MMO. PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY JUST THE EXPENSIVE ASS MMO. References? YES. GO FOR IT. but no defending bad writing by saying it is a nod to another game. I don't care what you're nodding to. I care that your nod can't stand by itself.

H o p e f u l l y I'll be able to come back to this years from now and be able to appreciate it as a foundation for other expansions, like I do appreciate Shaaloani more *after credits rolled* than I did when I was doing it.

Side note I'm pretty sure my fiancé's colleagues heard me SOBBING over Erenville and Cachiua's goodbye in their meeting this morning. Whoops.

You see how long this post is? I wrote it while the credits rolled. They're STILL rolling.

TL;DR I want to interact with more of the stuff in the immersive world they're creating and I would like them not to do the same thing *over and over* as far as flow and the nature of the final bosses and zones go.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Couples Trip

Epilogue for Sweet Treats: by character  | chronological | epilogues

Warnings: these drabbles will include dark elements such as noncon, control, intimidation, and other stuff that may not be specified. Take this as you chance to scroll by.

Please let me know what you think <3

🍒🍒🍒

You let your hand float over the rush of air, your arm bent out the window of the car as you watch the landscape pass. You smile as the stereo buzzes with classic rock. You're almost bouncing with excitement; it's been a long time since you've had a vacation, if ever.

And your company couldn't be any better.

You sit back and look at Bucky as he changes the station. He gives a glower to the screen and hits the button again, stopping on a familiar beat by Tom Petty. You know it vaguely. The drums are pretty cool.

"You're pretty amped up," he comments in his cool way.

"Yeah, sorry," you make yourself sit still. He's so stoic, he makes you feel a little ridiculous for feeling anything. "I just... I've never been to a cabin before."

"Uh huh," he keeps one hand on the wheel as he leans back, his arm bent over the console, "nothing to do with meeting your hero, huh?"

"What?" Your heart falls.

"Don't lie to me. I know you can't wait to meet Steve."

"Well, yeah, I mean... it's cool but I'm more excited to be with you, babe."

You reach over to touch his hand and he twitches. You almost recoil. He's tense but you don't know why. You're supposed to be having fun, relaxing. It's a break for both of you.

"Sure," he mutters and sighs at the road.

"You want me to take over for a while?" You offer, "you tired?"

"I'm fine. You don't even know where we're going."

"Yeah, but I can take directions--"

"Can you?" He scoffs.

Stolid silence. He was in such a good mood earlier, you don't know what happened. There's never really an explanation but you think you know why. He's not over his ex. It makes you think that maybe you're just a placeholder.

"I can. Come on, I'll take the wheel, baby--"

You try to caress him and he reaches for the wheel, moving out of your grasp.

"I don't need you to mother me," he says.

"I'm not," you pout, "I'm just tryna help."

"Uh huh," he grumbles again, shutting you down.

"I'm sorry," you fold your arms and look out the window, the air blowing harshly in your face. You lean into the door and try to ignore the ache in your chest. He'll be fine, he's just stressed from the drive.

"Just..." he huffs as he follows the curve of the road, "try not to embarrass me. Steve doesn't need some fan girl going gaga."

"Sure," you agree as you hold back the croak from your voice, "I'll be good."

🍒

The cabin is nice. You admire the red trim along the eaves and around the windows as you get out of the car. There's an SUV already parked closer to the porch. Bucky snaps his door shut and pops the trunk, meeting you there as he lifts out your bag then his own.

You reach to take your knapsack but he holds it out of your grasp, "got it."

"Alright, I'll get the door," you chirp, trying to push away the layer of tension still lingering.

He doesn't reply and you go ahead of him towards the porch. He follows you up and you pull back the screen door, the interior one already open. You wait for him to go ahead of you, following behind as you watch his broad shoulders. You don't know if it's you or his past, but he always seems angry these days. You miss when he wasn't.

"Bout time," you hear another voice, familiar even if you've never heard it in person, "how's goin', Buck?"

Bucky drops the bags on a bench and greets Steve, the Captain America, with a clap on the shoulder, "long drive."

"And who's this?" Steve peeks around him, "hey, Steve."

"Yeah, uh, I know," you accept his outstretched hand, "hi., Captain."

Bucky introduces you dully. You smile nervously and pull back, once more hugging yourself.

"You'll have to forgive my lady, she's not feeling so great. Think she ate something," he explains, "but I was about to get a fire going."

"Sound fine," Bucky paces around, as if inspecting the place.

"How about first I show you to your room?" Steve suggests.

"I'll catch up," Bucky waves him away.

"Right," Steve gives you a look, his brows popping up briefly. He goes to the bench and grabs the bag, "this way."

He directs you away and points you up a staircase. You climb up ahead of him and he tells you which door to go to. You enter and leave it open for him. He drops your luggage on the bed as you admire the quaint patchwork curtains.

"Hopefully he loosens up," Steve nears the door, "he's usually got some stick up his ass."

"Yeah," you peer out the window at the rows of trees before the glistening coast.

"You're a brave woman," he kids, "I'm sure you got a few tricks on how to cheer him up, huh?"

You look at him, unsure of his meaning. You nod and turn back to the window, "thanks."

"No problem. Kinda my thing, helping out those in need," he intones, "especially pretty girls."

You wait for him to go. You hope he's right about Bucky. You don't want to spend this whole trip on eggshells.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

Here are my favourite pieces of official Rosalina artwork, and why!

This will include stuff like renders, GIFs, concept art, etc.

This won't include screenshots of in-game/cinematic cutscenes or gameplay.

And lastly, this is in no particular order other than the last one, which is firmly in first place. Let's go!

First we have:

As of right now I believe this is her newest render. It's one of the only ones where she can be seen floating, so that's cool. What I really like is the presence of her storybook, they rarely acknowledge that thing nowadays. Which is fine, it shouldn't be her crutch, but it is nice to see it given its story is a big reason as to why she's one of the franchise's best characters.

Best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe title screen, hands down.

Why yes, I am biased!

I mean it's in space, which not only is automatically cool but also fits Rosalina's character. She leaning against a pretty sick looking bike (or at least it looks sick from this angle), and her pose is pretty badass to match! She's in her biker outfit, which only adds to the vibe, and the Earth makes for beautiful yet badass background prop. Between all that the title screen taking place on the Luna Colony, it looks like she's about to partake is in a futuristic action-packed cosmic race, like something you'd see in a sci-fi action film. She just looks so cool here, I don't know what else to say.

Man I wished they used this in Odyssey. Oh well, maybe next game.

Not much to say here. The emo look fits her, she is the Sad Girl (that's a neat little soundtrack reference right there) after all. I mean have you seen her hair?

I like the casualness, specifically when compared to the other character's matching emotes, which are a lot more panicked. Really emphasises her calm nature. I like any artwork of her that makes her look either sad or nonchalant. It's what makes her special (and if you think that's a messed up thing to say...no it's not, shut up! 😖) You can also see a bit of her right eye, which is neat. There's just something inherently funny about the protector of the cosmos, a woman who usually speaks so formerly, a mysterious and powerful figure who some consider a goddess, doing such a casual shrug. I even made a post about this one years ago.

These are just cute, probably her cutest artwork without being too cutesy. That's about it really.

I love the way Rosalina's hair flows in this picture. I love how the Star Bits glow, how they shine colourful light rays through the net, and how their colour contrasts against the dark void of space. It makes for such a memorable, striking, beautiful image. I also love the fantastical concept of catching sweet rainbow space water crystals with a butterfly net, seems right out of a fairy tale.

Even without the text from the storybook you can just feel the emotion pour from the screen, you can feel the warmth of their hug. The warm yellow glow of (most of) the lumas, like the Star Bits of the precious artwork, contrast against the cold, dark isolation of space. However, they also contrast against Rosalina's cold white colouring (although not as much, indicating that they still belong together) and expressionless face, indicating she hasn't felt this warm/loved in a long time. The fact that you can't see her eyes in this picture suggests she's concealing her face, trying to take it all in without letting it all out. It's just...so good.

Just love how cool, calm, and collected she looks. She even looks a bit sassy and snobby here, but I like it. I imagine this is how she appears to people before they get to know her.

Love the smirk she gives only after dodging the green shell. It's a great show of her skill and character. Alert enough to sense the shell coming (makes sense for a magical protector), skilled enough to expertly dodge the shell, humble enough not to brag, but just proud enough to do a silent "Nice try". Love the personality shown here.

My all-time favourite (for now).

The use of watercolours really adds to the feel of remembering the past and hazy memories. Love the melancholic smile on adult Rosalina's face. Through her facial expression and body language you can tell she sympathises with her younger self, wants to comfort her, wants to let he know that everything will be OK, even after all she's lost. That she'll find family and be happy in the future, and as she holds her hand she'll guide her to it.

What a simple, beautiful image.

[spinnysocks]

appreciation for @devilsrecreation's janja and kiburi swap au (post here) bc i've had SO MUCH BRAINROT over it and i want to share some thoughts :3

for kiburi

first of all and mostly importantly, HE SINGS! LIKE, A LOT! it would be so fun to hear Tonight We Strike, an already A*** song, in his voice. i wonder if the songs would be different because he and his float are crocodiles 👀

more tamka and nduli screen time! :3 they'd be way more fleshed out and we'd get kiburi calling them "fish-for-brains" all the time <3

neema taking the place of nne and tano... kiburi gets so annoyed at tamka and nduli one day that he appoints neema to second-in-command. yeah, it goes downhill 💀

i feel like nduli in this au would enhance my mjuzi au even more if it was put into this! mainly because he'd be the mjuzi to makuu (because he swaps with jasiri)

on that note, makuu taking the place of jasiri is SO FUNNY. he's got practically the exact same personality as when he becomes a respected leader in canon, but he's... cheery? compassionate? helpful? basically enough of a small difference for him to greet kion like jasiri does in canon

makuu singing Siwi Ni Sawa 😭 i want to see that so bad. this is making me wonder if makuu and the other crocodiles would be teens maybe? unless kion just makes friends with a whole ass fully grown crocodile from the outlands who happens to be friendly hgdgf

and on THAT note, makuu and kiburi replace jasiri and janja, so gay croc bfs!!! kiburi's personality is obviously slightly altered to fit janja's role but it's so funny cuz dude just has internal gay panic. him singing A New Way To Go would be fucking amazing

as i'm typing this i realised that makuu x kiburi reminds me of that Go For It, [Insert Character]! meme. kiburi's the one who has to go for it and he's surrounded by images of makuu lmao

makuu and kion having a close friendship would be so fun, it's such a cool twist from canon cuz makuu is just that little bit more compassionate. it also means he becomes leader of the outlands! now THAT would be something to see

reformed kiburi 😍 who doesn't wanna see that?? him defending makuu's leadership and everything! what a twist from canon huh

i can just imagine the scene of makuu and kiburi reaching the tree of life, it takes all of kiburi's self control not to snap at bunga when he pounces him lmao. also he'd so be scared of lightning but pretend to be chill in front of makuu adsjjdhh. i love janja and azaad's friendly rivalry in canon, would be funny to see that with kiburi because "afraid of water, cheetah?" would make so much sense since he's a croc lol

OH MY GOD I JUST REALISED WE'D GET BABY CROCS IN "THE LAKE OF REFLECTION"!!!

also i love kiburi and reirei's allyship in canon so it'd be funny to see them bicker, and they'd get a song!!

the weird twist of hodari and kinyonga being the spies for scar's army while the skinks live in the pridelands as good guys. shupavu and njano actually being friends with the lion guard is really weird but also would be fun. njano wanting to be a croc! and SINGING!!! 🥺

in general, it would just be so goddamn funny for the lion guard to deal with kiburi's attitude all the time lmao

for janja

actual asshole janja is not something i thought of before but now i'm rocking with it. he literally just hates jasiri's rule, is like "nah, fuck you, i wanna be leader!" and gets his tail kicked like an idiot /affectionate

jasiri taking makuu's place and maybe being a bad leader at first?? that'd be pretty interesting to see especially with her personality. imagine her not being trusted at the savanna summit!

her being humbled by the pridelanders saving her clan would be awesome to see, i'd really like to see her personality shifted to the point where she's cocky and disrespectful but she betters herself

a hyena mashindano between jasiri and janja 👀 damn that'd be cool

i think i like this au of jasiri a lot bc she is involved in the pridelands, and it reminds me of this post <3 which could be even more fun if inserted into this au, with makuu as leader of the outlands accepted into the summit, cause crocs are a lot more dangerous than hyenas let me tell you that. it also adds depth bc it would be personal healing for kiara, as she was attacked by outlander crocodiles in TLK 2!

i wish i could talk more about janja but kiburi is canon does not have too much depth tbh 😭 but the concept of them swapping is soooo cool. it would be so trippy for them to be swapped when they meet in Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

i'm probably gonna get even more ideas after i post this i guarantee. just a very cool au with a lotta potential!!

[everchanging-cryptid]

live reacting to The Amazing Digital Circus Pilot because I just realized it came out

it’s all pixelly and then not, neat Ooh, ringmaster’s a fun character, love him

oh, Cain, like the Bible brother maybe?

Time loop?

Lol the flowerpot glitching through the floor

Hostile VR, nice

Haha, no swearing

I would very much like to live in this building

Can relate to Kinger, I too would love to chat with people about an insect collection

The ribbon guy reminds me of Will from the webcomic Nevermore

Blue screening when you need to come up with a list, same

I can’t tell if he’s gonna be a scary character or a funny character, that’s really cool

Why does the moon want to fuck him

Why are you like this

Ooh he’s hiding something yeah

Ok, he does not have control over minds, good to know, and he said “one of the few” so maybe he can’t control other things

Never tell a fae-like entity “I don’t care, just pick anything”

“Whaddya think of: *mouth keysmash*” lol

Pomni, that’s a fun name

“YOU PARASITE!!!” Had me laughing for like 2 minutes straight

Just pop the interrupting people

r u b b e r h o s e a n i m a t i o n b u n n y yeah favorite character material right there

I love how they all just talk over each other but you can still hear what they’re each saying

Assigned “Most Mentally Stable” at mental breakdown

Ooh, I see a bunch of X-ed out faces on the doors, did they get permakilled or something?

The framed artworks make me incredibly happy

Uhoh, Pomni went to the petrified place /reference

Where did you get a centipede???

Ooh that’s not good

he reminds me of a corrupted gem from Steven universe

Ooh that looks painful ouch

Love those broken object physics, beautiful

I love the sense of perspective, when the camera is further back and Pomni looks so isolated

I think Kinger might be the most relatable character tbh

Kaufmo just is not funny is he

God the comedic timing for Jax is PERFECT

RADICAL

Love a good bowling pin joke

Ok I take it back the comedic timing on Kinger is the best I was crying at the perfectly cut scream

Hmm I think poor kiddo Pomni here needs a break to cry

Ooh water cube room I like that

oh that’s terrifying they can just shoot faces at you

Well that’s certainly not Cain

Pfft they rock paper scissors and he won but did the thing anyway

“Oh.” *watches his hands float away*

HIS EYES DID THE CLOCK THING

Can the next person teleported in be a therapist because hot damn have we got some trauma up in here

:o barrel of monkeys! :D

NOOOO THE MONKEYS

Oh door?

Nope nope nope nope nope nope

Oh that’s some backrooms shit right there

Hot damn take a chill pill bro you already got him he’s dead

“This is dumb and weird.” Yeah im gonna quote that forever now thanks

“Ah thank GOD you’re okay, you didn’t experience a game show in there did you?” “Uhhhh… I— What are you talking about?”

Abstracted, like becoming abstract? Becoming just a vague feeling, a mere idea? Ooh that’s some good stuff right there

I too love the sound of a silent moving staircase

Oh this is gonna be fuckin terrifying I see how it is

Musty old computer causes mental breakdown? Interesting

C&A CAIN AND ABEL I FREAKIN CALLED IT YES oh that has some interesting implications now doesn’t it hmm souls trapped in a computer perhaps?

Oh shit it’s the void

I’ll take 5 wacky watches please

ha fourth wall break

oh Pomni is actually broken aren’t they

oh are those all the others who were crossed out

ooh healing spell

Pomni is not okay

analysis on digital eating okay sure

oh that’s an earth shattering ending oh my gosh I feel like I just experienced eldritch enlightenment

Can not wait for more possible episodes! It’s incredible, I highly recommend checking it out! ^^