#I will take the small victories at state level that I get

[nightwere-mojo]

PROP 139 PASSED

Abortion rights are back in Arizona!!!

[smusherina]

yard work - chapter 7 (regina george x reader)

fandom: Mean Girls (all media)

pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader

summary: You'd been in the same class as Regina George since kindergarten. You'd lived on the same street even longer. Once upon a time, when life was sandbox disputes and who got the swing first arguments, you'd even been friends. Now, in junior year of high school, you doubted she even remembered you. The same couldn't be said about you. You definitely remembered her.

warnings(s): i feel like the theme is pretty established by now, still homophobia. negative talk about weight. a brief segment about Mr George's A+ parenting. as in, he's bad at it.

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6 / chapter 8

You accosted Cady Heron after Ms Norbury's calculus class. You took her by the purse strap and hauled her to the janitor's closet, ignoring all her indignant chirping.

You'd been stewing the whole class, glaring daggers at the back of her stupid orange hair.

"You've crossed a line." You said once the door shut behind you. She was cowering against the wall, looking like a cornered animal. "Those fucking Kälteen bars were too much."

"What? What're you talking about?" She tried to lie, to seem tough like the popular girl she was so desperately trying to be.

"I'm talking about the so-called weight loss bars you gave to Regina." You hissed, stepping closer so you loomed over her. You really wanted to get your point across. "It wasn't very hard to search up what they're really for. You don't mess with someone's body like that."

"She had it coming!" Cady finally relented, looking up at you defiantly. "She- she took Aaron from me and made out with him right in front of me all the time and then she just threw him away!" She yelled, hands clenched to fists and a red flush of rage blotching her freckled face. "All she does is spite me." She added with venom.

"Aaron isn't some trophy for either of you to own." You implored, trying to not react to her raised, aggressive tone. It would be mortifying to cry now. "I'm not saying she didn't do anything wrong, but Cady that's fucked up. You need to apologize."

"Why? Why in the world should I apologize to her? She hasn't apologized to anyone even though she's probably done something to everyone in this hellhole."

"Two wrongs don't make a right. I know that's cliche as hell, but what did you think you'd achieve?"

"We were trying to topple her. Make her lose her status. By making her gain weight, well, she'd get all ugly."

You shivered in repulsion. Regina had already sunken her claws deep into this girl.

"I... I honestly don't know what to say to you." Defeated, you said one last thing: "I'm out. I'm not taking part in your scheming anymore and I don't want to hear about it."

"It's not like you did anything!" Cady huffed.

"Exactly." You sighed. "I didn't do shit." She looked confused at that, but you didn't rightly care.

With that, you stepped out of the closet. This would probably be the only instance you'd step out of the closet, figuratively, in high school. A small victory, maybe.

"What were you doing in the janitor's closet?" You almost bumped into Regina.

Too stunned to hear her speak to you in public, you didn't get to answer before Cady stepped out as well. Her face was still flush and her clothes were a bit messy from you dragging her through the hall.

Regina's expression turned stormy. She seemed to coil back, tension rising in her body as she took stock of the state of you. You could do nothing but stare as she levelled Cady with a murderous look.

When she turned to you, you nearly flinched back. Not only was she angry, furious really, but you'd hurt her. It was clear in the way she was breathing hard and heavy, how she was shuddering the lightest bit, how her lips pinched together. When Regina was angry, only angry, she went cold. It wasn't like this. This was something worse.

"Reg," You tried to say something and went to touch her arm.

"Don't." Don't call me that. Don't touch me. She hissed, hurt turning to fear as she looked around you. People weren't staring, luckily you hadn't caused a scene, but there were always eyes on Regina.

You looked down at your shoes and, with great reluctance, walked away. It was considerably harder to keep from crying now.

Not feeling up to geography, you went to your usual spot. The number of cigarettes you smoked in a day was starting to get a little too much. You couldn't find it in yourself to care now.

Once you arrived behind the bleachers, you tossed your backpack onto the grass and sat on it. The ground was cold and getting colder by the day. Soon enough it'd snow.

What the fuck were you doing? You'd impulsively confronted Cady, angry for Regina's sake, but you hadn't been able to really say anything to her. You'd asked her what she was trying to achieve, and all the while you had no idea of what you wanted.

You wanted everything to be okay. That was vague. You wanted Regina to be not nice, but herself. She wasn't vindictive by nature. You wanted her to apologize, but couldn't open your fucking mouth and say that. You wanted Cady to stay the fuck away from her, same went for Janis and Damien.

You weren't so dumb as to expect you'd be able to convince anyone. You didn't have any weight in these people's lives. You barely existed. For Regina to change, something drastic needed to happen. Something like a fall from grace, you grudgingly admitted. It would change her, but it would also hurt her. You didn't want to do that. Maybe if her dad changed. Then again, even if he changed that wouldn't erase the past. Maybe Cady could move her somehow. Regina had taken her under her wing, after all, though for misguided reasons. Maybe there was something there.

(The pattern was hard to miss. Regina rounding up pretty girls around her. When you no longer measured up to her standards, she got Janis. Then she threw her away. Eventually, she found Karen and Gretchen. Now, Cady was next.)

You heard approaching footsteps and crossed your fingers, hoping it wasn't a teacher. Soon enough, Janis 'Imi'ike appeared before you in all her gothy glory.

"Gimme one." She demanded as she squatted down in front of you.

"That'll be fifty cents." You said back. There was only one person you'd share your pack with for free.

Janis tsked. "Fine." She reached into her pockets and after a bit of rifling handed you a coin. You pocketed it and offered the pack to her.

"Got a lighter?" She asked with the stick in her mouth. You tossed it to her. "Thanks."

You took the lighter back. She didn't say anything for a while. You could appreciate that, even if you didn't want to talk to her at all.

"So, you're out."

"Yup." You took a drag. "Espionage isn't for me."

"Even though you ruined all our plans?" You'd hoped they hadn't realized you were the mole, but you supposed that'd been naïve.

"Yeah. I'm not built for it." You looked at the slowly burning smoke between your fingers. "Y'know, you're not so different."

"What? Me and who?" She adjusted on her perch. The black eyeliner around her eyes made them look huge.

"Regina." She looked about ready to punch you. "What she did to you was evil, I know. It's not about that."

"Then what is it about?" She took an angry drag. It looked ridiculous. Sucking on the filter hard enough to scrunch her lips. You closed your eyes for a moment to not be so amused by it.

"You want revenge 'cause you were wronged. Regina, she..." You didn't want to sell her vulnerabilities to her mortal enemy, but you wanted to try and reach Janis. "She's been hurt too. It's not the same, exactly, but she's not doing this because she's rotten inside."

"You don't know shit," Janis snarled, cig nearly snapping in half in her tight grip. "You're just trying to sympathise-"

"Yes, I'm trying to sympathise with her, is that so wrong?" You interrupted her, frustrated she wasn't listening to you. Or maybe she was and just not liking what she heard. If that were the case, your words meant nothing and you were a fool for trying. Still, you kept going.

"This one time, Reg and I- I mean, Regina and I,-" You knew it was futile to hope Janis hadn't noticed your slip-up. "We were climbing the apple trees in their backyard. We had a great time, sitting up there and eating the small, sour apples, just being kids. When we got back, though, we ran into Mr George.

"Regina had on a white sundress. It was covered in grass stains and bits of tree bark. Mr George got so angry. He started yelling right in her ear, I don't even remember what he said. I was so afraid. Regina just stood there, staring at nothing. We were holding hands and she just went limp. It was as if she was used to it, like she knew exactly what to do.

"Then, he told her to get the dress to Mrs George immediately. And no dessert that day. As soon as we got away from him, I burst out crying. Poor Regina didn't know how to console me, so she just took me to her mom. She was sorting laundry in the mudroom, I think, and as soon as she saw us she just said: "Rick yelled?" Like it was so normal. Regina started crying then too."

You took a drag. "I can't stop you from seeking revenge. But I guess I'm asking you to. I'm asking the same of her. She doesn't need to take her revenge against the world, either."

Janis picked at her nailpolish. All black except for the ring finger, which was a shoddy rainbow. "If you think that sob story's gonna convince me, think again. So what, her dad yelled at her so it's okay for her to, hmm, let's go down the list, uhhh, belittle her supposed friends, degrade random passers-by, steal boyfriends like it's a hobby, breed eating disorders, and so on. Riddle me that."

"Where do you think Regina learned to treat others the way she does? Where did she learn that in order to be safe, she needed to be above everybody, that she needed to be in command at all times? Where did she learn that she needed to be mean to gain that authority? Not just mean, but vicious and cruel and fucking scathing." You raved, voice rising. "Riddle me that, Janis."

"Her daddy issues don't take away the choices she's made!"

"No, they don't, but they explain them. Doesn't intent make any difference to you?"

"You're seriously telling me she didn't intend to ruin my life when she told everybody in school that I was a lesbian?"

"I'm telling you she's a bad person, a flawed person, but redeemable. I'm not asking you to change your opinion, I'm asking you not to take this stupid revenge idea any further." You paused to take a breath. "Janis, I'm... I'm a lesbian too. She's not inherently bad."

"What?" Her voice was like a whisper.

"Yeah. I came out to her when we were, like, eleven." You'd known so early because you'd been crushing on your best friend. Wonder who that'd been. "Looking back on it now, I think she ditched me for you."

"And then she left me too, fucked me over, and moved on to her next victim." Janis looked shell-shocked. Did you really pass as straight so well? Or was her gaydar all wonky? "She- she didn't tell anybody?"

"No, I don't think so. I've never gotten any shit for it. Or, well, I have 'cuz I look pretty butch, but not like that."

Janis just looked at you, cigarette burning away. You took a pointed drag. She copied you.

"She's not homophobic. She just didn't like me." Janis said, mostly to herself it seemed. You couldn't tell what she was thinking or if this information had changed anything.

"Does that make it better or worse?"

"I don't know. It still hurts." You could understand that. "I need to talk to Damien about this."

"Don't spread any of this around." She looked at you sharply. "Obviously you're gonna tell him, I didn't mean that."

"Well. Good." She stood up and stretched her legs. "I'll think about your proposition." She said as she stumped the cig out with her boot.

You scoffed. "Bye." Proposition.

Her consideration would have to be enough for you. You stumped your own smoke as well. There was little time left to contemplate lighting a new one when yet another client came to your outdoor office. You could start charging visitors with the amount of people coming in and out of your alcove.

Regina stood above you, face still conveying not-good things, but the glassy surface of her eyes had disappeared.

"Move aside." She commanded. You shuffled off of your backpack obediently, planting your ass on the damp grass without complaint. Her pants were more expensive anyway.

"I was telling Cady she'd overstepped." You blurted before she could get a word out. "I'm sorry if it was, like, a bad move I just... I felt like I needed to say something."

"Yeah, well, that was stupid. You shouldn't have made it seem like you knew me." You winced sadly. "I don't need you to defend my honour. And you also totally ruined any leverage I had with that."

"I'm sorry." You kept your head down, looking intently at the grass.

"Hmm." She just hummed. You couldn't read her like you usually could, preoccupied with keeping yourself calm. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

Confused by the sudden topic change, you looked at her. She was leaning her elbow on her knee, her temple on her fist. She had on a little smile, like she hadn't just shamed you. You should've probably been relieved. She wasn't mad. But you were still in it.

"Uh, I'm..." You shrugged, trying to regulate. "Dad isn't coming home, if that's what you're asking."

"Okay, you're coming to mine for Thanksgiving." She said so easily. "Mom will be thrilled."

"What? Thanksgiving at the Georges?"

"That sounds like a shitty TV show. Like Seinfeld."

"I'm serious, Regina." You swallowed. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It'll be fine. If you act like you did the other night, everybody will be charmed." She grinned like that was an inside joke between you two. "Only my aunt and cousin, mom's side, are coming. I think you've met Riley. Aunt Josie is cool."

You were starting to feel sick. You knew her, at least thought you knew her, but her switching up how she treated you whenever she felt like it was getting tiring. What did she want from you? How were you supposed to act? Could you even ask without her getting mad or you embarrassing yourself?

You had conviction in that you liked her, wanted to protect her, and would be on her side, but was that enough? Did you have enough strength to sustain the rollercoaster that was Regina George? It felt as if there was no other option than to keep riding. You couldn't exactly jump off unless you were prepared for certain death.

"I've met Riley." Your tone must've been telling of how drained you were feeling. Regina tilted her head at you.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just tired." You didn't want to be around people for the rest of the day. You wished you could just go home, nap, and have Regina there. Your Reggie, a little bitchy but funny, the side of her she only seemed to show when you were in private.

"You could go home." Her suggestion was tempting.

"No, dad's gonna yell at me again if I skip any more classes." He'd already called you earlier that month. It hadn't been pleasant, to put it nicely. Fifteen minutes of him berating you over the phone felt like a split second compared to the hour-long rants he'd go on when he was home. So, it could've been worse.

"I'll come over to yours later." She stated rather than asked. Obviously, you had to say yes, however reluctantly. "We could go shopping, too."

"You'd take me shopping?" Now that was new. You couldn't help but be a little pleased by that.

"Grocery shopping."

Oh.

"Mom says it's best to get some of the ingredients for Thanksgiving early." Regina recounted, crossing her arms and leaning against the metal backing. Your backpack had her elevated so she was a little above you. A change in pace.

Even her lower chin looked good. Damn.

"This early, though?"

"You know her. She's neurotic."

"Maybe a little bit."

"So, you'll come?" Resigned, you nodded. "I'll come to yours and we'll go."

"Why aren't we taking your car?"

"It's too recognisable. Duh." Yeah. Of course. How could you forget? "We're going pretty late, too. Less foot traffic."

You hummed. It wasn't as if you could change society. Even if things were different with Regina, you still couldn't be seen getting too cosy with her. You could like her from a distance and that was that. You could be a good friend and that should've been plenty. Really, above anything, you wanted her to be happy. With or without you.

That thought grated on you. You didn't want to lose her. You weren't sure if your choices made it so that you already had.

Why did everything have to be so hard?

Notes: This was originally supposed to be the climax chapter, but it seems we're still climbing. Next chapter then! Look forward to it :)

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[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:

⚔ ARES: God of War and Violence 🐗

author's note: I had a sudden idea about writing some headcanons Camp Halfblood demigods being claimed and what it's like for each respective god and cabin, followed by a small blurb afterwards. Thank you for reading and please like and reblog! The order is not in order of the cabin numbers. [PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS MASTERLIST]

When you get claimed, it’s either during or after a victorious battle. If it’s during a battle, like Capture the Flag, it’s when your blood is pumping and you’re on adrenaline high. You could be losing or winning, but you hit that point of state where you’re just so in the zone before you realize you’re covered in red. You decimate the other team, striking fear in their hearts as they see you running over their teammates, your weapon swinging like it’s your own limb. Everyone looks above your head as they see the floating red boar above your head and then you hear a roar of cheer from your now half–siblings. They let out whoops, howls, and cheers, slapping you on the back and some wrestling you if you’re still battle high, before they lift you up and carry you around. 

When you’re shown the cabin, you’re immediately nerved by the boar head posted above the door, its eyes following you…but you can’t focus on that because you’re immediately told and made to remember where the live mines are around the entrance. They didn’t clarify if they were actual mines or alternative mines…they said it was classified information and you didn’t have the clearance level yet. Either which you didn’t want to find out the hard way.

If the Hephaestus cabin is the forge, you bet you can imagine that the Ares cabin is their armoury. It's not on the scale as theirs, but its pretty close. Weapons galore. It's a weapon maniacs dream. You have equipment here to upkeep and maintain weapons and if you pick out a weapon that you're not sure how to maintain? You have siblings jumping up the chance to show you. 

You wanna try and wield different weapons? Go on ahead! Every Ares’ member has their own mini armoury and collection of weapons. 

Y'know how siblings like to push each other and get into play fights? Yeah, the Ares cabin is like that constantly. It goes from rough housing to actual sparring. If you're not a big fan of participating in it, you're going to learn how to redirect people's movements. Don't worry about it getting the heat off you, as long its not entirely personal, you have another Ares’ sibling ready to switch with you. 

You also begin to take on bets because with the amount of rough-housing and sparring, it's just too good of an opportunity. The currency ranges from actual dollars, drachmas, candy bars, or what have you. All currency is accepted.  

People often like talking with their fists, but it's mostly getting rid of the pent up emotions when you guys do some talk to talk. Got to be fair you know.

If you're not particularly looking for a fight, don't worry about it. While it is true, you're a war god child, you're also good at de-escalating. After all, there's a reason in the book, "The Art of War", Sun Tzu says "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting".

Blood was roaring in your ears with eyes red as you gripped your weapon high. Your veins were pumping with adrenaline, almost making you shake but you never felt more alive. You had just won and you thrust up your weapon high in the air, and let out a yell. Immediately, a cacophony of cheers and yells joined you, sending another spike of adrenaline and you faintly saw the claim of Ares above your head. People swarmed you and in the zone, you attacked them which they gleefully returned back the favour. Then they lifted you up in the air, cheering that about another child of Ares as you were carried back to the Ares cabin where your siblings plopped you in front of it, and Clarisse at the head. 

She grinned at you, her figure imposing but you kept your chin high. 

“Not bad, but expected as a child of Ares. Don’t let it get to your head because there’s plenty coming” she said. 

“Bring it on” you fired back with a grin as she gave a smirk. 

“I’m Clarisse Rue, cabin leader of Cabin 5. Welcome to the Ares cabin.” 

[chaos-in-deepspace]

LNDS Zayne: Toy Panda (18+)

So I just bought pain relieving cream and two braces because I have managed to literally kill my wrists by writing all this smut. It's so worth it. This is just smut and fluff guys. Also really bad jokes. Like really bad. Those are my favorite.

Disclaimer: This is an original fan work for “Love and Deepspace”. Do not repost on other platforms or plagiarize. All characters shown in this fic is 18+. Warnings: Unsafe Sex, Panda Outfits, Fluff, Horrible Jokes, Fingering, Penis in vagina sex Pairing: Zayne x Reader Synopsis: You had beaten Zayne as kitty cards and, as a prize, got him in the viral panda outfit. The only issue is he wants to take it off, and you want to help him in those efforts. Word Count: 4.5k

Blog Information | Masterlist

Zayne

Toy Panda

You stared at the door, waiting patiently. Your panda overalls felt huge and a little warm; you played with the sleeves as you waited patiently for your favorite doctor. You were relaxed on his couch, your arms going over the edge as you stared. Any minute now and you could get to see the fruits of your labor finally paying off.

Your silent wishes were answered as you heard the click of the door opening, Zayne slowly coming out of his bedroom. A large panda outfit hung off him, the overalls being ridiculously big even on his hulking form. He didn’t bother with the hood as he adjusted his glasses. You could see the start of a blush on his cheeks as he was looking anywhere but at you.

“Oh my god you’re adorable for once!” You said, jumping off the couch to go run over to him. He really did look like a giant panda plushie and you wanted to just curl your arms around him and never let go. Zayne, however, seemed less amused by the situation as he looked over at you finally, seeing your eyes lighting up at his gaze.

The man let out a long, exasperated sigh, “Well, does this satisfy the conditions to your win?” He said, opening his arms a bit so you could see. When he looked at you this time he seemed almost amused with how giddy you were. You knew the man was a pushover when it came to concerns about you, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Oh no, you lost fair and square at kitty cards the other day. You’re gonna be stuck like this for a bit, Doctor Panda.” You joked, your hand going over to his fluffy overalls as you played with the soft fabric. 

“If I’m not mistaken you were the one who wanted to trade cards about three times during our round, which led to your victory.” He said and you huffed, crossing your arms.

“It’s not my fault you let me.” You had simply used an advantage you called ‘Zayne loves you way too much and will let you cheat at cards, even if it's against him’. It was a viable strategy when playing kitty cards.

“If this is supposed to be a punishment, then why are you wearing the outfit as well?” He asked, noticing how soft you looked at the moment. You pulled the hood up, tilting your head back and forth in a little shimmy shake.

“It’s cute and comfy, obviously. Besides, we never get to match!” You exclaimed as though you were stating the most obvious thing in the world. He looked somewhat amused at your declaration, his hand reaching out to pat the top of your head.

“You do look rather cute like this.” He said, leaning down to be eye level with you. You chuckle, hands going to cup his cheeks and give them a small pinch in response.

“We both look cute like this, mister.” You said, pressing a kiss on his nose, “Absolutely adorable. The cutest.” You claimed, pressing a kiss to his forehead this time, “I wouldn’t mind if you wore this every day, my dear panda.”

Your hands slipped from his cheeks as he began standing up straight, “Well as fun as this is, I think I’d rather get changed now.” Oh no he didn’t.

Your hands found themselves in the thick plush of the overalls, tugging at him so he couldn’t get too far away, “You can’t change yet, you haven’t been in it long enough. Just showing up wearing it isn’t enough.” You whined out, giving the clothes another tug to show your displeasure. 

Zayne looked down, his hands cupping your own, his body looming over you as he leaned forward, “You never stated the duration that I’d be in these.” He pointed out. Your lip jutted out in a mock pout as you tightened your grip on him.

“You need to wear them until I’m satisfied.” You declared.

“And when will that be? In an hour? Or perhaps in the morning?” His voice was coming out almost mocking. He had a point though, if he agreed to that then he might be in these well into the afternoon of tomorrow. It was something he would never agree to since he was a logical man at the end of the day.

“Okay fine…then how about a kiss? If you can satisfy me with a kiss then you can get changed.” You finally settled on, knowing those terms were more than acceptable.

“Just a kiss?” He seemed skeptical.

“A good kiss that leaves me in a puddle by the end.” You clarified, knowing he might tease you and give you a soft peck, then call it a day. He let out a small sigh, but the faint upturn of his lips gave away his emotions.

Zayne placed a hand on your chin, tilting your head up while the other hand was planted firmly on your hip. He leaned in, his lips pressing against your own. Your eyes fluttered closed as you relaxed into him, your arms wrapping around his shoulders.

He leaned down a bit to help you out, dragging you closer until your body was flush against his own. You felt his teeth nip gently at your lip and you happily sighed into the kiss, opening up enough for him to explore your mouth. He tasted like the mint ice cream you two had grabbed before heading back to his apartment earlier.

You let out a small moan as the hand on your hip gently rubbed at you; a shiver ran down the length of your spine. He finally parted from your lips, a small string of saliva that connected you two snapping. You looked up at him with your eyes half lidded, biting your lower lip. You always wanted more when it came to this man. Just one kiss, no matter how good it was, had never been enough.

“Are you satisfied now?” He whispered, his nose bumping against your own. You looked up at him through your eyelashes, then your eyes darted away.

“We might need to try again, just so I can be sure…” You murmured, looking back up at him. His eyes were already darkening from lust and you knew just a bit more would lead you to his room.

“Now, now, aren’t you being a bit greedy?” Zayne asked, raising his eyebrow in question. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that he clearly thought you were cute with the small pout on your lips. The glint in his eye was unmistakable, or at least it was to you at this point in your relationship.

Still, despite his teasing, he leaned his head back in and captured your lips once more. The hand on your chin slowly moved down to hold the other side of your waist as your body melded into his. Even through the thick fabrics you could still feel the slight warmth radiating off his body.

This kiss had been sweeter as Zayne took his time to savor the taste of your lips on his. It was serene how he made you feel so safe in his arms. The hands that were around his shoulders went to play with the soft, black hair. Zayne hummed into the kiss, appreciating the small gesture as your hands combed through them leisurely.

After a few moments, he finally parted from you again, although this time he placed a sweet kiss on your forehead, then to your cheeks, and finally on your nose. A giggle bubbled in your chest, escaping in an airy laugh. You looked up at him, a dopey grin spreading on your face.

“Now that you seem satisfied, I think I’ll go change into something more comfortable.” He said, making you remember exactly what you had been doing previously.

“Changing without me? You’re not gonna let me help?” You playfully jeered, your hands slowly coming down until they rested on Zayne’s broad chest. His own hands once again went to cup yours, bringing them both to his mouth as he gently kissed your knuckles.

“I think I’m fully capable of taking off my own clothes.” He said finally, your face falling for a moment at his statement. Despite your need for the man, you wouldn’t press him into anything. You gave a small smile and nodded.

“Alright, if you insist that you don’t need my help, I guess I can let you strip by yourself.” You said with a shrug and he let out a long breath, staring at you for a moment as though trying to decide what he wanted to do.

He seemed to finally settle on something when he spoke, “Although it would be a shame if we were no longer matching, now wouldn’t it?” 

“We would still be matching if we were both naked.” You didn’t miss a beat.

He nodded his head as though that actually made sense. He always had that ability to play along with you as though you were spitting facts, despite the nonsense you often spewed. It made you feel…important.

You let out a small squeak of surprise as he cupped your ass, lifting you up. Your legs went to lock around his waist as he began carrying you to his bedroom, “I wouldn’t mind matching you in such a way, as long as you find it agreeable.” He finally settled on as he opened the bedroom door.

“Zayne, if I ever say no to that kind of question, just assume someone kidnapped me and replaced me with a doppelganger.” You said in an overly serious tone. Zayne exhaled through his nose in an attempt at laughing, because lord forbid he ever have a proper belly laugh once in a while.

Still you didn’t fight the fit of giggles, your stomach feeling like a million butterflies were fluttering around with your love for the man. You cupped his cheeks once more, placing feather light kisses all over his face as he carried you over to the bed. You felt more than you saw when he smiled, your lips kissing the corners of his mouth until you pecked them.

The comfortable mattress sank as he set you down gently, the bed creaked slightly under your weight. You decided to be nice and let go of his face, though you wished you wore lipstick as his face would’ve been absolutely littered in marks. Something to save for another day.

“Looking at you like this, I might mistake you for a plushie.” He said, noticing how your hood was still up. You were kicking your feet, smiling at him with a happy glint in your eyes that always seemed to put Zayne in a good mood.

“If I’m a plushie then will you promise to hold me tight and never let go?” You settled on, your tone was anything but seductive. A small blush was blooming on your cheeks with the way he looked down at you.

“I never had any intentions of letting you go in the first place.” His words seemed so final that your breath got caught in your throat.

 Zayne began working off his clothes, easily shucking off the overalls and ripping the hoodie off in one quick motion. Normally he was more careful with how he treated clothes when taking them off, but you noted how he seemingly didn’t care about this particular outfit. Strange.

Once Zayne was left in nothing but his underwear; your tongue poking out as you licked your lips,  “Damn panda daddy, I forgot how much you were hiding under all that fur.”

Zayne paused, looking over at you and you could see the disappointment in his eyes. It only fueled your amusement, snickering at the expression he made at you. He was always exasperated from your antics, but seeing the hope leaving him never ceased to make you giddy. It was just too beautiful to see the Doctor Zayne get caught off guard.

He didn’t even say anything in response, only changing where he looked when you made grabby hands, “You need to help your plushie.” You cooed happily.

Zayne walked over to you, unclipping the overalls and they fell around your hips. You were beaming the entire time as he made you raise your hips so he could fully pull it off you. You were left in the panda hoodie and your underwear when he placed both hands on either side of your thighs.

“You realize you are not some toy, correct?” He asked, finally lightening up with a smile of his own. You felt the need to crush it once more.

“I mean…I wouldn’t mind if I were your little fuck toy, Doctor Zayne.” You purred.

You watched Zayne’s eyes widen for a moment before he looked away. He took a moment to recover before looking back at you. “A study I read claims that shame can play an important role in social interactions, perhaps one day you should try it.” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have let me become so comfortable in your presence then. It’s your fault I have no issue voicing my desires anymore.” You joked, although it did hold truth. Zayne had been very persistent in making sure you were clear with what you wanted from him so he wouldn’t have to second guess everything. You felt like you could tell him literally anything in your head at this point. 

Zayne watched as you began lifting up the hoodie, ready to take it off and toss it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor, when his hands stopped you. He leaned down, whispering right in your ear, “Come now, a toy shouldn’t try to do things by themselves.”

You felt a small gasp escape your lips, your cheeks turning scarlet at his words. You had only been half joking about the fuck toy situation, but if he wanted to use your body for his own pleasure, you’d never stop him. You could feel your already wet underwear getting soaked as you squeezed your thighs together.  A shiver went down your spine as you went to lay your hand on his chest.

He moved closer to press a kiss to your face before backing up just enough to hook his fingers under the elastic band of your panties. He began pulling them off, satisfied with the string of arousal that was very hard to miss. He threw them over to the pile then took a finger to run through your soaked folds.

Your breath hitched as his thick finger entered your cunt, pressing into your soft heat. You went to roll your hips into his touch, but he was quick to push your upper body down onto the bed. His large hands pushed your hoodie up just enough to expose the underside of your breasts. His eyes glazed over them for a moment before he put his free hand over your stomach, holding you down so you wouldn’t move.

“A good toy doesn’t try to squirm.” Zayne pointed out, making you huff as you tried holding still. Your hands went above your head as you grasped at the fluffy blankets underneath you, trying to do your best to obey him for the time being.

As a reward, he entered another finger into you as he began scissoring the digits to help open you up for the main event later. The lewd squelching sound of your pussy made you flush, your thighs twitching as your instinct was to close them. Still, with the slight curl of his finger hitting your sweet spot had you almost rolling your eyes back in ecstasy.

“Fuck, Zayne, can I move?” You asked, wanting to ride his fingers. He was so good at riling you up, getting you close to coming on his fingers alone.

“You’re the one who said you wanted to be a toy, did you not?” He asked and you whimpered in response, “Good toys just lay there.” Oh he was going to be the death of you. It hadn’t even been ten minutes and you almost regretted putting the offer on the table.

“I’m a new interactive toy.” You finally settled on, hoping he would play along with you.

“And when did toy companies begin producing such bratty models?” His fingers were now pistoning faster in your tight heat, making sure every thrust hit your sweet spot head on.

“Around the time they realized their user base had b-brat tamers.” You managed to say between a strangled moan.

You cried out as his thumb pressed harshly over your clit, “Then perhaps I just need to train this toy so they’re more well behaved.” his thumb rolled in circles over your clit and you were now biting your lip. A familiar warmth settled in your stomach, threatening to spill out at a moment’s notice.

“G-good luck.” You chuckled, trying to roll your hips but his hand made it impossible. It was clear that you were going to cum on his terms.

You were so close to becoming a whimpering mess, begging him when he pressed down on your clit again. That was enough for you to topple over the edge, your walls clenching tightly around his fingers. Your pulse was thrumming, the blood rushing all over your body and you could hear a faint ringing as Zayne worked you through your climax.

His motions got softer as you came back down to earth, staring over at his face with a fucked out gaze. He wore that smirk that never ceased to make you go crazy.

“What a good toy.” Zayne commented almost like an afterthought. You watched him bring his fingers to his lips, sucking off your release. You groaned, wanting him to properly fuck you already.

“Will you fuck me now?” You whispered, your voice soft from how relaxed and pliant your entire body felt right now.

“Since my little panda was so obedient, I guess I can give them a reward.” Zayne said as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to you. Your hands immediately found their way to his hair, wanting to tug him closer as his tongue laced with your own. The taste of your own climax was still fresh on him and you couldn’t help the low whine coming from your throat.

His lips left yours, but he was still close enough so when he spoke they grazed against you, “Do you promise to behave?” 

“Yes, sir.” You said with a soft cry, wanting to feel his cock splitting you open already.

You watched him stand up, taking off his underwear. His erection stood proudly against his abs, the tip leaking pre and dripping down the shaft. You licked your lips in response, your mind already supplying you with several fantasies of what you want to do with his length

Zayne came over, lifting you up enough for him to slide a pillow under your hips to help you get comfortable. “Are you ready, my little panda?” He teased. You smiled bashfully, nodding your head as he opened up your legs, your glistening folds inviting the man to take whatever he wanted from you.

His cock slowly began sinking into your heat, careful not to go too fast or else he risked hurting you. Still, you were impatient and had to hold back your complaints as he continued driving his dick deeper into your pussy.

After a few short thrusts, his cock was almost completely in you. You felt the stinging stretch of his monstrous length as it filled you up to the point of almost breaking. You took a few sharp breaths, relaxing around his girth. You went to roll your hips once you had grown accustomed to him, but his hand pressed down on your stomach again to stop you.

“I thought you said you’d behave?” He said and you whined in response, glancing up at him. He had a concentrated look on his face, trying not to cum just from entering you. He always tried to coax an orgasm out of you, but sometimes the way you sucked him in made him want to burst in an instant.

“I will…” You finally say and he nodded, giving an experimental roll of his hips. You let out a breathy gasp, enjoying how his girth managed to hit every single spot in you without trying. It was like he was made for you.

He chuckled, repeating the motion before speaking, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a panda make a noise like this.” 

You weren’t thinking when you spoke, already cock drunk. “You’re fucking other pandas?” It wasn’t until the words left you that you had to take a second and think over your inner dialogue options.

Zayne didn’t move and you chanced to look at him, seeing him shaking his head. “It’s not too late for me to pull out and go to bed, is it?” He murmured and you let out a cry at his words.

You locked your ankles around his back, hooking him into place inside of you. Your hands trailing over his biceps as you gave them a small squeeze,  “Noooooo, don’t leave me like this. I’m sorry, I said it without thinking.”

Zayne let out a heavy, almost burdened sigh, “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.” Despite his words, he did grind back into you, making you mewl in delight. The small giggle that was stuck in your throat turned into pants as he began rocking his hips to a steady tempo.

“Zayne…” You managed to rasp out. He hummed, letting you know he could hear you, “You’re holding back still.” You knew he wasn’t fully inside of you judging by how his hips never met your own.

“I simply don’t want to break my new toy, is that so wrong?” He grunted, never letting up the gentle pace he had set.

“It’s fine if you break me; you’re a doctor after all. You can put me back together.” You said.

“Doesn’t this little panda work tomorrow?” He said, hips stopping as he looked down at you, wanting you to confirm his suspicions.

“I’ll be fine…please?” You begged him, pouting as you looked at your loving boyfriend. He pondered for a moment if he’d regret his decision, then shook his head.

“If that’s what you wish.” He finally said. You were about to celebrate when a surprised squeal came out of your mouth. He had taken your legs that were locked behind him, pressing them so they laid against your chest. He had you in the perfect mating press as he looked down at you with hungry eyes.

His hips rutted into your tight hole, getting deeper with every rock until you could feel the head pressing against your cervix. You opened your mouth in a garbled whine, closing your eyes as you took in the feeling. You were already so damn close just from his dick being fully settled inside of you.

Then he set a brutal pace, jackhammering his cock into your cunt like a man running out of time. The noises escaping you couldn’t be distinguished, his name a slur on your lips as stars began entering your vision. It was just too damn good, your entire body spasming with twitches as he brought you closer and closer to the edge.

You squeezed his arms, your nails digging into the flesh to help ground yourself. It didn’t help much as he helped you reach new peaks, his dick being the only thing on your mind as your eyes rolled back.

The delicious friction of his pelvis against your swollen bud was what set you off. Your body clenched around him as heat spread under your skin. The ringing in your ears came back ten fold and your vision blurred into white. Your entire body spasming with your release as your hoarse voice called his name like a prayer.

You could faintly hear Zayne’s voice over the ringing, “So good, doing such a good job for me, my angel.” He groaned, pressing open mouth kisses along the column of your neck. You were slowly coming back down when you felt his length leaving you.

Your eyes looked over, watching as Zayne’s hand engulfed his length, gliding over the shaft before his milky release began splattering on your stomach and right over your overstimulated pussy. You were trembling still as you felt the liquid hitting your overheated skin.

Once he was spent, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to yours, looking you in the eyes, “How are you?” His voice was like silk, gently pulling you back down to him. His clean hand moved some hair that had gotten into your face as he pressed a kiss to your nose, waiting patiently.

“Never been better.” You said, still in a bit of a daze.

“I wasn’t too rough, was I?” He asked, noticing how your aching legs began falling to his sides. You hummed in thought, a hand going to cup his cheek and you smiled.

“Not at all.” You said with a small laugh. Zayne smiled, leaning in to press a quick kiss to your lips before going to stand.

“I’ll be right back, you wait right here.” He said, looking you over once more before leaving the room. 

He didn’t leave you for long, soon coming back in, this time with underwear on. He held a glass of water in one hand, and a warm, wet towel in the other. He approached you on the bedside, setting the glass down and moving in with the towel to clean up your combined spend.

You winced as the towel went to clean your folds and Zayne glanced up at you, “I did warn you about this outcome.” He scolded and you rolled your eyes.

“It’s worth it…it’s always worth it.” You fought back, not ever giving in that you might’ve made a slight miscalculation. How you’d be able to run around at work tomorrow was a mystery. You debated calling out, after all it was insanely easy for you to get a doctor’s note to explain your absence.

“You’re insatiable.” he said, finishing up between your legs. He handed you a glass of water, eyeing you as you took a small sip. Once you realized it was perfectly chilled you let the water run down your throat, enjoying how soothing it felt. You didn’t realize how scratched your throat had gotten until that moment.

Once you finished you handed him back the cup, “Thank you very much, Doctor Panda.” You teased.

“Doctor Panda?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes, sir.”

“Remind me to be more careful to not lose a bet with you.” He said as he went to lay in the bed, pulling you along with him. Your head rested on his chest as you looked up at him.

“I dunno, my ideas do tend to lead to fun outcomes.” You pointed out.

“I assure you, all you need to do is ask and you shall receive.” He informed you with an amused glint in his eyes.

“I’ll remember that for future reference…I love you, Zayne.” You said, letting the sap take over after your passionate tryst.

“Love you too, my little panda.”

[kikyo-writes]

SHIGARAKI TOMURA | GAME OVER

summary: shigaraki isn't paying attention to you, so you decide to suck him off while he plays video games.

tags: explicit, fem!reader

��Tomura, are you still not done yet?” you whine. “I’ve been waiting forever.”  

Shigaraki barely even spares you a glance, too focused on mashing the buttons of his controller and staring at the TV without blinking.  

“Almost,” he says. “I’m trying to finish this level.”  

That’s what he’s been saying for the past hour, and if it’s up to him, he’ll probably be playing those stupid games for the rest of the night.

You press your lips together. Fine, then. If he keeps refusing to pay attention to you, you’re just going to have to make him pay attention.

Shigaraki doesn’t realize what’s happening at first. He’s too immersed in the game, brows furrowed as he masterfully presses buttons and controls his character with ease. This level is pretty damn difficult. He’s been trying to beat it for ages now, and it doesn’t help that it goes on for fucking ever. 

Tonight is the night he’ll beat it, though. He’s already made up his mind.  

Well, that was the plan, anyways.  

“...the hell are you doing?”  

Shigaraki finally notices that you’ve dropped to your knees in front of him. You’re keeping your head low, and he can still see the screen of the TV, but he feels you running your hands over his thighs and slowly inching them towards the waistband of his pants.  

“Nothing,” you reply sweetly. “It’s fine. Keep playing your game.”  

He has every intention of doing that. Still, he can’t help but frown. Are you trying to do what he thinks you are? Do you really think you’ll be able to distract him like that? 

“I’m beating this level,” he states, but already, he can hear his voice wavering a bit.  

Shigaraki redirects his attention to the TV, and he resists the urge to glance down when he feels you start stroking his cock through his pants. You’re gentle at first, only applying a small amount of pressure, but gradually, you start gripping him harder, pumping him through the thick fabric and making blood rush to all the right places.

He’s fully erect now, and you waste no time in letting his cock spring free.  

Shigaraki lets out a silent hiss. You’re still stroking him, except now he can feel your skin in direct contact with his. It feels so good how you’re pumping the shaft of his cock. Fuck. It feels really, really good.

Still, he refuses to lose focus. He said he was going to beat this level, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do. This is just an extra challenge, that’s all. If anything, it’ll make his inevitable victory even more impressive.

Shigaraki pauses for a few moments to compose himself. Yeah. He can do this.

But then you take his cock into your mouth.

“Sh-Shit!”

He outright moans this time, and he feels you chuckle softly in response. The vibrations of your throat pulse against his cock, and it amplifies the pleasure tenfold.  

“Wait,” Shigaraki gasps. “Actually... hold on a second. I really need to finish this level first. I need to—” 

You ignore him, just like he ignored you for the better portion of the night. Delighted to finally elicit some kind of reaction out of him, you run your tongue over the drooling slit at the head of his cock, then pucker your lips together and suck in hard. Shigaraki mutters a quiet curse as you then loosen your jaw a bit more, only to plunge headfirst and deepthroat him.

“Oh, fuck.”

He’s still holding onto the controller, just barely. His fingers are pushing the buttons in a sloppy, uncoordinated fashion now, and even though it looks like he’s trying to keep staring at the screen, he can’t help but steal glances at you every so often.

Eventually, the controller falls from his hands, and as you stare up into his deep red eyes, you realize that you finally, finally have his undivided attention.

You moan softly, bobbing your head and sucking him at a steady rhythm. His cock tastes so good. You’re convinced you’ll never be able to get enough of it.  

“That’s good,” Shigaraki breathes, running his fingers through your hair. “Yeah—ugh. That’s really, really good...”  

His praise motivates you to try even harder, and you gag as you force yourself to take him all the way in, letting his cock bottom out against the back of your throat. Shigaraki moans again, and you don’t dare to break eye contact, despite the prickly tears that are forming.  

“Take it,” Shigaraki gasps. He’s careful not to use all five of his fingers, then grabs the back of your head and starts guiding your face up and down the length of his cock. You don’t attempt to struggle, even though his pace is difficult to keep up with. You choke and gag, drowning in saliva and tears, but knowing that you’re making him feel good makes you feel good.  

“I love seeing your cute mouth stuffed full with my cock,” Shigaraki says. He licks his lips in delight, a crude grin stretching across his features. “Fuck yeah. You’re so hot. You’re gonna make me cum.”  

He’s pretty much fucking your face at this point, and instead of trying to fight it, you forfeit all control and let him use you as he pleases. Your throat aches and burns from how relentlessly he keeps pounding his cock in, but god, it feels fucking amazing.  

“I’m about to cum,” Shigaraki pants. His thrusts are getting sloppier by the second, and a soft little whine even leaves his lips. “Shit, I’m... I’m coming!���  

He busts his load right into your mouth, and you moan in delight, greedily slurping up all the thick ropes of cum. There’s almost too much to contain, but you refuse to let any of it go to waste, so you stay there obediently and choke it all down.  

After a few more moments, Shigaraki’s convulsions stop, and he tucks his cock away, then slumps back onto the couch, utterly spent.

“Thanks for the meal,” you grin.

He lets out a heavy sigh. “Goddammit, [Name]. You’re such a needy little slut."

“But you love it.”

“...yeah,” he admits, cracking a grin. “I sure do.”

“Are you going to keep playing your game?” you ask innocently, even though you already know the answer.  

Shigaraki pretends to ponder it for a few moments, then shakes his head. “Nah. I guess I don’t have to beat it tonight. It can wait. More importantly...”  

He shoves you down onto the couch, then grabs you by the thighs and spreads your legs apart. His red eyes are glinting with mischief, arousal, and just the slightest hint of sadism.   

“Right now, I kind of just want to fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”  

[imdeadinsidesiriuslydead]

Shut Up! | Bart Allen x villain!reader

Bart Allen x fem! Reader

Based off this imagine I made.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Warnings: Violence. Blood(tiny). Smutty! Just go ahead and read the imagine if you don’t want spoilers. Slight smut. Maybe I’ll write a part 2 with full on smut😏

notes: female reader. Villain reader. Villain name never mentioned. Race or appearance of reader never mentioned.

a/n: dude I was minding my business when this scenario popped into my head and now I just have to share it with the world. Enjoy!

———

Being chained up to a chair with his feet being bound together isn’t how Bart thought he’d spend his Friday night.

He wasn’t even supposed to be in Gotham. He protects Central City with Wally. Kinda. Wally doesn’t really like Bart as a sidekick. He was more of Max Mercury’s sidekick.

Max was probably worried out of his mind. He just really hoped Max wouldn’t show up or try to look for him, or else he’d find something he doesn’t need to know.

Bart has a secret. A secret crush on a certain Batman villain. Ever since he had to fight her with the young justice team, he was smitten.

His favorite pass time is running to Gotham city and foiling her plan before heading off to go hang out with Tim.

She would always catch him, she always did. And he would always let her. He loved it. A game of cat and mouse.

He loved watching her smile in victory as she caught him. He loved watching her integrate him. And he especially loved annoying her.

Like right now. He could vibrate his molecules and get out of the ropes, but what’s the fun in that?

She had caught him by freezing the ground and him falling into a trap she had made. She than knocked him out and tied him to a chair.

She stood in front of him with a scowl. She didn’t enjoy this game as much as he did. Her mask had been removed, giving Bart a few look at her face. She stared him down before smiling.

“Butch you can leave.” You said to your guard standing by the door. He left and closed the door, leaving the room in a dark cast.

The lights from outside the windows cast shadows across your features. The only other light was a small one back behind Bart, giving him the tiniest bit light to see your face.

“Impulse.” You stated “why do you always pop up and ruin everything?” You asked, no malice in your tone, Bart noted. Only curiosity.

“Well when you’re about to do something bad it’s kinda my job to come stop you.” Bart said as he smiled at you.

“Hmm” you hummed as you moved to a table full of weapons.

You grabbed a knife and turned to face him. Bart watched as you walked up to him slowly before leaning down to be at his eye level.

“You know,” you started with a sly smile “usually, I’d let you off with a warning. Maybe a slap on the wrist.” You whispered to him as you raised the knife to his face.

“but today you didn’t just mess up my plan. No.” You whispered with fake sorrow. You dragged the knife against his jaw, causing Bart to let out a breath. “You messed up the Bane’s plan too.”

Bart sucked in a breath. He didn’t know that. Obviously, he could put run Bane, but that didn’t change the fact that he was scared of him.

“Yea so, now I have to teach you a real lesson Impulse. Either with me or Bane. Take your pick.”

“Oh I’d much rather be punished by you.” Bart said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

Your smile turned to an annoyed look. “Suit yourself.” You dug the knife at his neck, not hard enough to break skin but hard enough to hurt.

Bart winced in pain, but another idea popped into his head. Acting like his name, he impulsively took action.

“So what do you do when you’re not trying to kill me?” He asked teasingly. The smirk on his face prevalent.

Your face slipped for a minute before the walls were back up again. “Is that really what you’re asking right now?” You asked dumbfounded.

“Well,” he started staring you right in the eyes, you could finally see the color of them. A nice golden brown. “I figured since your bodyguard wasn’t in here anymore, we could get to know each other a little more.” He smiled seductively.

Your blush was very noticeable, especially since your mask was off. “But- stop trying to distract me from your punishment.” You said sternly, though Bart was not convinced.

“Well I normally wouldn’t let someone tie me up the first official date, but you’re a special exception.” Bart winked. “So, at least tell me about yourself, since I’m being so nice.” He looked at you with faux innocence. You won’t lie, the look on his face was turning you on. You had to figure out a way to have him keep the look on his face.

You quickly remember that Bane would have your head if you didn’t take care of Impulse. Your need for survival trumped the need between your legs.

“That’s a vague question.” You say as you resume moving your knife against his neck, watching the goosebumps that it leaves in its wake.

“Huh?” Bart asked.

“Thats a vague question. Be specific. What did you want to know?” You ask as your knife slowly pierces the skin of his neck.

He hisses at the pain, before almost chocking on air. You moved your head towards his neck and licked the blood off of his neck. Bart stares at you, completely turned on and kinda scared.

You watched as the cut immediately healed itself, leaving no scar. You notice his shocked staring and laugh.

“How about a deal? Every question I answer, you have to answer one of mine. Deal?” You asked as you made the same innocent look he had given you earlier.

He nodded dumbly and you smiled.

“So too fast too furious, what’s your question?” You asked him.

“What’s your name?” He asked, his smile returning.

Your knife continued on its path across his neck going up to his jaw line.

“Y/N” you said as your knife gently touched his jaw line. He breathed out, liking the sensation of it gently touching him. “Your turn.” He tells you.

“Why do you heal so fast?” You asked as he breathed deeply. You were genuinely curious.

“Super fast metabolism.” he breathed as your knife made its way to the end of his suit by his neck.

Your knife gently teared the spandex, revealing more skin to slice at. His skin was incredibly soft. Slightly tan with freckles all over the part of his now exposed shoulder.

“Why are you working for Bane?” He asked. You weren’t really a villain in his eyes. More of an anti hero. You didn’t really harm people. You helped bad guys though, but you didn’t seemed fond of that.

“Cause I have to.” You said, still mesmerized by the goosebumps you were creating on his supple skin.

He figured he can ask you about it another day. Right now he didn’t want anything to stop you from dragging the knife all over him.

“Why do you always come to Gotham? I thought you and the flash protect Central City. That’s like two states away.” You say you start to cut the skin of his shoulder gently.

He breathes out a whine as it hurts. You try not to focus on the way that noise made you feel.

“What do you think sweetheart? Why am I here?” You might have been intimidated by his words if you weren’t meant to be torturing him.

You grabbed him by the hair and pushed his head back fast. He whined again and stared at you in shock.

“I asked you a question, speedy!” You say, giving him a dangerous look.

He stares at you in shock and overwhelmed lust. You smirk and decide to sit on his lap instead of kneeling on the floor.

You let go of his hair and go back you his shoulder. Watching the blood drip down a little. You saw the cut had healed and just to turn him on more, you lean down and lick the blood up his shoulder. You lick a little higher than where the blood stopped just to mess with him.

“Because I wanted to see you.” He states. Blushing madly.

You look up at him, and look through his goggles into his eyes. You saw shame and embarrassment. He’s telling the truth.

You won’t lie, that statement might have made your day, hell, your week. You try to hide the smile on your face but miserably fail. You had a lot of body image issues growing up and were bullied heavily, it was nice to find out someone actually wanted to see you, not just for a business deal.

“Your turn.” You tell him, still a little giddy.

“Why do you always kidnap me?” He asked with a handsome smile.

“You always try to stop me. So why not just stop you before you can?” You say as you pick your knife back up and continue your assault of his skin.

your hand pulls down the fabric a bit that had been cut on his shoulder, revealing part of his chest.

Bart sucks in a breath. Waiting for your next move.

“Why aren’t you actually hurting me?” Bart asked. You looked up at Impulse.

“Do you want me to actually hurt you?” You whisper as your kinda gently trails down from his shoulder.

“No.” He said as the cool knife hits his chest.

“I’m not gonna hurt cause I don’t want to.” You say turning back to work.

“But won’t the henchmen outside notice I’m not hurt?” Bart asked.

“What do you mean?” You asks as you slice a tiny shallow part of his right pec.

Bart makes a small whimper at the sensation, as another better idea pops into his head.

“Like don’t people who are tortured usually scream and make noise?” He asks in a seductive voice.

Your knife stopped moving again and you look at him and see his eyes blown out with lust. Your mind made a decision before you could stop yourself. You leaned down and licked up the blood before dragging your tongue up his shoulder to his neck, before sucking on the skin of his neck.

Bart moaned as he leaned more into your touch. The noise he made went straight to your core.

You pulled back, a tiny bit of blood on the corner of your mouth. Your hands went into Impulses hair and you gently tugged, causing him to leg out another whine. You moved your sitting position so that your legs were straddling his.

“Yea. I suppose they do. You wanna help me make this sound real?” You ask as your hand move onto his face, pushing his goggles up so you can see his eyes.

“Yes.” Bart says as he felt his dick harden against your thigh.

“Good boy.” You say before leaning in to kiss Bart.

——

anyone want a part 2?

Edit: Part 2 here

[railroad-migraine]

In honour of Legend of Vox Machina coming out, can we have a Percy x (fem/gender neutral) reader with the prompt "You feel like home to me." Maybe reader also lost their home (or they were from Whitestone too)

'Welcome Home'

-> Percy x GN!Reader

Notes: Angst and fluff, hurt comfort. I started writing this piece in January 2022. As of June 2023, I have now watched TLOVM. Sorry it took a while Anon, but I wanted to save your lovely request for when I eventually got into Vox Machina 💙 Can be read as platonic or romantic

~ Poet

*****

It wasn't meant to be like this.

Things had not gone to plan. What was the plan, you say? That is debatable depending on who you'd ask.

To start, Vax was unfortunately spotted skulking around the enemy's camp. That then lead to small confrontation, one that he'd be fine to handle all by himself, one where he was suspiciously poked and prodded at innocently, but Keyleth instinctually stepped in to save him - thus getting the whole party involved and quickly overwhelmed. It was manageable until the exact moment where Grog lopped off the head of one of the bandits.

To put it simply, all hell broke loose and it all went to shit.

However, in the end, when the bandits lay dead and smloldering by the campfire, it was a victory for Vox Machina.

A victory, maybe. But not quite a win.

Wounds were in need of tending to, and Pike was far too exhausted to treat everyone. Camping in the woods did not seem to be the best option, the trees offering little cover, and neither did the cliff face nearby. Frustrated, tired, hungry - voices raising at each other prickled the hairs at the back of your neck and you knew you had to step up. To be the adult.

"There is a village," you start, but no one chooses to listen, your voice just another one in the argument.

"There is a village," you repeat, a little more firm and insistant, and the others begin to withdraw, eyes falling onto you, "not far from here. I- I didn't mention it before because it doesn't belong on the map. Not anymore, at least.

"We can go there, set up camp, sit down and just shut up for a few hours," you sigh.

Most of the party look hesitant but Scanlan raises a brow and shrugs with an easy nonchalance that you envy. "If you say it's safe, I'm down."

It wasn't meant to be like this.

"It is." You hope. "I promise.

Percy watches you carefully, the fading light of the Sun behind him casting shadows on his face, sharpens his already sharp jawline even further until it cuts into his coat's collar. Something dangerous in his expression. "Lead on, then," but he doesn't sound convinced.

And so you lead your friends to the home and earth that once nurtured your childhood, the very same that you abandoned all those years ago in favour of adventure.

You were still young. Like a child, scarrless, soft, green and new to the greater world that waited for you beyond your doorstep.

It wasn't meant to be like this, you think as you fall to your knees, taking in the grim sight before you. It's hard to tell what exactly happened, whether the homes had been raided and intentionally burned down, or if it had been a simple accident and the townspeople luckily fled somewhere safe.

How long had it been since you left home? What seemed like yesterday were many, many months for your people, and anything can happen in that time apart.

But you never expected to be returning home to a graveyard.

It wasn't meant to be like this.

"I'm sorry."

You sniffle and quickly wipe your nose with the sleeve of your shirt, choking back a bitter laugh. "Percy." He pulls his mouth into a straight line, a grimace of sorts. "You can be a thorn in my side at times, but why should you be sorry?"

He shifts his weight on his feet. "Because... because it's what people might have said to me when I was in a similar state. I'm not sure if it would ever have made me feel better, but I suppose it shows some level of... respect. Condolences. Comfort, sometimes. Or so I've heard."

He pulls his coat tighter around his torso, the bite in the air unforgiving even as you mourn for your childhood home while your knees press into dirt. You risk a glance up at his face, and his forlorn expression shatters your already broken heart. He feigns a weak smile, and ducks his chin in sympathy. "It's not for everyone, I suppose."

It's a cold comfort as your grip on the ashes of your home loosens, and slips through your fingers, like sand lost in the wind.

Percy says your name, clear and grounding, and you manage to tear your gaze from what's left of your history. "Look at me." You crane your neck to look to where he looms over your hunched form. "Home is a feeling... I know that more than anybody."

Slowly, so slowly and gentle as if caught in slow motion, he crouches down to meet your height. He appraises you for a hesitant moment, then reaches out to wipe a tear that trails down your cheek, one that you had accidentally neglected. It smears across your skin smoothly, leaving a clean line in the thin layer of dust you had acquired since the battle and trek over here.

He looks at you softly, and you nearly sob from the incredible amount of emotions you feel all at once. You grip his hand like a lifeline and press it into your face so that you can lean into the comfort he's providing, and a shudder washes over you at the warmth radiating from his glove.

Percy nudges your chin up with his free hand, and you have no choice but to meet his watery eyes.

"And you feel like home to me."

In that moment, you know you feel the same for him.

*****

[posts this and RUNS]

[cherrycola27]

Red, White, and Bradshaw

A Red, White, and Rooster Sequel

Series Warnings: Language, alcohol consumption, political inaccuracies. Mentions of and acts of terrorism, death. Allusions to and full smut. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

Masterlist Next Part

...........................................

Chapter 1: Designated Survivor

At thirty-nine years old, you'd lived quite a life. You had been married to the man of your dreams for almost a decade. You had four beautiful children with him. You had been the First Lady of the United States, and you were currently the Secretary of Commerce for Bradley's successor, President James Hamilton.

Though you had worn many hats during your time in Washington, you never lost sight of who you were. After his time as president came to an end, Bradley supported your political career. He was more than happy to take a back seat from the spotlight and be a stay at home dad to your kids.

Andy and Elle were now seven, Leo, whom you were pregnant with at his second inauguration was five, and Wren, your fifth anniversary vow renewal oops baby, whom you loved very much, was three.

Your two boys were the spitting image of their father, and your two daughters were like mini versions of you. Out of all of them, Elle and Leo had definitely inherited your can-do attitude and "bossy" personality, as Bradley would say, while Andy and Wren shared his laid-back vibe.

Your family was your pride and joy, but you were also proud of the fact that you never had to sacrifice your love of business and politics to have them. You were blessed with a supportive husband who recognized how hard you worked.

When President Hamilton had first offered you a cabinet position, you were hesitant to take it. How could you raise a family and serve? Being First Lady was one thing. This was an entirely different level.

Bradley listened as you told him about your worries and assured you that he would do everything in his power to support you if you wanted to make this career move. "You supported me when I need you. You helped me follow my dream, and now it's my turn to help you." Bradley had told you as he held you in his arms one night.

The next day, you accepted the offer, and after a relatively quick vetting process, you became Y/N Wiseman-Bradshaw, Secretary of Commerce.

The first few months were an adjustment. You spent many sleepless nights venting to Bradley about how you thought you'd made a mistake and that you should quit. He would listen to your concerns and encourage you and soothe your worries each time. He celebrated all of your victories in your new position, both big and small. Everything was going well—too well.

.............

It was a quiet night in Washington D.C.

President Hamilton was about to give his first State of the Union address. You were in a secure, undisclosed location with your family. You had been chosen as the designated survivor. You thought it was silly, really. What were the odds that every single person ahead of you in the line of presidential succession died at the same time?

But you also understood the importance of it. You appreciated a good backup plan.

You were relaxing in some leggings and a well-worn, oversized Georgetown hoodie, staring at the TV when Bradley joined you.

He had an old Navy shirt and some flannel pants on. He'd just tucked the kids in bed before coming to watch the State of the Union with you.

He wrapped his arm around you as the two of you shared a bowl of popcorn.

"Oh my god, did I look that stuffy when I gave my speehes?" He asked as the two of you listened.

"No, Dearest. You looked exceptionally handsome." You told him. He laughed as the two of you continued to watch the screen. Everything seemed fine—normal even.

Until it happened.

A large boom shook the safe house just as the live feed of the address went black.

You and Bradley looked as each other with panic in your eyes.

"Bradley, go get the kids." You told him. He was out of his seat and racing down the hall before you could finish your sentence. You quickly flipped through the TV channels to see if you could figure out what was wrong. The sound of sirens and helicopters blared from outside. Whatever this was, it was serious.

Just then, Dante, the head of your security team, burst in the door. Mrs. Bradshaw, we need to move all of you now." He said in a protective tone. "Dante, what's going on?" You asked him. He didn't respond.

Just then, a news flash came over the TV, and your heart sank. Your children came running into the room and gathered around you as Bradley followed behind.

"Oh my god." The two of you said in unison. "Bradley, they blew up the Capital." You said in disbelief as you watched the screen. You couldn't believe your eyes. In the spot where the beautiful building had once stood was nothing but a pile of burning rubble.

"Dante, I need you to get the Seresin's on the phone right now." You demanded. "Mrs. Bradshaw, we need to get all of you out of here now. We will call them from the car." Dante said. You wanted to protest, but he was grabbing your arm and hauling you out door as more members of your security team escorted Bradley and your children.

You looked back over your shoulder just in time to see a banner flash stating that there would likely be no survivors. Your heart sank as you thought about all innocent men and women who lost their lives— your parents included.

Suddenly, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion. Andy and Elle sat on either side of you in the car while Leo and Wren clung to Bradley.

You were vaugly aware of him telling you that they had reached Jake and Jaycee. The Seresin's and their three children were fine, and more security would be sent to them.

Bright lights from police, fire, and military flashed through the streets of D.C. as Dante navigated them. You were sure someone was talking to you, but you didn't hear what they said. You felt like you were underwater.

You didn't register yourself getting out of the SUV or the fact that you were being taken through a back passage of the White House. It was only when Chief Justice Inglewood was asking Bradley to hold the Bible and for you to place your hand on, that you snapped back to reality.

"Wait, what's going on?" You said as you looked around the room.

"Mrs. Bradshaw, you're the designated survivor." Chief Justice Inglewood said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

You still hadn't processed what was going on.

"Honey, you're about to take the oath of office. You're going to be the president." Bradley said to you calmly.

You took a deep breath as Justice Inglewood looked at you. "Please place your left hand on the Bible, raise your right hand, and repeat after me." She began. You didn't even have time to process what Bradley had said before Inglewood started the oath.

"Do you, Y/N Wiseman-Bradshaw, solemnly swear to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of your ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?" Chief Justice Inglewood asked you.

That's when the reality of the situation hit you like a ton of bricks. The president, vice president, and everyone else in the Capital tonight were dead. You swallowed thickly as your children huddled close, not sure of what was happening, but aware enough to know something was off.

You took a deep breath and looked at Bradley for reassurance. He nodded his head and smiled.

"I, Y/N Wiseman-Bradshaw, do solemnly swear to faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." You affirmed in a shaky tone. You felt like you were going to throw up. You tried to swallow, but your mouth was dry, and your tongue felt like sandpaper. You were vaugly aware of someone taking pictures in the background as you spoke the words.

"Congratulations, Madame President. I wish this could have been under better circumstances." Justice Inglewood said as she shook your hand.

You thought that it was odd that she was shaking your hand and congratulating you. You were here because hundreds of people had died, not because you won an election. You did deserve this.

Your hands started to shake as tears pricked your eyes. This was wrong. All wrong. You felt like you couldn't breathe. How the hell did you end up here?

Your husband turned to you and saw the fear in your eyes.

Bradley immediately pulled you in for a hug before cupping your face in his hands. He could sense the terror running through your body as the severity of the situation set in.

"Oh my god, Bradley. I—I—what am I going to do?" You said as tears threatened to fall from your eyes.

"Right now, we are going to tuck the kids in and read them a bedtime story. Then, you are going to go with Dante to a secure conference room and talk with the department heads that weren't at the State of the Union. You are going to figure out a way for us to get through this because that's what you do best, honey. You solve problems. Tomorrow morning, you are going to drink way too much coffee, put on a suit, and address the nation. You are going to let them know that we are down, but not out. You are going to show them how strong their president is. But most of all, you're going to do your best. That's all you can do." Bradley tells you as he kissed your forehead.

Dante doesn't give you time to respond or to help Bradley with the children before he is whisking you away again.

"Go get 'em; Madame President. I love you." Bradley said as he ushered you to go. You nodded and followed Dante.

You couldn't believe this was happening. One minute, you were enjoying a quiet evening. The next, you were thrust into a position you weren't even sure you wanted and knew you weren't qualified for.

"Oh my god." You said to yourself for what seemed like the hundredth time this evening as the weight of everything settled over you.

You were no longer Secretary Wiseman-Bradshaw. You were President Wiseman-Bradshaw.

Life as you knew it would be forever changed.

Dante and your other Secret Service team members stopped outside a door. Dante went ahead while you waited behind. Moments later, he returned and said,

"Madame President, they're ready for you."

Taglist: @daggerspare-standingby @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @hecate-steps-on-me @roosterscock @roosterbruiser @roosterforme @seresinsbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @soulmates8 @xoxabs88xox @avengersfan25 @blackwidownat2814 @loveforaugust @mak-32 @cottagecori @amysteryspot @heyimmadisonn @sunlightmurdock @lewmagoo @cassiemitchell @die-cunt @shipinabluebottle @malindacath @violyn20 @imawkwardlysoc @books-for-summer @blackroseboulevard @recordblues @desert-fern @luckyladycreator2 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @sebsxphia @roosters-girl @diorrfairy @je-suis-prest-rachel @mizzzpink @a-linabean @amklibrary @gretagerwigsmuse @jstarr86 @actuallyazriel @krismdavis @bradshawsbaby @wkndwlff @dakotakazansky @multifandomlover4life @princess76179

[zesty-goblin-trash]

Ayeoo, finally working on my doll again. Small victory for me because my mental state has been chaotic to say the least.

I don't remember what, if anything, I've shared on my current goblin-self doll? Actually I can save this as a draft easily, lemme go check.

Oh g's like nothing. Okay. Welp, grab a snack cause I'm about to overexplain everything up to this point!

Right, so I made a custom Monster High doll a while back and for my first ever attempt at it, she turned put pretty good. Especially since she was meant to just be a practice piece for stuff as I was working on another doll along side it to be my first. Never finished that doll, but I think I have to high of expectations for it compared to my skill level right now.

Jump forward to G3 Monster High being released, and I decided to remake my test-doll-turned-goblin-self with a G3 Draculaura body because it much more accurately represents my body style. I got all the way to having the body painted, my own tattoos added, and various scars and marks detailed. And honestly, I was pretty happy with the result! Here's some photos of that;

Love the colors, and I was happy enough with what I'd done to keep moving, except for the face. It was driving me crazy that I could still see the line where I added the Apoxie Sculpt to the jaw so clearly, despite it being sanded as smooth as I could get it. So I wiped her head and was going to try again. Not sure what my plan was, to be honest, but she got shoved to the corner of the desk for a good while.

I ended up finding another G3 core Draculaura at Value Village in one of their hanging bagged toys, and for $8 bucks with all her accessories I couldn't pass it up. At the time I didn't plan on it, but ended up deciding to start over completely on v2 of my goblin-self using this doll. The core dolls have an articulated chest, unlike the budget dolls (Day Out which I was using, the 2 that came with the car from Costco, ect.), and there were a couple of things I think I could have done better on the body when it came to the joints.

Jumping forward I did all the prep work on the new doll, sanding everything to remove mold lines and smooth it all nice, removed the face up and hair, yadah yadah yadah. I then attempted to dye the new body with some Rit dye and whatever brand it is that's sold at Dollar Tree, knowing it wasn't going to take correctly because the Rit wasn't for synthetics. I was really only hoping to dye the joints darker, because if you've ever seen or customized your own dolls, body repaints rarely stay painted at the joints. It's kinda inevitable if your doll moves at all. I just wanted to reduce the jarring difference between OG light pink skin and the new green skin.

It sort of worked, the teal Rit did nothing (as I expected), but the red-orange Dollar Tree stuff dyed her a bit. I didn't do her head at all since this was just meant to darken the parts that'd be rubbing together.

If all the different plastics on the body would take dye the same way this would have been a cute color honestly 😂

Skintone differences aside, it did darken down the plastic used for the wrist and elbow joints, which was my main goal. But I had another idea I wanted to try as you may have noticed in the image background. Alcohol inks! I wouldn't recommend. At least not directly from the bottle dripped into the joint.

The high concentration of alcohol in the inks very quickly made the vinyl of the lower arms get gummy. It's the same reason you don't want to use acetone on the bodies of dolls basically, it just destroys the plastics a bit too much. The pigment did start to take to the plastic, but with how quickly I had to blot it back off to stop the plastic from melting it just didn't have enough time to stay. However it did make me think of another way to essentially stain the joints. I think the same could possibly be done with a brush and alcohol inks directly maybe? But my hubs has Prismacolor Alcohol based markers so I switched gears to bring those.

And yea! A very good option! At this point I'd already washed and resanded the body to remove the outer layers of the dye from the hard plastic parts so in that image she's pretty light again. It takes extremely well to the hard plastic parts and because the concentration of alcohol is much lower it doesn't make the vinyl arms feel sticky like the inks did. I have a video of the joints moving I'm going to upload on its own after. Cause I really think this might be a viable way to help reduce the obviousness of joints in skintone changes, and I don't want it buried in my nonsense 😂

I ended up coloring the whole body with the marker, not just the joints. The hard plastic took the pigment so well that if the paint does end up scraping off anywhere it was worth it to have the marker color underneath everything. I know that spots like the knees and the butt were getting scrape marks on the first repaint just from posing, so hopefully this helps those spots look good well after I'm finished the doll!

At this point I've now gotten the body all prepped and ready to paint with the new skintone. Sanded, dyed, MSC'd, and waiting! I started working on the new head while I was figuring out the dye situation.

I wasn't planning on making this a multiple post thing (other than the video) but I think I'ma split it up here! I'm still going to type out the next post now but I'll schedule it for later 😂 Because unlike Insta, I can do that and not have to remember to come back and actually make the post later.

And thanks if you've read this far ☺️ I apreaciate the interest! See you in the next one!

[coochiequeens]

A small victory for women in American politics

Kentucky’s next Supreme Court is shaping up to be a historic one for women. 

Deputy Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert will become Kentucky’s chief justice in January. (Administrative Office of the Courts photo)

With the election of Kentucky’s first Black female justice, Pamela Goodwine, women will hold four of the court’s seven seats. Additionally, the court will be led by the first female chief justice, Deputy Chief Justice Debra Lambert, starting in January. 

As of earlier this year, 17 states have female majorities on their supreme court benches, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice. Alaska was also poised to gain a female majority after seven women sought a seat on its Supreme Court this summer. 

Goodwine’s election also makes her the first woman in history who will serve at every level of Kentucky’s judiciary branch: district court, circuit court, appeals court and the Supreme Court. . She said in a statement to the Kentucky Lantern that the milestone “reminds me of the women who came before me, paving the way through hard work, determination and resilience, often overcoming significant obstacles to reach their goals.” 

“Their struggles paved the way for our successes today, and it is our duty to continue their legacy and to forge a path for others as well,” Goodwine said. “Throughout my life, education and career, I have faced what many described as insurmountable challenges, but I don’t give up on my dreams when things get hard. I simply work harder to make my dreams come true.” 

Women outnumber men in law schools

Two previous female justices — Sara Walter Combs and retired Janet Stumbo — both say the new majority of women on the high court is a reflection of the increase in women in the legal profession. 

In 2016, women for the first time made up the majority of students in the nation’s law schools, according to the American Bar Association, which says the change came slowly. In 1963, only 4% of first-year law students were female, rising to 20% in 1973, 39% in 1983 and 44% by 1993.

In Kentucky last year women made up the majority of law students at the University of Louisville (53%) and Northern Kentucky University (55%). Female and male enrollment were about even at the University of Kentucky in 2023-24 with 203 women and 206 men enrolled in the law school.

Judge Sara Walter Combs Combs was the first woman to serve on Kentucky’s Supreme Court after being appointed by Gov. Brereton Jones in 1993. She now serves on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. When she began taking law classes at night at the University of Louisville, she said she was one of very few women in her law class. 

“When I started my work career, I was a teacher, and the one thing that women could do, predominantly in that period of our history, was to teach or to be a nurse,” Combs said. “Well, they’re still wonderful professions; it’s just a matter that now there are more options for women beyond those two choices, and I think the more options we have, the better, because we all have different talents.” 

While she was reluctant to “to tie gender and competency to one another,” Combs applauded the women on the Kentucky Supreme Court. 

“They have good legal minds, they have a great work ethic, they’re collegial, they’re everything that a good judge should be. They just happen to be women,” Combs said. “I’m delighted that they haven’t been held back because of that fact, but I would prefer to emphasize the fact of their competence rather than their gender.”

When asked if the majority of women could be a sign of increasing diversity on the bench in the future, Combs said a diverse pool of judges is needed to review cases. 

“I hope it does, because our social problems are very diverse in nature and origin, and I think their solution will require some diversity of approach to how we solve these problems,” she said. 

Change takes time

Stumbo, who was the first woman elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1993 and retired from the Court of Appeals in 2017, said that diversity on the bench — in terms of race and gender — is a change that happens over time. Kentucky judicial candidates are required to be a licensed attorney for some time before seeking election. A district judge requires two years while the Supreme Court requires eight years. 

Retired Justice Janet L. Stumbo stands beside her portrait, painted by artist Tona Barkley, following a dedication ceremony Dec. 6, 2023. The portrait joined others of justices in the corridors of the second floor of the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort. (Photo by Brian Bohannon)

“The composition of the bar has changed greatly,” Stumbo said. “The number of women who are lawyers, the number of minorities who are lawyers, has increased dramatically, and that’s the way we’ll see more diversity on the bench.” 

Stumbo said that the majority of female justices shows that the electorate in Kentucky is also more accepting of women being in these high-ranking roles. 

“There’s definitely more work to be done, but women are succeeding and succeeding in ways that are getting them recognized as fine litigators and tenacious litigators and people that you’re proud to have representing you,” Stumbo said. 

Judge Goodwine speaks to supporters at her election night watch party in Lexington Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

Women would have won a majority of Kentucky Supreme Court seats no matter how the Nov. 5 election turned out. Goodwine’s opponent also was a woman, Lexington attorney Erin Izzo.

Goodwine echoed those sentiments. She said that each justice on the court “carries unique perspectives and experiences” and that it’s imperative that younger generations see themselves reflected in the highest levels of the judiciary. She said that many have “expressed gratitude to me for being a trailblazer helping to forge a path for others to follow in my footsteps in their chosen profession, and that increases my drive and dedication to ensure that our justice system reflects our community.” 

“This new chapter for our court affirms the progress we have made and also challenges us to move forward with purpose and conviction,” Goodwine said. “We honor the legacy of our forerunners by continuing to uphold the principles of fairness, justice and equality for all. It is a responsibility I take to heart, and I look forward to working with my esteemed colleagues to protect the rights and uphold the dignity of everyone in our state ensuring that the Kentucky Supreme Court is a beacon of justice for all.” 

[raeynbowboi]

How to Play as Gardevoir in Pathfinder 2e

Gardevoir is my favorite Pokemon, and has been since I saw Wally's on Victory Road, got jealous, and completely restarted the game to get a Ralts. I've found that Pathfinder is a lot more flexible than DnD, so I thought it'd be interesting to try building a Pokemon.

ANCESTRY SEER ELF

I was tempted to make Gardevoir a Poppet or a Sprite. Poppets are tiny constructs in the form of dolls and toys, and the Gardevoir line is inspired by Anesama Ningyo paper dolls. However, Poppets are Small creatures, with Toy Poppets having the option to be Tiny. Sprites are the only playable Fey race in Pathfinder 2e, and the Ralts line are all Fairy-type Pokemon. However, all Sprites are Tiny, except the Pixie Sprite, which can be Small. The Ralts line is also inconsistent in size. Ralts is a Tiny creature being 1'04'', Kirlia is a Small creature being 2'07", and Gardevoir is a Medium sized creature being 5'03". There is no means in Pathfinder for a creature to grow in size permanently. So, why an Elf? Truthfully, it's because while Pathfinder has a lot of Ancestry options, at the same time, the actual number of options is limited. However, Elf does work for Gardevoir. They're tall, thin, and graceful like her. Seer Elves can detect magic around them. If you can talk your DM into ignoring the sizes allowed for Poppets and Sprites, then I would choose the Wishborn Poppets who can succeed against Emotion effects easier, or Draxie Sprites, who can telepathically communicate with anyone they touch.

VARIANT ANCESTRY FEY INFLUENCE

At level 5, any character of any race can choose Fey Influence for their racial feat, unlocking other fey racial feats as they level up. Fey Influence lets you take on features of an Anteater, Cat Sith, Cursed Bluebird, Dryad, Faun, Gremlin, Monarch, or Unicorn. While none of these really stand out as mapping well onto Gardevoir, she does have the horn on her chest, so you could go with the Unicorn. With Fey Influence, the Unicorn gains the ability to cast Heal, and at level 9 with Fey Ascension, the Unicorn makes Gardevoir Trained or Expert in Medicine, and grants her +2 to saves against Poison and Charms. If nothing else, this is another way to add Fey vibes to Gardevoir to fit her Fairy Type.

STATS

STR +0 DEX +5 CON -1 INT +6 WIS +5 CHA +5

SKILLS

Trained: Acrobatics, Crafting, Deception, Intimidation, Shelyn Lore, Medicine, Nature, Occultism, Performance, Society, Stealth Expert: Medicine (Fey Influence) Master: Legendary: Arcana, Diplomacy, Religion

PSYCHIC THE DISTANT GRASP EMOTIONAL ACCEPTANCE

There was no doubt which class Gardevoir had to be, she was a Psychic type first before she ever became a Fairy. Psychics also get access to the Occult Spell List, which is loaded with spells that deal with psionics, mental magic, emotion magic, shadow magic, and illusions, making it a very good fit for Gardevoir. The Emotional Acceptance Subconscious Mind means that Gardevoir's psionics manifest through control and expression of her emotional state, which felt fitting for her. Her horn senses the emotions of others, and her earlier stages are each known as The Feeling Pokemon and The Emotion Pokemon.

CLOISTERED CLERIC Of SHELYN (Archetype) REPOSE, PROTECTION, or FAMILY DOMAIN

Shelyn is the Golarian goddess of love, a fitting choice for the Embrace Pokemon. Shelyn's Domains also fit Gardevoir well. Protection lets Gardevoir take damage for an ally and create a protective area. Repose lets Gardevoir steel her allies against Emotion spells, and later can create a soothing beacon where allies can cleanse themselves of negative emotion conditions. The Family Domain bolsters ally Wisdom Saving Throws, and moreso against Emotion spells. In addition, it can also attempt to remove a negative emotion condition. Later, the Family Domain can share their spell saving throw modifier with their allies to protect them against spells. All three domain options make Gardevoir an excellent guardian protecting her friends and allies. Unlike DnD where a Cleric can only embody one Domain, Clerics have class feats that let them invest in as many domains as they want to, provided their Deity grants access to those Domains. Each deity also adds 3 spells to the Divine Spell List that their Clerics can choose to prepare. Clerics of Shelyn get to add Dizzying Colors, Enthrall, and Creation to the Divine Spell List. Gardevoir must be Legendary in Religion to gain access to high level Divine spells through this archetype.

FEY BLOODLINE SORCERER (Archetype)

Gardevoir is also a Fairy-type, and the Divine Spell List doesn't really add much in the way of Fey magic. Unlike Cleric and Psychic where the class has a set Spell List, the Sorcerer's Spell List changes depending on your Bloodline. The Fey Bloodline grants the Primal Spell List. Ordinarily, a Sorcerer gets granted spells like the Psychic, but when taken as an Archetype, these spells are not gained automatically. However, a Sorcerer Archetype can still choose spells from their Granted Spell List as though they were on the Primal Spell List. In addition to the Primal Spell List, the Fey Bloodline Sorcerer gets access to: Figment, Charm, Laughing Fit, Enthrall, Suggestion, Cloak of Colors, Mislead, Visions of Danger, Uncontrollable Dance, and Resplendent Mansion. Gardevoir must be Legendary in Nature to gain access to high level Primal spells. While I feel that Cleric better grants Gardevoir the types of spells she would use, Fey Bloodline does well to grant her the elemental coverage moves she can learn through TMs. So, I'll leave my recommended spell list if you choose Fey Bloodline instead of Cloistered Cleric.

C Frostbite, Vitality Lash 1 Heal, Chilling Spray 2 Entangling Flora, Mist 3 Moonlight Ray, Fireball 4 Radiant Beam, Petal Storm 5 Elemental Breath, Lightning Storm 6 Field of Life, Moonlight Ray(+3) 7 Eclipse Burst 8 Moonburst(+1)

Psychic Spells Cleric Archetype Spells

C Phase Bolt, Telekinetic Projectile, Warp Step, Guidance, Shield 1 Kinetic Ram; Force Barrage, Soothe, Heal, Sanctuary 2 Telekinetic Maneuver; Empathic Link, Noise Blast, Clear Mind, Restoration 3 Levitate; Martyr's Intervention, Percussive Impact, Moonlight Ray, Protection(+2) 4 Fly; Chromatic Ray, Mirror's Misfortune, Cloak of Light, Radiant Beam 5 Telekinetic Haul; Repelling Pulse, Synaptic Pulse, Moonlight Ray(+2), Spiritual Torrent 6 Poltergeist's Fury; Scintillating Safeguard, Collective Transposition, Field of Life, Spirit Blast 7 Telekinetic Bombardment; Prismatic Spray, Shadow Raid, Eclipse Burst 8 Falling Sky; Scintillating Pattern, Spirit Song, Moonburst(+1) 9 Foresight; Phantasmagoria, Prismatic Sphere 10 Freeze Time, Gate

SIGNATURE SPELLS 1 Force Barrage 2 Noise Blast 3 Percussive Impact 4 Chromatic Ray 5 Repelling Pulse 6 Poltergeist's Fury 7 Telekinetic Bombardment 8 Spirit Song 9 Phantasmagoria

FOCUS SPELLS

C Telekinetic Hand (Amped) C Telekinetic Projectile (Amped) C Telekinetic Rend C Vector Screen C Dancing Blade

10 Soothing Words (Family Domain) 10 Unity (Family Domain)

INNATE SPELLS

Detect Magic Mindlink (Elves only)

Conclusion

Ultimately, I come away satisfied with this build. It may not be able to do every single thing Gardevoir can do, but it feels appropriate to what Gardevoir is and the core of its design. It has a plethora of telekinetic abilities, it has options to include its Fairy typing, and it even works her protective nature into her abilities. This will be far from the last character I build in Pathfinder. So, who do you want to see next?

[bouncingbluebeast]

"It takes Understanding to accept it as a whole! Knowledge to set the proper pace! Courage to attack the mountain of meat and Dedication to keep on eating! All these skills are needed to finish off the MEGA BEEF BOWL!" Do you accept the challenge?

"A test of one's better qualities, eh?"

Hank observes the towering bowl of beef, rice, onions and sauce from his reinforced seat as he spilled over on both sides. He strokes his chin thoughtfully and notes the architectural stability of stacking such high amounts of meat - a practice he's come to be familiar with in his own life.

"Very well, I suppose I am a bit peckish..."

The Beast takes a pair of large chopsticks and manages to hold them in his clawed paw-hands, takes a deep breath, then commences his assault.

The first leg of the challenge is bypassing the delay in signals the brain gets for fullness, on average a signal delivered in 20 minutes once the nerves lining the stomach reach a certain level of strain containing the contents for digestion. It is both a race and a marathon, aiming for the highest amount of meat - an already calorie-rich and filling foodstuff - to be devoured before overcome by physical constraints.

The second leg is one of mental fortitude by enduring flavour fatigue. Meals that are tiresome to eat are often the result of a lack in variety or diversity in flavour profiles. The salty savory mixture is both deadening on the taste buds and dehydrating with sodium, tempting a weaker traveler to fill up on water.

The third is a matter of hand-eye-mouth coordination, regulated breathing to keep a steady rhythm whilst going through the food as quickly as possible. Collecting consistently sized bites and timing it with the chewing and swallowing to allow for another mouthful, only to repeat, means that focus on the task must be paramount.

"Knowledge, Courage, and Dedication" indeed. One mustn't be brought out of the fugue state by a promise of victory when encountering rice, either. Regrettable that it turns the pleasure of food into such a sport, though I'm sure the spectacle is-

CLINK

Hank's chopsticks hit the bottom of the Mega Beef Bowl as he is brought out of his strategic trance and looks around at the decimated dish, the chef looking on in awe, and a crowd that had gathered to watch in mixed parts fascination and horror.

Hank's stomach gurgled loudly in triumph, before rumbling up his throat with a room-shaking belch.

BUOARRRRRP!

"Goodness gracious, I beg your pardon!"

Heat flushes to his face in a bright blue as he dabs at his mouth and tusks with a napkin, resting the chopsticks on the bowl in the customary fashion. Clapping his hands together with a bow towards the chef, he says a very low and polite "gochisousamadeshita", before moving to get up.

That's when it hits Hank how incredibly full he is, leaning back to let his overstuffed stomach take the lead.

"Oh, - urp - dear...well I can say with confidence my healing factor will be quite effective these next few weeks. I suppose that would be the challenge completed then?"

The crowd parts as the Bouncing Blue Beast breaches the door with a small effort to squeeze through. He ponders to himself, "I wonder if I could have a small dessert to clean my palate...?"

[deadlyhimbo]

A thought for folks who live in functionally-two-party democracies*, courtesy of current Canadian politics:

I live in British Columbia, a province that has been a leftist stronghold for so long that it has been a two-party race between the Liberals (generally centre-left at the federal level, but decidedly centre-right or even right wing at the provincial level) and NDP (leftists) for *over 50 years*. There hasn't been a Conservative Party to speak of in my lifetime.

We had an election this year, and the Conservatives did the unthinkable: they became a viable provincial party (thanks to the combined effect of rising right-wing populism and the absolute implosion of the BC Liberal Party) and have come within a hairs-breadth of winning.

How close did they get?

So close that it's been over a week since the election ended, and we still don't know the final result, because the leadership of our province has come down to absentee ballots and recounts.

A party needs 47 seats to form a majority government (i.e. one where they control the majority of votes in the legislature, and thus can set policy even without the cooperation of other parties), and more seats than anyone else to form a minority government (where they lead, but need to cooperate with others to pass any legislation). It's also possible to form a coalition with another party to gain leadership together.

This morning, we were here:

And some of those races have been jaw-droppingly close:

Over the course of today, we've been watching the closest riding, Surrey-Guildford, flip to the NDP.

It's a change that, on its own, determines if the NDP is a majority or minority government.

It's been a fucking nail biter.

11am

12:45pm

1:30pm

2:30pm

The shape of the government for millions of people hangs on a bare handful of votes.

Your vote matters.

Every. Single. Vote. Matters.

I know people who didn't vote because they couldn't imagine the possibility of a Conservative victory in BC. We've been a "safe" leftist stronghold for so long that even experienced politicians have been blindsided by the events of this election. Nobody thought this could happen here.

Please don't assume your vote won't count.

Please remember that voting is a political action that has concrete, practical consequences, and not an act of self-expression.

Do you hate living in a two-party state? Me too. So push for electoral reform. Advocate for proportional representation, or ranked choice voting, or any other model that isn't FPTP. Help third parties grow and extend their influence outside of election season.

But please vote with an understanding of the system as it currently functions. Taking your vote out of the equation by abstaining or voting for an unviable third party just makes everyone else's votes have more weight. It's an abdication of the small but very, very, real power you have.

Vote.

---

* i.e. places where there are 3+ parties, but only two of them are remotely close to winning, and where First Past The Post (FPTP) vote counting means that a vote for a third party/independent has the same practical effect as a throwaway/protest vote

[tenebraevesper]

Shatter Me, Entry 4: LOVE or HATE?

''For example, if I let my hair sway a little, will the voice I hear be LOVE or HATE? Do whatever you like, no matter what they say, I won't stop walking. Unstoppable news, they'll forget it tomorrow. Today is better than yesterday, believing leads to a big victory. Sync with the rhythm, I want to be swaying, but the outsiders are noisy, noise canceling. For example, if I trace my finger a little, will your choice be LOVE or HATE? Do whatever you like, make your cheeks turn red and spitting, boy. Differences in hobbies, differences in peace of mind, even if I confuse you my path is shaped by just LOVE or HATE.''

– LOVE or HATE? by Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord

xXxXxXx

''Keep up, Faker! I know you can do better!''

Shadow narrowed his eyes, keeping a close eye on the Blue Blur before him as both skated past the greenery, determined not to lose to his rival. Unlike all the other times, where he was fine acknowledging Sonic's speed and strength, this was a battle he couldn't afford to lose. He was determined to win, no matter the methods he would use. He needed to win this, for his own sake.

''Don't underestimate me!''

A cheerful laugh echoed in Shadow's ears echoed as he and Sonic weaved through this area of Green Hill. Shadow couldn't help but smile, well aware that Sonic was probably having the time of his life being in a chase like this.

''If I wanted to underestimate you, I wouldn't be avoiding you like this,'' Sonic said, leaping on a platform to get to higher ground, only to get startled when Shadow suddenly warped right in front of him. ''I guess I should focus more on the fight rather than the talk.''

''I'm glad that you recall what I had told you,'' Shadow responded, arms folded across his chest in the typical manner, although his lips were graced by a small smirk. Surprisingly, instead of just grabbing Sonic then and there, he decided to stay where he was, although it helped that he was about three steps away from reaching his rival. Sonic grinned playfully, his eye-lids lowered as he took a step back, his hands on his back.

''It helps that you made sure to remind me of it over and over again, but I don't think that'll stop me from quipping,'' Sonic said.

''If you ever stopped making quips, it would be a sign that something is really wrong with you,'' Shadow replied, taking a step forward.

''Heh, you know me too well, Shads,'' Sonic replied, only to leap from the platform backwards, curling into a ball and bouncing down, before resuming the chase.

Sonic was fully aware that, no matter how fast he was, Shadow would be able to catch up to him at some point. He didn't mind losing though, as he already knew what might happen after he loses the race, but that didn't mean that he was going to make it easy for Shadow. Speaking of which, his rival had warped right behind him, followed by another warp right in front of Sonic, forcing the azure hedgehog to dodge. Sonic gritted his teeth when Shadow suddenly appeared behind him, a smirk on his expression and the green Chaos Emerald in his hand. Sonic leapt away, but took only a few steps before Shadow appeared again, forcing Sonic to turn the other way, but Shadow was ahead of him once again.

''What's the matter, Sonic? It seems that you cannot escape me,'' Shadow teased him. Sonic turned around to punch him, but Shadow caught his hands, with the two ending up in a grappling hold.

''To make it clear, this does not count as you having caught me,'' Sonic stated, his eyes narrowed as he tried to push Shadow way while keeping a tight grip on his hands, but they remained locked in position. ''You'd have to do better than this!''

''I'm not going to argue with that, since you can still fight back,'' Shadow said, a devious smirk gracing his lips. ''Therefore, I'd have to go out of my way and follow your brand of unpredictability.''

''Wha-?'' Before Sonic could even get a question out, Shadow suddenly pulled his hands downwards, causing Sonic to stumble forward, with Shadow letting go of him just to wrap his arms around Sonic's torso and pulling him closer. Sonic's fawn muzzle turned crimson red when he suddenly found himself in Shadow's embrace, his own hands resting on Shadow's fluffy chest fur. His own heart was racing, feeling as if it was going to break through his ribcage.

''So, how's that for being unpredictable?'' Shadow asked, his gaze soft, yet showing a clear sense of smugness Sonic was all too familiar with. It was obvious that he enjoyed seeing Sonic being so flustered, especially since he knew that he was the cause of it. However, Sonic was quick to bounce back.

''Fine, I'll admit that you caught me off guard,'' he said, narrowing his eyes, not trying to show that he actually felt quite comfortable held like this. Even though Shadow had technically caught him, it seemed that there was an unspoken agreement between them to continue, as Shadow let go of him a moment later, allowing Sonic to step back and create some distance. Sonic then stretched his hands above his head, intertwining his fingers, and taking a moment to figure out his next move. He then saw a gleam in Shadow's crimson eyes, alerting him to his rival's next move.

Suddenly, Shadow lunged at him, but Sonic managed to leap back, dodging Shadow, with the chase then resuming. Sonic sped off between the palms, finding himself back at Hedgehog's Pass and leaping onto the platform above. He didn't even have to turn around to know Shadow was right behind him, his ears flicking at the sound of his rival's air shoes as he got closer and closer. Sonic took a turn, hoping that he could shake Shadow off at the Loop-de-Loop, followed by running around the other platforms as if he was on a roller-coaster. Up, down, all around… Sonic felt the adrenaline pumping through his body as he sprinted towards a clearing, only to hear a familiar sound and dodging a spin-dash from Shadow at the last second, with both skidding to a halt as they faced each other.

''Nice try, Shads, but you'll have to step up- agh!'' Sonic suddenly found himself flying when Shadow used Chaos Control to warp closer and rammed into him, knocking him down on the ground. Shadow walked up to him with a smirk on his expression.

''You're losing focus-''

However, before he could even finish, Sonic got up faster than expected, spin-dashing into Shadow and knocking him back into a palm tree. The ebony hedgehog was more stunned than hurt, staring back at his azure rival, who just gave him a teasing smile.

''What was that about losing focus? Seriously, Shads, don't you know that you should pay attention to your opponent during a battle?'' Sonic lectured him, hands placed on his hips. Shadow snorted in amusement, having to admit that Sonic was right. He did underestimate his rival, having thought that he finally managed to knock Sonic out, but he should've known better. Still, he felt as if it wasn't a big deal. This wasn't one of their usual battles where they would argue about the best way to save the world. This was something they were doing for themselves, dishing out hits and taking them as they went on, feeling genuinely relaxed about this whole ordeal.

Nevertheless, Shadow wasn't going to let Sonic win this battle.

Sonic's eyes widened as he saw Shadow showing off the Chaos Emerald, realizing that his rival was about to use Chaos Control again. He wasn't sure whether Shadow was trying to warp closer to him or whether he had planned to use Chaos Control to actually stop time, noting to himself that the latter would be kinda cheating, since Sonic obviously wouldn't be able to make a move if that's what happened. Therefore, he didn't even wait to learn what Shadow's intentions were, running off again.

Shadow narrowed his eyes as Sonic disappeared once again, kicking up dirt and smoke, but he already anticipated that move. He quickly followed him up a hill, knowing that this would be his opportunity, using Chaos Control once again to warp closer. Sonic seemed to have anticipated that move, as he turned back, ready to continue the fight.

It's now or never!

Sonic gasped in surprise, having not expected for Shadow to suddenly tackle him from the side, causing both of them to tumble and roll down the hill, all the while still fighting over who'd land on the top. Unfortunately for Sonic, he was the one who lost, with Shadow finally pinning him down, keeping a tight grip on his arms and straddling his waist. Both were breathing heavily, their chests visbly heaving as they tried to catch their breath. Sonic tried to lift his limbs, but it was clear that Shadow wasn't letting him go this time.

''I win,'' the ebony hedgehog said, a triumphant smirk on his lips. Sonic's mind was racing, still trying to find a way out of this situation, but the voice in his head told him to just give up. It was over. Nevertheless, Sonic remained defiant.

''You must be really enjoying your victory,'' he quipped in a deadpan tone.

''Hmph, I do,'' Shadow replied in a matter-of-fact tone, with Sonic knowing that his rival was holding himself back from ribbing Sonic about it. Both were surprisingly silent, the only sound being that of them breathing as they tried to recover from the ordeal.

Sonic gazed into Shadow's eyes, emerald locking with crimson, and he knew that the same question was on his rival's mind – what would be their next move? Admittedly, both of them knew what was coming, but there was some uncharacteristic hesitance on both sides, as this was still new territory for both of them to explore. Sonic could feel a wave of warmth spreading through his body, sparking like electricity, only for a strange weight to settle down in the pit of his stomach as as he parted his lips when Shadow leaned closer, their noses almost touching.

''So, what now?'' Shadow's breath ghosted Sonic's lips, leaving his rival trembling with anticipation. The ebony hedgehog knew well what Sonic's answer would be, but he wanted to enjoy this moment just a little bit longer. Not only that, but he also wanted to absolutely make sure that Sonic agreed to it. He knew that neither of them were good at communicating their feelings, so asking him a question like this was important. Fortunately for him, the look Sonic gave him was that of impatience and slight irritation.

''I believe that this the moment where you claim your prize, Faker,'' Sonic told him in a deadpan tone.

Shadow let out a soft laugh, well aware that Sonic wasn't the most patient person either, and probably just wanted to get this over with. He leaned closer, whispering, ''Your call, Faker…''

''I will crush you once and for all, Hedgehog!''

Both Sonic and Shadow audibly groaned, rolling their eyes as they heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance and snapping them out of their moment.

''You gotta be kidding me!'' Sonic groaned, glancing back at Shadow, his annoyed expression mirroring Shadow's.

''The Doctor had picked the worst of moments for attacking us,'' Shadow growled in irritation. He and Sonic then got up, turning to the small army of Badniks approaching them, with Dr. Eggman sitting in his Eggmobile.

''Well, look at this on the positive side. At least we don't have to deal with five of him this time,'' Sonic replied.

''Fair point,'' Shadow responded. Both then turned their attention towards Dr. Eggman and his Badniks.

''Yo, Egghead! What are you up to this time?'' Sonic shouted, with Shadow deciding to let him take over this conversation. Knowing the dynamic between his rival and the Doctor, he was certain that their enemy would eventually reveal his plans, giving Sonic and Shadow enough information to stop him. ''Let me guess! You have found another magical gem! Oh, or even better! You decided to awaken an ancient eldritch abomination and lost control of it!'' Sonic then tilted his head. ''Or, is it both?''

''Unfortunately for you, rodent, it's neither. Instead, I decided to go back to the basics!'' Dr. Eggman replied, only for a blue blur to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Shadow was alert enough to dodge it, but Sonic wasn't that lucky, being dragged into the foliage by a familiar foe.

''Metal?!'' Sonic was shocked to see Metal Sonic appear to battle him, as he hadn't seen him in quite a while. ''I though you were out of commission or something like that.'' Metal responded by throwing him on the ground, followed by a punch that managed to crack the ground below. Fortunately, Sonic rolled over, dodging the attack and quickly getting on his feet. ''Oh, right, you don't talk unless you're Neo Metal Sonic.'' Sonic dodged a kick. ''Y'know, after dealing with Chaos Sonic, I really appreciate your silence.'' Metal Sonic suddenly fired an energy blast from his chest cavity, forcing Sonic to dive down to dodge it, with the explosion leaving the foliage behind him charred. ''Phew, I'm glad that the Chaos Council did make a Chaos Sonic with your weapons. That guy was already hard to beat as he was, and ten times as annoying.''

Metal Sonic started to charge up once again, with Sonic taking off running. The azure hedgehog smirked, being glad to go back to the familiar dynamic he had with his robotic rival, and already forming a plan in regards to how to defeat him.

Meanwhile, Shadow was left dealing with the Badniks and listening to Dr. Eggman's gloating. The dark hedgehog was dodging attacks from Buzz Bombers and smashing through a Caterkiller and a Motobug with a well-aimed spin-dash. Admittedly, while he was a bit concerned about Sonic, he knew his rival well enough to know that he could handle Metal Sonic on his own, leaving Shadow to deal with the rest.

''Chaos Spear!'' Shadow snapped his fingers, summoning a green bolt of energy and throwing it directly into the Badniks, obliterating them. He could hear Dr. Eggman growl in frustration, feeling quite satisfied to hear that. Nevertheless, it seemed that the Doctor wasn't going to give up so easily.

''How about this, Shadow? If you tell me the location of the Paradox Prism, I'll make sure that some remains of you are left,'' Dr. Eggman proposed just as Shadow found himself getting cornered by the Badniks. Shadow just rolled his eyes in response.

''You are the third person who asked me about the Paradox Prism, Doctor, and the answer is still the same,'' Shadow replied in a firm tone, summoning another Chaos Spear. ''No.''

With that said, he weaved between the Badniks, using the bolt of energy as a weapon to pierce through them, freeing the Flickies that were trapped inside them. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sonic fighting Metal Sonic, exchanging blows and spin-dashing into his robotic counterpart, only to end up hitting Metal Sonic's Black Shield. Shadow narrowed his eyes, glancing back at the rest of the Badniks, with a smirk forming on his lips. He held up the green Chaos Emerald.

''Chaos Control!''

Shadow could feel the energy of the Chaos Emerald coursing through his body and spreading into the environment, with time around him stopping. Using this to his advantage, Shadow quickly spin-dashed into the remaining Badniks, destroying all of them, and allowing time to continue once more.

''Wh-huh?'' Dr. Eggman was baffled to see all of his Badniks destroyed, with Shadow skating towards Sonic. He then frowned, having taken note of Shadow's Chaos Emerald and realizing what had just happened, growling in annoyance. ''That does it!''

Back on the battlefield, Sonic went for the offensive, with Metal Sonic blocking his attacks, only to get a kick to the head from Shadow, causing him to hit the dirt. Sonic then grinned at Shadow. ''Wanna try a combo and send Metal flying?''

Shadow just nodded, and the moment Metal Sonic got up, he found himself being surrounded by two hedgehogs, who curled up into balls and started spinning around him, creating a blue and orange tornado that crackled with energy, damaging Metal Sonic and sending him flying straight at the Dr. Eggman, landing in the Eggmobile, defeated.

''This is not the last you see of me!'' Dr. Eggman growled, flying the Eggmobile away.

''See you next time, Eggy!'' Sonic shouted after him, leaving Dr. Eggman grumble furiously. Sonic chuckled, well aware that his adversary would soon come up with another plan to ruin his day. He then playfully elbowed Shadow. ''Wanna bet he's going to be back by next Tuesday?''

''Probably even earlier if he is properly motivated,'' Shadow replied, with Sonic nodding in agreement.

''Sonic!''

Sonic and Shadow then turned around to see Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge joining them, clearly on edge and alert, only to stop at the sight of scrapped Badniks. Knuckles rose an eyebrow, turning to the two hedgehogs. ''What happened here?''

''You guys just missed a fight with Eggman, but don't worry-'' Sonic started, only to pull Shadow into a side-hug, placing his hand around the latter's waist. Shadow, in turn, was startled by this move, but didn't push Sonic away, figuring that he might as well get used to it. This wasn't the first time Sonic did that, nor will it be the last time. ''Shadow had helped me deal with him, so everything's fine now.''

''I guess that's a relief,'' Amy said, letting her Piko Piko Hammer disappear, with her and the rest of the group approaching the two.

''I mean, after taking on the Chaos Council and Chaos Sonic, fighting Eggman and Metal Sonic feels like a piece of cake,'' Sonic continued, only to earn a bunch of confused looks from his friends.

''Chaos Council?'' Tails repeated, furrowing a brow. ''What are you talking about?''

Shadow glanced at Sonic, who seemed to have just realized that he said a bit too much. ''You haven't told them anything?''

''I was about to, but I keep getting distracted,'' Sonic replied, slightly miffed, only to earn a ''Then get to it!'' look from Shadow.

''Blue, what happened?'' Rouge asked. Sonic rubbed the back of his head nervously, trying to figure out how to explain this whole thing.

''Well, it's quite a long story…'' Sonic glanced at Shadow, who nodded in assurance. He then took a deep breath and gave his friends a determined look. ''The truth is, I broke the Paradox Prism and shattered our universe.''

''YOU WHAT?!''

Sonic flinched, having already expected the shocked reaction, but hearing it like this didn't make him feel any better. He gave them a nervous smile. ''Yeah, so that happened… But, you don't have to worry, everything is fine now and the universe is restored to how it was supposed to be.''

''Sonic, we want details,'' Knuckles said in a firm tone, folding his arms across his chest and shooting him a glare. Sonic sighed, glancing once again at Shadow for support. To his surprise and joy, Shadow placed his hand on Sonic's shoulder.

''I'll fill in any blanks in your story in case you forget something,'' he said. Sonic smiled back, thankful for the support, and then turned back to his friends, who were still waiting for an answer.

''I promise, I'll tell you everything, but I think we should find a place to sit down first, because this might just knock you off your feet,'' Sonic told them.

xXx

''…and then Nine restored all of the Shatterspaces with the Paradox Prism, only for it to disappear back to Green Hill. After I said my goodbyes to everyone, the Roses used one of the Chaos Council's ships to transport me and Shadow through the Void, with Shadow carrying me the rest of the way. The next thing I remember was waking up back at the cave with the Paradox Prism just before it got shattered,'' Sonic finished his tale.

''You're lucky I was there, else you wouldn't have made it,'' Shadow added in a grim tone, but Sonic just smiled in response, rubbing his nose.

''Yeah, I really was lucky. Thanks for saving my life, Shads!'' he replied in a nonchalant tone, before turning back to his friends who all had a shocked look on their expression. ''Uh, guys? Guys?''

The group was currently at the beach, having decided to let Sonic tell them everything without any interruptions. Even Big and Froggy were there, sitting on the nearby pier and fishing, although judging by Big's reactions, he too was listening to Sonic's story, being just as stunned as everyone else.

Now, they knew that Sonic had shattered the Paradox Prism, creating the Shatterverse and landing in New Yoke City, where he met Nine who gave him his tech that allowed him to regulate the Paradox Prism Energy inside him, the Chaos Council and Rusty Rose who ruled over New Yoke City, as well as the Resistance led by Rebel Rouge and Renegade Knucks, followed by the battle and race for the Prism Shard. Unable to touch the Shard, he was thrown straight into Boscage Maze, meeting the Scavengers and Thorn Rose and helping the two sides reconcile while also fighting Thorn over the Prism Shard. He managed to return back to New Yoke City, learning of Nine's betrayal and his desire to make The Grim his new home, with Sonic insisting on helping the Resistance, and the unfortunate capture of Nine and the Prism Shard at the Chaos Council's hands, while Sonic ended up in No Place. There, he met Captain Dread and his crew, engaging into a battle with Rusty Rose over the Prism Shard and while he helped Captain Dread to get it, he ended up flying out of No Place and into The Void, where he met Shadow.

This was where Shadow interrupted, explaining the group how he had used the Chaos Emerald to avoid being shattered and emerged in The Void. Unfortunately for him, he discovered that he was unable to enter any of the Shatterspaces Sonic had visited the hard way, causing him to lose the Chaos Emerald to The Void and having to observe Sonic as he was trying to get things back on track, until he finally confronted his rival over what had happened. While Sonic's friends didn't approve of Shadow going straight for beating Sonic up to get him to listen, they did agree that the dark hedgehog had a point, his part of the story resulting in the revelation of Ghost Hill, leaving Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge and Big shuddering at the thought of being just remnants of themselves -  ghosts, as Shadow had put it. What followed was the battle between Sonic and Shadow over Sonic's tech due to Shadow's mistaken belief that he could use it to travel between the Shatterverses, only to be proven wrong and almost ending up being lost in The Void if it weren't for Sonic.

''I totally saved your life!'' Sonic told him cheekily as he got to that point.

''I had also saved your life. We're even now,'' Shadow remarked.

The story continued with Shadow realizing that it's Sonic, and not the tech, who is able to travel through the Shatterverse, with both agreeing (reluctantly on Shadow's part and excitingly on Sonic's part) to work together. Sonic then added how he followed the Chaos Council into Boscage Maze, where he met up with the Scavengers and Thorn, as well as got into contact with Nine. While the battle resulted into a loss of the Prism Shard, Sonic was determined to continue, being knocked into No Place by Shadow, where he ended up in a battle not only against the Chaos Council, but also against Captain Dread's crew, who had been joined by Rusty Rose. Shadow also added how he had been stalling the Chaos Council's mothership, but unfortunately, they lost another Prism Shard, taking the battle to New Yoke City. There, Sonic joined the Resistance once again, getting them up to speed with the situation and tried to save both Nine and the Prism Shards, only to end up fighting Chaos Sonic, a robotic and more annoying version of himself.

After defeating, as Sonic put it, ''Metal Sonic's more annoying cousin'', he and Nine grabbed the Prism Shards and went on a mad chase through the Shatterverse before meeting up with Shadow and going to Ghost Hill to fix the Paradox Prism. Unfortunately, they were followed by the Chaos Council, with Sonic and Shadow teaming up to defend Ghost Hill.

''It was awesome, guys! I wish you could've seen it…'' Sonic trailed off suddenly as he realized what he had just said. He then quickly collected himself, continuing the story.

Unfortunately for the two hedgehogs and Nine, the Chaos Council's forces managed to breach into the cave, even summoning the Prismatic Titan, ''…who for some reason looked like a Kaiju Eggman, I don't even know what was up with that!'', and Sonic having to use the Prismatic Energy to fight back, ''…again, I was totally awesome!'', ending the battle in a solid victory and hope for everything to be restored to the way it was. However, Sonic's enthusiasm quickly vanished when he remembered what happened next, and he fell silent, much to the surprise of his friends.

''Sonic, what's wrong? What happened then?'' Tails asked, giving his big brother a look of concern.

''I… Nine… He…'' Sonic tried to respond, but couldn't get a word out, being still hurt by what had happened between them.

''Nine betrayed us and took the Prism Shards, leaving Ghost Hill to be destroyed,'' Shadow continued in a grim tone, much to the shock of everyone.

Sonic nodded, his tone just as serious as Shadow's, ''We managed to escape to The Void, but I… I thought that it was over. We lost Ghost Hill and the Prism Shards, and we were completely defeated, and I was on the verge of giving up.'' He then smiled fondly, glancing at Shadow. ''But a certain someone had told me that there was always a way, and I realized that we still had a chance to fix this.'' Shadow in turn, just gave him the familiar ''Don't push it look'', with Sonic figuring that some things never change.

The story then continued, with Sonic revealing how Nine used the Paradox Prism to build a fortress within The Grim, as well as robotic versions of Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge and Birdie, forcing Sonic and Shadow to fight him. However, the moment Shadow had realized that Nine was after the Paradox Prism Energy that was within Sonic, Shadow abandoned their initial plan, forcing Sonic to escape The Grim and go back to New Yoke City for support. With the Shatterverse around them decaying, all of the Shatterverse Variants and the Chaos Council agreed to become temporary allies to defend themselves against Nine. When Nine held the No Place pirates as hostages, Sonic insisted on saving them, much to the displeasure of his allies, with him stubbornly heading out to get them back.

''I don't want to lose anyone else… We already lost so much…'' Sonic admitted, feeling the guilt from back them eating its way into his heart. ''I tried to tell myself that it's what I do, that I'm the hero, but when I offered myself to Nine so he could fix the Shatterverse from decaying, he confronted me with the truth. Deep down, after what I did, destroying my own home, it's the only way I can ever live with myself, even if that means I won't live at all.''

''Sonic…''

Sonic's friends, and even Shadow, were quite disturbed by that reveal. Tails especially was hit hard by this, since he always admired Sonic for his heroics, even if his big brother could be a lot to deal with, so to hear that Sonic was told this cruel truth by someone who was like himself was quite difficult to listen to.

''But then, the cavalry arrived, and when I say cavalry, I mean everyone,'' Sonic continued.

The story continued, with Sonic describing how the alliance of the Resistance, the Scavengers, the Pirates and the Chaos Council arrived to aid him in the battle against Nine, with Sonic, who had finally learned to think things through instead of charging recklessly into a battle, handing the leadership over to Rebel, who had figured out a plan to counter Nine (with Rouge showing a look of pride for her Shatterverse Variant). Shadow then interfered, explaining how Nine had kept him busy by sending his own robots and after he saved Sonic, the two managed to escape, witnessing the alliance defeating Grim Big, albeit at the loss of the Chaos Council's mothership. Things escalated quickly, with Nine pushing them back and Rebel's plan failing. This were going from bad to worse, when Sonic suddenly came up with a plan that assured a victory for them.

''Wait, that happened?'' Knuckles asked in disbelief, while Sonic just frowned in response.

''I was also surprised that it worked,'' Shadow added, much to Sonic's chagrin. He did not need both of his rivals to team up against him.

''Hey, I can come up with a solid plan from time to time,'' Sonic protested.

''The only question is whether you can follow through with it,'' Shadow teased him.

''I prefer to think on my feet,'' Sonic replied, moving on with the story.

The plan in question was to pretend to be defeated by Nine's forces while Sonic confronted him directly, forcing Nine to divert the Prism Energy away from his robots and allowing for Sonic's allies to defeat the Grim Alphas and put an end to this whole battle, leading up to a fight between a fight between Sonic, Renegade Knucks and Shadow versus Nine, who was still powered up by the Paradox Prism and was losing control over himself. Realizing that if they didn't stop the fight right then and there, everything would be destroyed, Sonic knocked Nine into his lair, where he protected him from the alliance and made everyone realize just how dire the situation was, as nothing was left of any of their worlds.

''All Nine wanted was to be left alone in peace, and he realized that he had gone too far in trying to accomplish his goal,'' Sonic explained. ''He agreed to help us to atone for what he had done, revealing that he would need to extract the Prism Energy inside me to fully fix the Paradox Prism, but…''

''There was a possibility that you wouldn't survive it,'' Shadow finished the sentence for him. Sonic nodded.

''Well, I had to take my chance. I shattered our reality and drove Nine away by not listening to what he wanted, and it was up to me to make up for my mistake,'' he said in a firm tone. ''Fortunately, I managed to survive the extraction, but only barely. I was basically turning into a Ghost myself.''

The story then ended with Sonic and Shadow describing how the Chaos Council attempted to betray them, only to get defeated, and Nine restoring the Shatterverses, ending in a mad race where the Roses and Shadow tried to get back to Green Hill to save Sonic from ceasing to exist, the result being that both of them somehow found themselves back at just before the Paradox Prism got shattered, with Sonic stopping himself from breaking it again and Shadow warping the Paradox Prism away to safety.

''…and that's how we restored everything to its prime,'' Sonic concluded the story.

There was a moment of heavy silence as his friends just processed what they had just been told. Sonic smiled nervously, wondering what the reaction would be and hoping that his friends wouldn't chew him out for this, even if he deserved it. To his surprise, what ended up happening was a collective sigh of exasperation.

''Well, that at least explains why you acted so weird when we protected the Paradox Prism from Eggman,'' Amy said. ''It is nice to know that you learned a thing or two about teamwork.''

''Heh, yeah,'' Sonic replied, feeling quite relieved that this was their reaction. Knuckles just shook his head.

''It is also very like you to get roped into an adventure without us knowing anything,'' he said.

''I guess we should also be thankful that Shadow was with you to keep you focused on the mission,'' Rouge added, glancing at the dark hedgehog, who was a bit surprised by the compliment, but nevertheless appreciated it, nodding in response. Sonic agreed with that assessment, turning towards Tails.

''Buddy, if you ever get angry at me… Like, 'I'm going to cause an apocalypse' angry, please promise me that we will talk it out,'' he said, the guilt clearly visible on his expression.

Tails just chuckled. ''Yeah, I promise. Although, I wonder if I should also make myself seven mechanical tails. It sounds like it would be quite handy in helping me with my inventions or as weapons.'' When he saw Sonic's alarmed look, he quickly added, ''Hey, I'm just joking, but you really should see your face now.''

''So, what happened to the Shatterverse Variants?'' Amy suddenly asked. ''Do you two know anything?''

Shadow and Sonic exchanged glances, only to shake their heads, with Sonic adding, ''We don't know, but I really hope that everything is fine and that they can live their life in peace.''

Sonic's chest heaved and he lowered his head slightly, something Shadow took note of. It was clear to him that, despite their (mis)adventure in the Shatterverse being finally over, there was still one more conversation they needed to have.

''I suppose all is well that ends well. At least we know what the Paradox Prism can do and to not approach it anymore,'' Rouge said, shrugging nonchalantly, even though she did sound a bit regretful, clearly a bit annoyed that she couldn't get her hands on it. She then gave Sonic and Shadow a smug look. ''Speaking of which, it also explains why two are suddenly so close. An adventure like that would result in some revelations and you two clearly spent a lot of time together. So, are you two official now?''

''Oh, right! I almost forgot!'' Amy clasped her hands together in glee.

''I'd also like to know that,'' Tails added, a wide grin on his expression.

''W-Wait, official? What are you guys talking?'' Knuckles asked, clearly being out of the loop with the most recent events.

''Well, as it turns out, Sonic and Shadow have a huge crush on each other,'' Rouge answered his question, turning to the two hedgehogs who did their best to not look too flustered by being confronted like this. ''All we want is a simple confirmation – are you two official or not?''

''No, we're not official,'' Shadow replied in a blunt tone, arms folded across his chest. This raised some eyebrows, with Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge turning to Sonic for an answer. He just snorted in amusement, well aware that Shadow was technically saying the truth, but still decided to add his own part to the conversation.

''Well, technically, the answer is 'No, we're not official, yet','' Sonic explained. ''We kinda were getting to that part, but we got interrupted by Eggman.''

''Okay, that makes sense,'' Amy said, the rest of the group nodding in agreement. ''But, this should be a foregone conclusion, right?''

Sonic and Shadow exchanged glances, then nodded firmly.

''Yeah.''

''Yes.''

xXx

Sonic took a deep breath, flopping over on his back as he sighed in relief, feeling that he could finally put this whole adventure in the Shatterverse behind himself. He stared at the red and orange sky, having found a cliff just above the ocean that gave him a great view of the sunset. After all the excitement today, he just needed a moment to himself. Still, there was something that was bothering him, and after the conversation he had with his friends, that feeling returned back with full force. A shadow fell over his expression as he thought about it, only for his ears to flick when he heard footsteps, causing him to get up.

''I thought I was the brooding one.''

''Hey, Shadow!'' Sonic turned to his companion, glad to see him. He grinned. ''Nice to see that you have a sense of humor.''

''I was merely making a statement,'' Shadow said in a matter-of-fact tone, albeit glad to see that his comment managed to cheer Sonic up. ''How are you holding up?''

''Well, you know me. There is nothing that I can't bounce back from,'' Sonic said in a chipper tone. ''I was just watching the sunset. Do you want to join me?''

Shadow nodded, with him sitting down next to Sonic on the cliff, gazing ahead at the sunset. He suddenly felt Sonic placing his palm over his hand, briefly glancing towards his rival, who took notice of it and just smiled in return, looking quite content. Shadow let a small smile form on his lips and turn his attention back to the sunset, twisting his palm so he and Sonic intertwined fingers, now holding hands.

''I know you have been thinking about the Shatterverse and about Nine,'' Shadow started, suddenly drawing Sonic's attention. Both turned to each other, with Shadow's expression showing mild curiosity and resolve to have this conversation. ''What was going through your mind?''

Sonic lowered his head, staring ahead at the ocean. ''I know that I said how I'm hoping that Nine and everyone else is doing fine, but… I think I've been lying to myself.''

''Sonic…'' Shadow started, only for Sonic to interrupt him.

''We went back to the moment just before I had shattered the Paradox Prism. If the Prism never got shattered, that would mean that the Shatteverse would never come into existence, which means…'' Sonic didn't want to finish the thought, his voice heavy with sorrow and guilt. Shadow knew that, even if Sonic didn't ask for it, he wanted some kind of answer, either comfort or assurance, but was torn between whether he would want to keep his hopes up or the truth.

''What you said makes sense,'' Shadow started, aware that Sonic needed to hear the truth. ''If the Paradox Prism never got shattered, then it's impossible for the Shatterverse to exist. Our actions had undone all of the events.''

''I figured that would be the case…''

Sonic sighed, leaning against Shadow's shoulder. He remained silent, with Shadow wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him closer and allowing him to feel more comfortable. Both sat like that in silence, observing the sunset before them and listening to the rush of waves crashing against the rocks below them. Shadow could feel Sonic's breath slowing down as he relaxed, simply taking in the moment.

Neither were sure how much time had passed, but it wasn't too long, as Sonic spoke up again, ''So, we're together now, right?''

''That seems to be the case,'' Shadow said, glancing at Sonic and meeting his tired gaze. Suddenly, Sonic leaned closer, leaving a peck on his cheek and giving Shadow a mischievous look.

''Heh, finally managed to kiss you,'' he said, feeling quite proud of himself.

''Tch, you call that a kiss?'' Shadow replied, trying to act dismissive despite the tone of fondness in his voice. Sonic rolled his eyes, despite knowing that Shadow was just messing with him, and decided to play along with his aloof nature.

''If you think you know better, then why don't you show me?'' Sonic goaded him. If he ever had any reservations about this relationship, they were all gone now. It was clear that he wanted this, allowing Shadow to make the final move. Shadow understood the message, a smirk forming on his lips.

''With pleasure,'' he said, placing his hand under Sonic's chin and lifting it up, tilting his head before sealing their lips into a kiss. Sonic's eyes widened for a moment, his whole body trembling in anticipation, and then he relaxed, leaning in closer and losing himself in the warmth of the moment.

Unlike their battles, which were way more fast-paced and passionate, this moment was slow and soft, and both felt as if time had just suddenly stopped, being enveloped in the tenderness of their first kiss. It was filled with sincerity and sweetness, and it felt like a tiny embers sparking and bursting into a great flame. It was all new, yet it had the familiarity both were craving. Neither wanted to change what they had together, but even with their own feelings being now in the open, neither felt as if any change had happened. It was pure bliss, simple and to the point… and unfortunately, it lasted way too short.

''Woah,'' Sonic breathed, feeling stunned as his heart raced a mile a minute. He had experienced a lot of things, but this was something else. It felt as if he just ran several times all across the world and back, leaving with a sense of exhilaration.

''Hmph,'' Shadow breathed, taking a moment to recover from this experience, as he was almost overwhelmed by the sense of elation, followed by disappointment because the moment couldn't last longer. Nevertheless, Sonic was still in his arms, so they could stay like this as long as they wanted. He gave his rival a curious look. ''So, have I managed to convince you?''

Sonic hummed in response, giving Shadow a teasing smile. ''Maybe? I think I need a bit more convincing.''

Shadow smirked, and Sonic took note of Shadow's sharp fangs, with a sudden image of them piercing his own skin his rival and lover claimed him came to his mind, only for Sonic to quickly shake it off, deciding that this was something not something he wanted to think about… yet. For now, he was satisfied with taking it a bit slow, for once.

''You know, we could incorporate moments like this into our sparring matches,'' Sonic suddenly said, a sly smirk on his lips.

''What do you mean by that?'' Shadow asked, having a fleeting feeling of that Sonic was up to. ''Are you implying it should be a reward or-?''

Shadow was cut off when Sonic suddenly pressed his lips against his own. He leaned into it, wishing to capture the moment pleasure, only to feel a sense of pain in his lower lip due to Sonic biting him. Unlike Shadow's own fangs, Sonic's weren't as sharp, so they didn't pierce the skin, but his actions still caught Shadow off guard. Both pulled back, feeling a familiar rush of excitement as they exchanged glances. Both smirked, understanding what the other was up to, because when Sonic suddenly got up to start another race-battle, he was grabbed by his arm by Shadow, who reacted just as fast, pulling Sonic back towards him, holding him in place, with the other hand wrapped around his torso, so Sonic's back was facing Shadow.

Sonic gasped in pain and pleasure as he felt Shadow's sharp fangs sink into his shoulder, a scent of copper filling the air as the dark hedgehog drew blood. This was followed by Shadow dragging his tongue over the bite mark, causing Sonic to shiver and squirm as the former lapped up the blood, eventually releasing his rival. Sonic turned on his heel towards Shadow, placing his fingers on the bite on his shoulder, while Shadow gave him a taunting look, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

''Your turn, Sonic.''

Shadow then turned around, skating away, with Sonic quickly chasing after his rival, a look of playful resolve on his expression. So much for going slow. Well, that's not my style, so it doesn't matter. Shadow is going to pay for this.

Neither of them really cared the fact that they would have to explain why their bodies were peppered in red bite marks to the rest of the team, nor how long it would take for the marks to disappear. All that mattered was that they could explore their rivalry in new ways, finding a challenge in every interaction they had.

Both knew that this was the kind of relationship they wanted, and they were determined to make it last.

Links:

#Previous Chapter

#Current Chapter

#Next Chapter

#Sonic Cyber Revolution (Masterlist)

[popawritter12]

More than 100

ღ𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲! 𝗔𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘅 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀ღ

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Phase 1: General Headcanons.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

>Although Aatrox tries to avoid it, his emotional instability causes him to yell at you almost routinely.

>You're going to have to get used to seeing massacres, although if you know how to manipulate him, he will be more "manageable".

>I assume that if the Darking sleeps, then it would be uncomfortable for you to move by literally sleeping in his hand.

>Aatrox is not capable of saying a miserable "I love you", so don't think that coexistence will be easy.

>He doesn't have a particularly positive relationship with his siblings, but he wouldn't mind if you tried to talk to them either (even if you don't talk to them much).

>Aatrox is careless, it is much easier to escape from him than from other Yanderes.

>Although, when escaping, the stage in which you escape will end up literally destroyed.

>He doesn't usually get along well with physical affection, and it's much worse if you're as small as his/her hand.

>He doesn't like it when you joke about escaping or worse, escaping with Phanteon, I recommend avoiding jokes like that.

>He tends to stay calmer so as not to scare you so much, and it's very difficult for him.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Phase 2: Placed on the tier list.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Aatrox belongs to the group of "not understanding", this is because, in his current state, he does not understand what it is to love, he remembers it in the past, but it is complex for him to understand it 100%.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Phase 3: Story proposals.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

(Name) was Aatrox's companion, and after the events in his lore, (Name) tries to help Aatrox become the way he was before, which develops his Yanderism.

(Name) was one of Atreus' best friends, and when he died at the hands of Aatrox, the latter took (Name) as a "trophy" of his victory.

(Name) is a victim of one of Aatrox's massacres, and draws Aatrox's attention because he was a survivor of several, almost as if he felt persecuted by (Name).

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Phase 4: Odds

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Kidnapping odds: 100%

Chances of death: 50%

Chances of sexual abuse: 40%

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Phase 5: Story prototype + extra data.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

➳♥Probability that your relatives will be killed.

Well: 100% basically.

He himself doesn't like humans, and when there's only one living thing that makes his existence less horrendous, what makes you think he'll let others take it from him?

➳♥Approach.

Considering his track record, we can say that you most likely met him when he massacred one of the many groups he kills almost daily.

➳♥Fall in love

After seeing you several times in several of his massacres, he notices many things about you, which unusually attract his attention; Why would he care about a human? On top of that, one that barely survived his attacks!

➳♥Start of the cycle

And obviously he came back a third time. This time he was interested in having you, you never left his head, seeing you fight, seeing you fight even if you are the weakest person any human has ever met, he loved it. This time, even when you tried to escape, it didn't take me long to catch you, to hold you in his hands like a bug that he could squash for the mere pleasure of it.

➳♥Murder?

Do I need to mention it? No? Well, I'll say it the same: he kills the first thing he sees that turns out to be alive, it doesn't matter if he is human, animal or even a being from the void, if he approaches any of the two, he is already dead.

➳♥ Relationship or kidnapping

Unless you have such an absurdly high level of bravery that nothing intimidates you, even a being over 10 meters, the only result I see is that he kidnaps you, and you adapt to your now new purpose; be of him

➳♥Coexistence

Eh, quite complicated, if you will. Would you give it a 3 out of 10 for how enjoyable it is? Yeah.

Not at first, but eventually he will want more and more of your attention, your love, to see you smile, and he is not kind to ask for it, in fact if you are afraid or brave, he demands love or threatens to try to kill you.

➳♥ Family or marriage.

????

Well, he's a Darkin (I don't know if it says like that), I doubt he understands what family is apart from getting along more or less with Varus or Rhaast, and in fact, the chances of marriage or commitment are not nil, they are non-existent, directly does not know the meaning of sentimental partner or relationship.

↘In case it is possible, children?

Unless one can adapt to the other's size through magic or something, it's literally impossible. And no, I don't care what rule34 says about it.

➳♥ Bad ending.

Either he kills you for your disobedience, or he kills all the people important to you who are alive (unless they died from his previous massacres, which is quite likely), and I do see a relationship in which your only role is adapt to being a mere decoration object to a certain extent.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Extra things:

-I could get to give you an animal so that you can be happy or calmer (I'm not telling you a huge and strong one, but one like a rabbit or a chinchilla).

-If he has to introduce you to someone, I think he will refer to you as "My human", since it is the most agreed if we talk in this context.

-If before he hated Pantheon, now he hates him; since he could try to save you from Aatrox, even if it means that he dies, which would generate anger, and not exactly a little.

-If you insist a little bit, maybe he will slowly stop killing so many people; As I understand it from the lore, I think there's a small chance that your life might comfort him a bit from his meager existence, which is even relieving for him.

♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

[glittering-moonlillie]

Love at First Sight (Damian Wayne x reader)

Word Count: 1,199

Summary: While the rest of his family are off trying to fend off Gotham from a deadly attack, Damian is forced to keep the civilians calm and save them from the carnage imposed by Joker. High off a victory, Damian bumps into a mysterious someone and immediately feels an unwanted connection.

Warnings: Slight Barbara slander(?)

Gotham was ablaze. The shadowy night contrasted with the passionate crimson flames burning into the sky, buildings slowly caving in on top of each other. The people were in a panic, running into the streets with the few belongings they could grasp, most of which being pets or little trinkets. It had been a while since Gotham was this terribly under attack, making it harder for Damian and the rest of his family to take control of the situation. 

Chaos bloomed around Damian like a sickening flower. Batman had told him that he was in charge of keeping the civilians in line and making sure they were away from any harm to come their way. Normally, this would be a job for his older brother Tim, but his father had thought that it would be a good growing opportunity for himself; although Damian was not fond of this idea, he knew better than to complain. 

The voice of Oracle came through his comm system. “Robin, there’s a burning building about to collapse on the far east of Crime alley with a family of four. You need to get there now,”

Damian let out a small hum of confirmation before grappling his way to the falling building. He jumped, following the direction he fired the hook. As his body flew through the air, the youngest Robin couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom - he felt accomplished, like he had a purpose, and with purpose comes control; a control that Damian desperately desired to cling onto in his hectic life. 

If his name were Robin, he deserved to fly like one. 

By the time Damian got to the designated location, the top half of the building had mostly fallen apart. Smoke rose from the building at a dangerous level. The screams of children pierced the air, and as Damian got closer, he realized that it was the family. They were wedged in the staircase of the building, fire surrounding them and effectively preventing them from reaching safety. Without another word, Damian ran over to the building, using his cape as protection from the smoke. 

Damian’s mind raced, trying to think of the most operative way of saving all four members of the family. As he assessed, there were really only two options: either through the burning window or down through the ablaze living room and out the door. Both options, admittedly, were terrible and would require immense agility from the family, and judging that they took in copious amounts of carbon monoxide already, they wouldn’t have the speed needed to get out through the door, even with his help.

“Oh dear Lord, please help us, Robin!” The older woman had said, her voice weak and grainy. A subtle warm and bubbling feeling arose in Damian’s chest at the words, but he managed to push it down before he could actually assess it. He planted himself down on the remaining staircase, silently thanking his father for his fireproof suit. 

“The only way out is through the window and out onto the street. I’ll grab you guys one by one and grapple us down to safety.” Robin said. 

“But how can you do that, won’t you drop us?” The child’s voice tremored. Robin’s eye twitches and it took him a moment before properly responding. This was the exact reason why he loathed working with civilians…

“You’ll just have to trust me. I promise I won’t let you go.” He managed a crooked smile which seemed to soothe the children’s worries enough to carry them one by one out of the window and onto the safe pavement. 

“Damn…this whole city is in chaos and you took the time to save us,” The father stated, “Thank you, Robin.” The warm feeling Damian had felt before resurfaced again, this time in force. It worsened further when the two boys he saved gave him a surprise hug. Out of habit, the youngest Robin stiffened. He failed to miss the glimmer in the boys’ eyes when they looked up at him. 

He was able to save them, and for once in his life Damian accepted the emotion he was feeling - happiness. 

A voice broke his train of thought. “Will we be okay, Robin? What if someone else comes and tries to hurt us again?”

“I…I won’t allow it. No more bad guys will harm you or your family again, I swear by it.” Damian slowly pulled away from the children before awkwardly giving them both a head pat. 

The familiar buzz of Oracle’s voice came through his comms once more. “Wow, that was pretty impressive, Robin. Maybe we should get you and Red Robin to trade places permanently.”

“If you say that again I might feel inclined to poke a hole in one of your tires,” He grumbled. “Besides, just because I do not like most people does not mean I am incapable of saving them one-on-one.” 

Anything else Oracle had said was blocked out by Damian, who was still high from his heroics; nevertheless there was still more saving to accomplish. Gunshots and screams were still the background music of this city and he wouldn’t stop until he changed it for the better. 

At least, that was his plan until he managed to bump into someone and completely lost his train of thought. It was a lapse of judgment on his part, really. He should have been paying attention to his surroundings, especially on this night. Damian turned to mutter a quick apology only to feel a rush of attraction violently hit his face. He had bumped into a girl, a girl with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. The background seemed to fade away as all he could focus on was her - her eyes, her face, her delicate hands, everything. 

It was the same for the girl; she felt everything fade into a Fourth of July night as she stared at the legendary Robin. Blood had decorated parts of his costume like splattered paint and his dark hair was a disheveled mess. Everything about him exuded confidence, as if Gotham’s siege was as easy to take care of as a load of laundry. She treated it as a sign of hope, hope for the wellbeing of herself and the city. There was something else though, something more foreign. A feeling of belonging and connection embraced them both. 

The interaction lasted only a moment, an excruciatingly short moment before everything reverted back to normal. Damian blinked away his fuzziness while the girl quickly turned to hide her blushing features. It was all so sudden, this immense feeling, that they could only run away from each other. 

Tearing away from each other felt like dragging away two magnets destined to connect. The sensation Damian was feeling completely went against everything he believed in. It was too brash, too annoyingly persistent no matter how hard he tried to push down the feeling.  It took everything in his power not to turn back and gaze at the girl. He felt the remaining control he thought he had in his life vanish in his hands.

These emotions he was feeling were too unstable, insatiable even, to be trusted...

I will probably write a part two of this that will focus on a more romantic perspective. I wasn't originally going to write out the whole family saving scene, but I ended up getting carried away (;w;). Fun Fact: This is also the first proper one shot that I have written in over a year! The writing might be rusty but hopefully the story still stands!!