#Silly little mortal thinks they control me

[florainkingdom]

"Come now, who needs such silly things like 'Free Will' and 'The Right to Choose' anymore? Much easier to simply let Fate do its job and guide people down their predetermined path. My sibling can be so silly with this free will nonsense." Fate might as well chime in if their sibling is going to try and sway these other beings to make the story they want to happen.

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 8 part 8

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

so anyway rio could have stepped in at any moment and ejected billy into oblivion / prevented agatha from getting a full recharge. but did she? no, no she didn't. this is absolutely a fucked up game they're playing instead of talking about their feelings. rio tried to talk and agatha rejected her (almost) every time, so theatrics and blood it is! god it sucks so much that this stupid flirt/hurt/posture/dance is the only way agatha allows them to communicate.

agatha's smirk! she's like, now you're gonna get it! now I'm gonna fuck you up!!! rio has been throwing her around like a rag doll, but now that she has her powers back agatha can finally put allllll her shields up and do a little show of her own.

when it comes to agatha everything is about being in control of the narrative, being the one who hurts rather than being hurt, never showing any weakness or vulnerability. she was awfully vulnerable without her powers and that has allowed rio to creep in closer, something that agatha had managed to escape for so long. it's no coincidence that she chooses this appearance, the same one she chose when going face to face with wanda. this is what she was trying to look like with her purple coat too: the formidable, merciless witch. it's an armor she clings to, a mask to feel powerful that won't ever show the mess she's hiding underneath. this is what agatha chooses to look like when she's scared.

rio: fuck off you little meddling twink the adults are talking

agatha: mwhahahah I'm such a big scary villain just lemme check if billy's okay real quick.

actually let me gush for a second about agatha's greenhouse being full of herbs and potions! her witchy basement disappeared because she had built it with a magical illusion, but in here she's been totally experimenting with physical craft (neeeerd).

billy's like, are those two fuckers honestly actually flirting right now

CHILDREN I swear to god

LEAVE MY INFURIATINGLY STUPID EVIL MOM ALONE!!!

poor rio. just her luck that when she finally gets to corner agatha a baby maximoff comes into the picture. I love my perfect mama's boy.

the bittersweet look she gives billy. she's truly having a lot of firsts, now she finally admits that all her dancing/fighting with rio is futile, it's just for show and it won't ever truly solve anything. what is she even doing, involving billy? billy who's still so earnest, so eager to help.

I SEE YOU JAC SCHAEFFER! I SEE YOUR EVIL WAYS! I SEE YOU CREATING THESE SILLY LITTLE SHOWS SO YOU CAN EXPLORE THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF LOSS AND GRIEF AND OUR OWN MORTALITY!!!!

but she's being 100% genuine here???

okay, no, this is still agatha we're talking about.

she's being aT LEAST 80% GENUINE! she's having a moment of clarity, she's contemplating the true awfulness that would be sacrificing billy on the altar of her own fucked up issues. the mask has slipped and the real agatha is peeking through, swords in her heart and all.

her parting words to billy: you are not bad. the same words she wanted to imprint on him when they had their first mask off conversation. don't let people cast you as a villain, like they did with me.

Neither are you, says Billy.

You're the only one who thinks so.

The thing is, being so hated, doing all the fucked up things she does, really hurts agatha. It's no justification whatsoever, doesn't make her any less of a villain. she goes out of her way to be misunderstood, to never show any weakness, to selfishly rationalize all the horror she inflicts, because the alternative is opening up to more potential hurt, and she's been hurt too fucking much in the past. and the more she pushes people away, the lonelier she is. it's a vicious circle.

three people loved her despite it all: rio, and she ran away from her when things got too overwhelming. nicky, and that's a whole other mess that I'll get into next episode.

and now billy loves her, and she craves that love just as much as she wants to run away from it. she'll hurt billy to protect herself, she'll hurt him first because she's afraid that he eventually will leave or die or get mad and will hurt her. because right now? she's feeling so much love for billy, and that's terrifying to her. the more she loves, the more she opens up to heartbreak.

both gorgeous shots

billy: I'm not that nice.

also billy:

then she got an idea. an awful idea. agatha got a wonderful, awful idea.

oh this is perfect, isn't it, agatha? you somehow convinced the boy to turn himself in! if he goes through with it, rio has promised to leave you alone! you'll be free to crawl back to your dark dark corner and accumulate bodies and power like the old miserable smaug you are!

you can see agatha's survival instinct kick into high gear. this is how she has survived so long. this is what she does.

BILLY'S FACE. I got to laugh a bit, sorry kid.

rio shaking her head both in triumph and exasperation. of course you betrayed the kid, agatha you piece of shit. rio didn't expect any less from you.

and she can't even look at him, the coward.

but I thought we were having a moment??

he went ahead and made a grand gesture without being ready to actually sacrifice himself whatsoever, and now he's going "mom??? come back and pick me up, I'm scared??" it's like agatha is kicking a puppy.

the slow, dramatic turn. the evil grinchy grin. this is the most egregious example yet of agatha putting her mask on, and we have all the context to understand exactly what she's doing and to see what's going on both on the surface and inside her wretched little soul. she's not cruel and uncaring, that's play acting - she's actually small and scared and a coward. she's once again running away screaming, rationalizing it as a smart choice and breaking her own heart in the process.

so I know billy's telepathic line was added in post because disney execs feared audiences wouldn't buy agatha turning around on her own. what absolute buffoonery, such massive disregard for your viewers' intelligence.

...on the other hand. billy full on misreading the situation and trying to fix things that are beyond him, only to accidentally hit the target? somehow fixing a delicate fragile problem by hitting it with a hammer? totally on brand for him.

is this how nicky died? it kind of is. she did choose her own fear over nicky's well being, despite loving him so so much.

whether you choose jac's version or disney's version, here's what happens next: agatha stops in her tracks. her stupid grin fades away, and she clutches her chest. she finally did it, she told a lie too big. her poor heart, already bleeding from all the swords stuck in it, simply cannot take one more stab. sure she's all about self-preservation, but at this point she's damned either way: she either goes out saving billy or she's killed by her own regrets and sorrow.

she turns around. she runs. not to billy. to rio.

going back to what my mother jac schaeffer (whom I love more than jesus or pizza) said: this is not agatha enacting a grand plan, she's not taking a ~calculated risk like she'll tell billy later, the fucking liar that she is. sure, she had a vague hope of turning into a ghost, but she didn't know for sure. this is agatha's emotions taking over her brain - like they tend to - and forcing her to use what are probably her final moments on earth to TAKE WHAT SHE'S BEEN CRAVING ALL ALONG

agatha grabs rio's face and SMASHES their mouths together. FULL ON proceeds to EAT HER FACE she wants her so much. rio is shocked for a moment and then closes her eyes and gives in completely. and you can see the poison taking over because this idiot - this gorgeous, tragic dork - has decided to kill herself by absorbing rio's powers - but this is not going to be a mere 'peck of Death', no sir, that's not what it's called! agatha is gonna SNOG Death, she's gonna TONGUE that immortal being, she's GETTING ALLLLL HER MONEY'S WORTH. dear lord the HUNGER and YEARNING and DESPERATION on her face.

and I love that she's taller here. they're basically the same height so who's taller depends on the shoes they're wearing, but I love love love that agatha gets to engulf her for once. agatha taking control, rio giving herself up completely

what? you thought that now that magic has been absorbed THE KISS would be over???? well THINK AGAIN. because now we're going to switch angles, we're going to linger, we're going to make it look like almost gratuitous fan service, oh yes we are!!!

I truly don't know what to say. I would like to thank jac of course, and kathryn hahn and aubrey plaza for MAKING THE FUCK OUT and exchanging so much spit on camera like the true professionals they are. thank you writers room, thank you to all the crew who had to listen to the ungodly noises these two were undoubtedly making. thank you gandja monteiro for directing this. I'm going to even thank the lighting department for making it thunder so we can (more or less) see what's going on. this was truly a group effort. well done you all!

and they keep kissing until the very last available moment, and rio doesn't know how to let her go

but this is so on brand for agatha. you know if rio was in her place she'd try to be as gentle as possible to ease agatha's grief. agatha literally went for the most dramatic, most over-the-top, most emotionally devastating way to go. this was supposed to be rio's big moment! and what does agatha do? she makes it all about herself. again. should be the other way around, but once again rio gives, agatha takes. you just gotta laugh at this point.

Death looks on stone faced as her love turns back to nature and balance is restored. she wraps herself in her cloack and tries very, very hard not to cry.

agatha really went and made rio kill her, didn't she? rio, who isn't ALLOWED TO. these two are soooo wrong and so toxic for each other and yet they love each other so freaking much, I truly cannot get enough of them.

go to episode 8 part 9

[nuggetpool-hi]

Guess who watched X-Men origins again

OK SO I got THOUGHTS of this movie but specially Wade's fight style because it's really similar to our current Deadpool's fighting style... so yeah I wanna yap about that hi

WELL FIRST OF wanna talk a lil about Victor, Logan and Wade's different styles... from a mortal's view point I am no expert on this just insane about these movies and I need to write my thoughts or i'll explode

Starting with Victor!! the ultimate kittycat girlypop

I love his kitty self I'm sorry ANYWAY EXAMPLES

OKAY SO VICTOR. Victor's style is obviously very animalistic but also stylized, he makes the fight a show for himself! He likes to hunt and he tries to always give chase or play around a bit before the kill, just like a cat playing with his food!

AND IF you pay attention to the start of the movie, this game he's got with his target isn't initially how he fought, he kinda developed it as the years went by and the eviler he got the more he played with his food. The first few wars he goes to he's fighting like a human soldier, then you can see him slip up some animal jumps and uses his claws more until at the end he's full on predator chasing his prey (just like when he captures Scott, my god I love that scene he's terryfing)

AND A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND LOGAN (that I will also talk about later I guess) is that with this play thing Victor has going on it SHOWS that he THINKS about the stragety when fighting, he's aware of his surroundings and his target's strenghs and weaknesses, he's good at coming up with solutions on the spot (see his fight with John, he can predict where he's going to teleport and catch him) and how to give a good chase without losing WHILE LOGAN WELL, at least in this movie he seems very lost when fighting?? he mostly just launches at his target and attacks, if the target runs away he chases, very animalistic but in a feral-based on instincts way... prolly why he coulnt win agaisnt Victor at first, because he was being blinded by his rage while Victor was quite literally playing with him lmao

ANYWAY LOGAN our favorite traumatized babygirl

and boy does he suffer in this one aughh EXAMPLES

Now you must be wondering why did I put the bathroom scene, well I feel like it represents Logan's general situation pretty well! (and its silly let me be), hes confused destroying everything and just keeps making it worse every time he tries to fix it.

The thing about Logan in this movie is that he's honestly just- confused and angry from the moment he killed his father, he runs away over and over again from EVERYTHING and he's constantly being manipulated BY EVERYONE!! Poor man has no idea what to do with himself of who he can actually trust but damn he tries, his enviroment is contantly changing and he's trying his best to adapt but he does it in a messy way.

The way he fights and acts in general is animalistic, yes, but more of the "scared dog attacks" kind of way, he's always acting on his instinct that it's mostly led by anger. When he fights he just throws himself and tries to slash whatever he can, he runs he hides and then when he gets the chance to he attacks again.

He constantly has little to no control of the situtation WHICH IS SPECIALLY SEEN pre-adamantium where he keeps losing to Victor because unlike him- he has no plan, he's being manipulated and kept blind of everything ON PURPOUSE which obviouly puts him in a disadvantage so yeah.

AFTER he gets the adamantium you can see his skills strengen with his knowledge, the more he lears about his situation the more focused he is and his fighting it's cleaner, he still moslty just launches himself head first into fights BUT he's not running away, he's able to evaluate his situation and adapt (See his fight with Gambit, he looks at him when running away and then destroys the stair so Gambit can't run away OR with Deadpool where he decides to gain height as a way to create the space needed to evaluate his enemy?? that one might be a lil bit of a stretch tho)

WADE WILSON THE ULTIMATE CUTIE PRINCESS

let's ignore how dirty they did him ok...

OKAY SO SADLY- The bullet scene is pretty much the only scene where we see him fight and it's honestly not enough to tell how his normal style is BUT I WILL SAY his general style is fancy to look at and scarily effective (which is mostly seen with our current Wade but you can see a bit in origins deadpool) he makes a show for everyone to see, which is also his stragedy to make himself even better at combat! He uses a lot of fancy movements and acrobatics that help him AND takes his enemies off-guard, confusing them as where they should attack or what he's going to hit?? anyway-

Comparison time yippieee THIS IS WHAT THIS POST IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT LMAO

I did not get side tracked idk what you mean.... and now seeing it over and over I'm realizing not that noticeable.... so it's just not that much to talk about oops

LOOK AT THIS WADE, LOOK AT THE MOVEMENTS HE DOES WITH HIS LEGS!! HIS HANDS??? THIS MAN IS SHOWING OFF he's using all kinds of acrobatics and fancy movements while fighting, he attacks with his hands and dodges using mostly his legs, he's using all he has!! and it's making Logan lose BECAUSE LOGAN CAN'T FOCUS!! specially since he's so "target locked will attack", Wade makes it SO HARD for him to focus on a pose long enough to actually stab him also Logan ain't too good at dodging, I'm guessing it could be because he heals? dunno

now what inmediately came to my mind upon rewatch was THIS scene (maybe because I saw it recently who knows)

THE SETTING IS SO SIMILAR!! Wade is using a lot of fancy movements to get up, dodge and attack all way too fast for Logan to process, once again Logan is looking everywhere confused about where to aim bc this silly red guy it's dancing on his face and he's struggling to keep up JUST LIKE IN ORIGINS except well he IS able to get a hit bahah

Dodges like crazy, jumps over Logan (he did in origins too) just moves a lot between every attack

Actually now that I think about it Wade feels a bit less effective in the car, like yes sure he's putting up a good fight but Logan still feels like he's leading it BECAUSE WADE IS MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN HE HAS MORE SPACE!! he likes to be able to move around and do gimnastics while Logan it's a lot better the closer he gets to his target so omg yeah... ALSO LIKE WADE STILL TRIES TO MOVE AROUND he shoves Logan away from him, he gets out of the car choking logan with a seatbelt and gets to the back, he tries to create space because that's where his speciality WHILE LOGAN keeps trying to get closer to have him in his power, which he gets to do since the car isn't allowing Wade to move as freely as he would want to...

AND YOU CAN SEE HIS FANCY MOVEMENTS WITH FRANCIS TOO he's constantly circuling him, dodging and spinning while Francis is just trying to get a hit, Wade keeps his enemies chasing him when he fight THAT'S the way he controls it and gets it wherever he wants aughh

ANYWAY YEAH I think that's it, don't really know how much sense any of this does since I've been writing it on-and off the whole day lmao it's so messy but yeah feel free to add onto it I'd love to see opinions on this wahoo

Might keep talking about stuff I find interesting in the movies bahah this has been funn

[sillygoosealert]

★Future predictions☆

Death, Marriage, idk angst?? Just Daisy being a silly billy Sukuna stuff

The King of Curses has you pinned underneath him, forcing you to take both of his cocks, one in each of your overly warm holes.

Making sure to keep your mouth occupied, he shoves his tongue into your mouth, filling it to the brim. Every inch of you is and will continue to be filled by him- that he would promise.

Not that he liked making promises. There isn't too much of a point to them. They provide a sense of security, but why would he give that to anyone who wasn't worthy of it- which is everyone.

Everyone but you, Sukuna thinks. For you, he would promise the world- if you would like that. That's something he wanted to promise, but he won't. Ever.

The Disgraced One could never promise to let you sleep in his bed, but Ryomen Sukuna could guarantee he won't let you leave afterward.

Right now, you're being crushed under his weight, gasping for air, as he doesn't do breaks after he's finished.

You begged him to be gentle for your first time doing- both of your holes, and he said he couldn't promise anything. This is one of the times he's glad he doesn't make promises, so when the inevitable happens, and Lord Sukuna does whatever he wants, no verbal agreement can be held against him.

It's foolish how much something as flexible as words can hold so much value for you.

It is also foolish how he gives in to your desires. Something he does in the moment and regrets soon after.

While your foreheads are touching and his breath is on your mouth, he rambles about how he truly feels about you. The words 'I love you' are said in his way.

"You will be my wife. I will give you the biggest ring and the nicest clothes.."

He likes to tell you these things to see your eyes widen and your heartbeat pick up.

Telling you, not asking, and not exactly promising. But saying what will happen.

When he puts you on top of him to curl up, he finds himself also falling asleep.

Waking up in the garden, he finds himself hand in hand with you. Eyes meet with his, filled with tears and shock.

A ring in his hand limp by his side.

"Will you marry me?"

Something he would never say if he had complete control of his body.

"Will you marry me?"

Is marriage something he could ever be content with?

"Will you marry me?"

The king of curses does not settle.

"Will you marry me?"

Ryomen Sukuna is staring at you while the words leave his lips.

"Will you marry me?"

Could Lord Sukuna truly love a mortal?

"Will you marry me?"

Would Sukuna be enough for you?

It doesn't matter what he thinks, because you're nodding your head vigorously as salty drops of water go down your cheeks.

"Promise me something, please." Promise? He's shaking his head yes without processing your words fully.

"Let me have the privilege of being your only wife. I am devoting my life to you, please, give me this, Sukuna."

Oh.

That might be something he could agree to.

You might be the only person, let alone a woman, that he would look into the eyes and make a genuine promise.

Very pretty, kind, soft eyes, on that note.

"You are the only woman I will call my own, I will promise you that."

"Are we ready for that?"

He's sliding the ring on your finger, cupping your face with another hand.

"We are. I will always be ready for you."

That might now be the full truth. The reality is he's so, so scared. This might not be the time. But now it's too late. It doesn't matter when he would prefer to do it. You're married now. Forever. Permanently.

"Does this mean we can have a cute little white fence and a pretty garden filled with daisies?"

He could do that.

"And a family?"

Hm..

"You aren't scared to have a child with me?"

"Why would I be?"

A good question with too many answers.

"Look at me, and tell me you aren't scared."

You look him in the eyes and open your mouth.

"I'm not scared of you."

Things blur and nothing makes sense.

And he wakes up.

There is no longer a ring on your finger.

You're sleeping beside him.

He did not overcome his fear of commitment.

You are not married.

There were no promises.

Nothing can be held against him.

But would it be so bad if there was?

Kinda rushes the seconded half, idk got mad and was just kinda over it lolz

[jeonginslefthand]

Rage Quit 🎮👾

Pairing: TwitchStreamer!Felix x gamer!reader Genre: Fluff with a hint of suggestive Word count: 2.1k+ Plot summary: You and your streamer boyfriend Felix have your first Twitch collab. However, you start to show him up in the games you both play. Warnings: Some suggestive content towards the end, a few uses of pet names, Felix is a sore loser A/N: Back at it with more Stray Kids! This is a silly short fic to enjoy while I work on a longer series fic. I don't think I've seen this kind of concept before and sometimes think about what if Felix was a streamer (I think he would be an AMAZING game streamer, but that’s just me). Let me know what you all think and enjoy!

Stray kids masterlist

~~~

Felix turns on his PC and sits back in his gaming chair. You pull up a chair next to him and grab a controller as you get comfortable. You lean your head on his shoulder, feeling his body heat transfer to your skin as you stare at the monitor screen waiting for the PC to load. 

“Are you excited for our first collab??” you ask. 

“Absolutely love. And I’m also excited to kick your ass on stream with thousands of viewers as my witnesses.” Felix responds, teasing you a little. 

“Hey! That’s not nice. And who knows maybe today’s the day I finally beat the almighty Lee Felix.” 

That was all talk though. The truth is you have never beaten Felix in a game. You’re not a bad gamer, but no matter how hard you try, you can never match Felix’s skill. Beating Felix at a game felt like going up against a final boss that won’t stop healing itself. But anything can happen once he goes live, so you have a little bit of hope in you (but not a lot).

The PC fully boots up and Felix begins setting up for stream. The two of you agreed to play Brawlhalla for the first half of the stream and would let the viewers decide between Mortal Combat, Street Fighter, or Tekken for the second half. Once Felix finishes setting up the stream layout he positions his mic between you and him. He then adjusts his webcam so that both of you are in view. Felix turns to you and you give him a nod signaling that you are ready. He clicks the GO LIVE button and you can see the viewers flooding in quickly. 

“Hello everyone! So glad you all are back for another lovely stream. We’re not going to be playing League like I planned. But we have a very special guest with us today. Next to me is [Y/N], my girlfriend and my gaming partner for today!” 

“Hi everyone! So glad to be here. And so ready to kick Felix’s butt today,” you say with excitement. 

The chat starts lighting up and you start reading some of the messages. There were a lot of messages teasing Felix about having a girlfriend. Some messages say things like “No way Felix has rizz???” and “omg the mysterious girlfriend is real!” You laugh reading some of the messages and Felix starts messing around with the viewers. It’s no wonder Felix has so many fans on this platform. He has that energy that’s easy to get captivated by, the same sunshine energy you’ve slowly fallen in love with. You also noticed the way he talks with the viewers. It’s like catching up with a friend you haven’t seen in ages. You start reading the chat again and see a couple of messages wishing you luck and some telling Felix not to go too hard on you.

“Oh don’t tell him to go easy on me.” You respond to the chat. “He doesn’t go easy when we play off-camera so why should he now?” 

“She’s so right! But I’ll do my best to let my girl down easy chat. So let’s get started. We’ll be playing Brawlhalla for the first half. Afterward, I’ll send a poll for you all to decide which game we play for the second half. For now, though, I’m sending a poll to see who you all think will win this first round.” 

You start to see the poll quickly fill up with responses. Most of the viewers pick Felix (you don’t blame them. Mentally you’re picking Felix too). But some viewers choose you. You smile and follow up with “Thanks to the five percent of you who have faith in me. I’ll do my best for you all!” 

Felix boots up the game and you grab your controller to pick your character. 

“Queen Nai is always my go-to. She hasn’t let me down yet,” you say waiting for Felix to pick his character. 

“Except she has failed you when you go against me.” Felix snaps back. 

“Okay Mr. ‘changes his main every two days.’” 

Felix finally picks his character and starts the game. “Let’s go ahead and make this quick.” 

The round starts as you breathe in preparing for your inevitable defeat. But as the round goes on you find yourself doing surprisingly well. You see how the chat lights up as the round continues so you decide to keep up with whatever luck the Twitch gods gave you today. You top things off with a finishing move and the round ends with you successfully beating Felix and your character having two lives left. 

“Well I’ll be damned—” you say under your breath still shocked. 

Felix doesn’t immediately respond, still processing that you beat him for the first time. In front of 10k people no less. You snap your fingers, breaking Felix’s trance as he looks back into the webcam. 

“Okay, so that was just a test round…” Felix finally says in denial.

“Oh, now it was just a test round? You’re just trying to deny that I FINALLY BEAT YOU!” you respond, basking in this short but well-deserved victory. 

“You got lucky this round. Next round who knows…” Felix is already switching his character as he responds to you. 

You look back at the chat to see how everyone feels. The vibe seemed to have shifted a little since you beat Felix. Lots of people are saying “Watch out next round” and also “Yeah kick his ass next round [y/n]!!” You giggle to yourself, still picking the same character as the last round. 

Three rounds later Felix is floored. How have you managed to beat him in all four rounds? Are the Twitch gods mad at him and waiting for his downfall? Did you secretly practice before stream? The more these thoughts ran through his head the more frustrated he got. It didn’t help that he was getting beat in front of now 15k people (this is probably the most viewers he’s had on a stream). 

“Give up yet sunshine?” you say half teasingly, half condescending. 

“Nope. One more round. I’m sure you can take it, angel.” Felix responds, adding some bass when he calls you angel. You can hear the growing frustration in his voice and see him getting worked up. You’ve seen him get frustrated over games before, but never like this (and it’s kind of turning you on, but you ignore that and focus on the game).

The fifth round was a close one but ended with Felix being beaten again, and your character was left with one life. Felix is speechless as you do a silly victory dance next to him. 

“And with that, the Brawlhalla section of this stream has ended with a whopping five to nothing!” you say cheerfully. You turn to Felix noticing that he doesn’t seem too happy. You also see his grip on the controller has tightened to the point he looks like he’s about to throw it. 

“Okay uh, we're going to take a quick break. In the meantime, I’ll be sending out the poll for what you guys want our next game to be and when we get back we’ll see the results. See you all soon!” you reassure the chat. 

You fidget around with Streamlabs and find the break screen to display on stream (thankfully you’ve sat in on a couple of Felix’s streams to get a basic sense of it). You also make sure to mute the mic as you let out a big sigh. 

“Woo, this streaming thing isn’t easy. Hey Lix, you okay?” you say trying to comfort Felix. “I know I beat you badly, but can you stop being a sore loser?”

“Well, I wouldn’t be a sore loser if I knew what kind of witchcraft you were using to win,” Felix responds in a low voice, mostly being serious. 

“Okay very funny. But seriously are you okay? I’ll stop gloating and go easy on you for the next game. Or I can even—” 

“I’m going to the bathroom real quick.” Felix interrupts as he gets up and goes towards the restroom. 

Okay, you may have been boasting more than you thought, but you were only messing with him playfully. It’s the same thing he does whenever he beats you in games. You didn’t think he would take it seriously. 

You patiently wait for Felix to get back thinking things over. If the two of you play another game and things go like how Brawlhalla went, it won’t end well. You’ve seen Felix lose his cool over games when it’s just the two of you or when he’s with his friends, but he has never lost it on stream. He’s known for being a calm streamer (mostly) and a literal angel. On one hand, maybe this could show a more human side of Felix. But you also know how online fandoms are, especially streamer fandoms, and you’re not sure how positive Felix’s fandom is (despite Felix constantly denouncing the toxic people that sneak into his fandom). 

“Hey, angel. I think I’ve calmed down a little.” Felix’s deep voice breaks you out of your thoughts as he gently rubs your shoulders.

“Are you sure? I know it takes you a while to calm down when you get frustrated like that,” you respond. 

“Yeah, mostly. But we gotta do the second half of the stream.”

“Or we can end the stream early. I don’t want to do the second half if you’re going to get so worked up again. We can play a calm game, just the two of us!” 

Felix thinks about the idea for a moment before making his response. 

“Okay. Let’s end the stream love! I’m sure the chat will await your return for future streams.” Felix takes the break screen off as you both sit in your chairs and unmutes the microphone. 

“Hey everyone we’re back! So it seems like Mortal Combat won the poll. Good job [Y/N] for setting up the poll and break screen. You are the best! But unfortunately, we’re going to end stream early and play Mortal Combat another time.” Felix says to the camera. You start seeing the chat light up with many people disappointed and some viewers sending Felix’s signature cry emote. 

Felix wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you close “Don’t worry! Lovely [y/nnie] will be back. Then I will avenge my honor and lost dignity.” 

“Or I will come back and give him the humbling of a lifetime!” you say smiling at Felix when you do so. 

You both say your final goodbyes to the viewers. Felix clicks the END STREAM button and you let out another big sigh as you lay your head on Felix’s lap. 

“So how’d you like your first stream?” Felix asks as he pets your head.

“I don’t wanna talk to anyone for the rest of the day. My social battery is slowly dying,” you say in response. 

“Then how about we recharge it with some Animal Crossing?” Felix suggests as he picks up his Nintendo Switch from the charging dock. 

The two of you cuddle on the couch and spend time recharging and grinding on Animal Crossing. The calm warm sounds of the soundtrack with the laid-back tasks you did also helped you feel at ease. Felix came to your island (he always says turnip prices are higher on your island) and took a lot of your fruit to plant on his island. He also farmed for wood but you had to cut him off after seeing how many trees he chopped down. 

“You better replant all the coconut trees you chopped down,” you say while selling your fish finds in the shop. 

“You don’t need all those coconut trees come on…” Felix responds in a whiny tone. 

“At least tell me you left some coconuts on the ground. I really love the coconut trees…” 

Felix sighs. “Fine, I’ll plant the coconut trees. But only because I love you.”

“Hehe love you too sunshine!~” 

The Animal Crossing session ends with you and Felix watching the sunset, well your villagers watching the sunset at least. 

“Alright nice Animal Crossing date. Time to kick you off the island!” you say, sounding a bit eager.

“Aww. But I wanna spend the night…” Felix pouts as he looks into your eyes. 

“You can’t do that darling. But… I could spend the night in real life.” 

Felix logs out of the game and turns off his switch. “That sounds even better! So what should we do for the night?”

You end the Animal Crossing session and put your switch next to Felix’s. You lean in closer to him as you respond “I have a few ideas…” 

Felix leans in closer as he slowly gets on top of you. He leans in and gives you a quick kiss on your lips, holding himself back from staying on your soft lips longer. 

“I’m listening angel~”    

~~~ If you enjoyed consider leaving a like, reblog, and/or comment! It means a lot and I appreciate it 🩷

[sky-kiss]

Sorry! I’m feeling selfish, sick and self indulgent. I neeeeeed more Soft!Raphael in my life! Maybe him “””reluctantly””” taking care of a Sick!Tav but secretly he loves having total control over her health and having her all to himself (for quarantine reasons OBVIOUSLY). It’s one of the few times he can let his guard down and it’s all cuddly and squishy…maybe a little slutty as she recovers…idk ya know, you know I love your writing no matter what you write xx

A/N: I’m so sorry you’re feeling unwell. Hopefully this helps a little. Gonna be my last one of these for the day (cause I have something criminal in the works).

_____

She’s a pathetic little thing.

In a rare fit of deference, he opts not to hold this against her. She is mortal. 

And, he thinks, perhaps…there is a touch of guilt coloring their interactions. Tav is sick because of him. She scrubs at her nose, shivering near the window. She’s found a blanket to wrap herself in, but it does little to cut the infernal chill still seeping into her marrow. Cania’s cold was unlike anything else across the planes. And still, she’d braved it for his benefit. 

“Come here, little mouse,” he says. Tav turns to him, brow furrowing at his tone. It’s softer than he’d like to admit, and he will attribute it to exhaustion if she asks. It wouldn’t be a lie. 

“I’m tired, Raphael.”

“Justifiably. But,” Raphael holds out his hand. “You’re liable to catch your death, my dear. Cania is an unforgiving place.” 

“The fire…” 

“Holds no sway. You will struggle to chase away its touch even here, safely tucked away on the Prime Material. I offer a reprieve.” 

“After everything, I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford your price.” She stands, shaking badly. There’s a touch of blue on her cheeks. He loathes the woefully mortal half of him, softened by the sight of her. It is charmed, even as the devil longs to tear her apart. 

“Then call it tribute. I find myself…in a rare position. I have taken great pains never to be in another’s debt.” Raphael sets his hands on her shoulder. The way her breath catches doesn’t escape him. Her eyes flick down to his lips. The devil shakes his head. “It is not a role I welcome.” 

She smiles, relaxing under his touch. “Raphael, you don’t owe me anything. I…” she chews her lips, turning into his touch. His fingers skate down her throat, over her collarbone, chasing away Cania’s chill. “I wanted to help. You’re important to me.”

He chuckles, hands skating down to her hips. He catches the hem of her shirt and drags it over her head. Tav doesn’t resist. The silly creature’s eyes glitter with trust and naked affection. It is maddening. “You should never supply that information freely, mouse. It comes at a cost.” 

“I’m not a devil,” Tav mumbles. “I want you to know.”

Raphael raises a brow. She helps him strip her. The cambion snaps his fingers to undress himself. And if the adventurer flushes a violent red, her gaze pointedly averted, he ignores it. This isn’t about that. It’s gratitude. 

He walks her back towards the single bed. Tav stares at him, eyes wide and wanting. He allows her to settle back among the pillows before stretching over her. Raphael settles between her legs, humming until she wraps herself around him. Tav tucks her face in his throat, shivering, clinging to him. The cambion is warmer than any mortal, and his infernal nature chases away Cania’s infernal chill. It bends to him. 

And if they drift off to sleep like this, tangled together, who can fault them? It’s practicality, he’ll argue. It’s calling the debt due. 

These excuses will come later. For now, there’s heat and silence. 

[pavlovianfuckery]

throw me down the stairs but sexually

A/N: Re-uploading all my fics after having a slight mental breakdown and deleting everything so this is kind of old, but bone apple tea and all that anyway

AO3

The Master-masterlist

Fandom Masterlist

Summary: Just indulging Dreams shitty little power fantasy so he'll feel better, because why not?

Pairing: Dream/F!Reader

Notes: Kind of rough sex, a dash of boot licking for my mental health, no use of y/n

Length: 1900~ words

When your usually gentle lover had brought the request to you, it had taken you by surprise. He was always so considerate, rarely asking anything for himself, and the nature of the request itself gave you pause. You had given up control to him before with no hesitation, but this would be different.

"This will not be gentle. This will not be tender. This will break you," he'd cautioned you, wanting you to be sure what you were agreeing to. The thought of refusing never crossed your mind, not really. You'd seen the cold fury he'd directed at those who had wronged him before, and you couldn't deny the illicit thrill it had brought you. The thought of even a sliver of that being directed at you, even as make-believe, made your stomach twist. His parting words echo in your mind even now.

"I do not wish to truly harm you," he had said, covering your hands with his. "Should you at any point need me to stop, simply call out the word "nightmare" and it will end, no questions asked."

But that was days ago. After he'd left you had paced your quarters, equal parts aroused and afraid. Not knowing when it would happen compounded the feeling until you felt like you were walking on eggshells, ever vigilant of an encounter that never seemed to come.

⁂

Sprawled across the throne irreverently you admire the huge windows, trying to distract yourself from your racing thoughts, doing your best not to fidget. 

"What exactly do you think you are doing?" 

Not hearing him come in you startle badly, nearly falling from your perch with an undignified yelp. 

"Christ! Don't sneak up on me like that!" You feel a bit silly, but won't let that deter you as you blink at him, feigning ignorance. "I'm allowed to sit, aren't I?"

"Get down from there or I will remove you," he warns, tone venomous as he glares down at you.

"Or what?" You cross your arms defiantly, chin high. "Not like you could do anything. This is just a dream, nothing here is real anyway."

Not deigning to respond, he simply clamps his hand across the back of your neck and gives it a warning squeeze.

"Move."

Glaring at him you do something potentially stupid and swing at him. Despite missing quite badly it goads him on, and before you know it he has you on the floor in an undignified heap at his feet. Squirming experimentally, you try to get up, but he doesn't let you. Instead, you feel the weight of his boot settle on your back, keeping you down as lust coils low in your belly.

"Does this feel real to you, little mortal?"

He hums thoughtfully, watching you wriggle and swear, adjusting his stance until his other boot is in front of your face.

"Maybe this is where you truly belong, at my feet." He nudges your cheek with the tip of his boot, smirking slightly as you flinch away. "You should put that foul mouth to better use."

You start struggling in earnest, indignant. "You can't be serious!"

"Do not doubt that I can make you do it, because I will."

The faint taste of boot polish is acrid in your mouth. Thankfully the task is a fairly short one even though he makes you do both of them, not letting you stop until the smooth leather is shining with saliva. He yanks you roughly to your knees by the back of the neck, with no regard for your comfort, making you splutter.

"I suppose that was a passable effort," he rasps, and despite the almost bored-sounding delivery, you can tell that he's enjoying watching you debase yourself.

Dragging you to your feet he pushes you up against the cold stone of the throne, your struggling no match for his sinewy strength, maneuvering you with ease until you're bent over the armrest. The sharp stab of arousal at the rough treatment almost makes you feel sick. He grinds up against you, his growing erection pressing into your backside.

"How about this, is this real enough for you?"

Not bothering to wait for a response he simply rucks your dress up, the fabric bunching around your waist. Not giving up that easily you fight against him until he simply twists one of your arms behind your back, making your shoulder twinge uncomfortably.

"You humans are all the same," he sneers, holding you down, "not one of you realizing how little you truly matter."

Straining against his grip your breaths echo in the empty hall as he grinds himself against you, nearly driving you onto the tips of your toes.

"Tell me, what purpose could you possibly serve, if not this?"

"Let me go!" Surprisingly he's actually got you working up a bit of a sweat now, and you don't bother holding back from yelling. After one last attempt of wrenching yourself free fails, you do the only thing you can think of.

The kick doesn't really connect, glancing off his leg, but it catches him off guard, making him loosen his grip just enough for you to wiggle loose. You bolt in the direction of the stairs, fully intending to make him chase you, but he manages to grab the hem of your dress, making you stumble and fall, pulling him down with you. Thankfully you only roll down a handful of steps, but it still knocks the breath out of you. Somehow he landed further down and you see your chance to get away, scrambling back towards the top ungracefully on your hands and knees.

Too slow. He grabs hold of your leg, hand around your ankle like a snare, unyielding. Satisfied that he's caught you he wastes no time crawling over you until you're trapped between him and the stairs. Caged by his arms, his coat covers you both like a shroud, its warmth almost oppressive. Your final attempt to get away is half-hearted at best and he simply presses you down with his whole body, making the marble dig into your ribs nearly to the point of bruising.

"Why do you fight me?" The softness of his lips against the side of your face is almost making you forget all about your little game as he pulls your now torn dress out of the way. "It will not save you."

Still struggling to catch your breath you don't hear him undo his fly, but you certainly feel it as he spreads your wetness around with the tip of his cock. He teases you mercilessly until you all but melt into him, angling your hips to try and get him inside you faster, but to no avail. He doesn't acknowledge your frustrated little whines until you think you might actually start crying. When he speaks, his breath is warm against your ear, his words making you tremble.

"Ask for it. Beg your king to make it hurt."

"Don't be gentle." It barely sounds like you, it's too quiet and the words hang in the air, dripping desperation, but you don't even care anymore.

"Please don't be gentle. I want to feel you even after I wake up."

You're not sure if that's what he wanted to hear, but it seems to be enough. He thrusts into you, making you howl incoherently as he bottoms out in one merciless stroke. It's raw and hot and so damn good, the sheer ruthlessness of it making your mind go fuzzy at the edges. Not letting you rest for even a moment, he trails his hand up your exposed neck before grabbing your chin firmly, forcing you to look right at the empty throne as he takes you.

"Never forget," his usually smooth voice is almost reduced to a snarl as he pushes into you again and again, "that you are beneath me."

His words might have hurt you at some other point in time, but by now you're too far gone. You try snaking a hand down to touch yourself as the sharp pleasure coils tighter inside of you, all it would take is just a tiny nudge...

And he grabs your wrist, pulling your hand back up and pinning it down at shoulder level, his grip like iron as you can't help but mewl in frustration.

"You think you deserve to come?" He slams into you so hard that black spots float across your vision, making you wince as pain briefly overrides pleasure, pulling you back from the brink.

"You will come like this or not at all," His tone leaves no room for bargaining as he drives into you, angling himself just so, leaving your walls fluttering around him as you teeter right on the edge. What eventually pushes you over is the brush of his lips against the side of your neck, tongue darting out to lap at the droplets of sweat there, tasting you.

The intensity of it leaves you mute, barely able to breathe, and you almost do buck him off of you this time without even meaning to. As you tighten around him it's his turn to moan, barely able to keep himself from spending right then and there, self-control hanging by the thinnest thread. He manages to hold back though, not letting you off easy, giving you what feels like only a few short moments of respite.

"Again."

You briefly panic. You can't, it's too much, there is just no way. But your entire world is reduced to the way he feels inside you, hitting every sweet spot with inhuman focus, possessing you utterly. It's almost painful and you can't get enough, if he could crawl under your fucking skin you'd let him, and oh. 

As violent and sudden as your last orgasm was this one is slow and dragged out. It feels like it might never end as he fucks you through it, his pace soon faltering as he pushes as deep as he can go, spilling into you with an almost broken sound.

When you finally catch your breath and manage to mostly stop shaking, he folds the dreamscape around you both until you're in his bed, the softness of it a welcome balm after the hard stone of the stairs. Cradling you in his arms like the most precious of treasures, he holds you to his chest, neither of you entirely sure what to say so you simply lay there together, breathing in each other. Eventually, uncertainty gets the better of you, breaking the silence.

"Was I...did I do alright?" Despite everything, you're unable to keep worry out of your voice. "I hope I didn't disappoint you."

"You did very well," He assures you, covering your face in the tenderest kisses, "This exercise has been...cathartic. You really are too good to me, my love." 

Brushing away the tears you hadn't even noticed falling, he goes on, "I can only hope that this has not made you doubt my feelings for you. After all, that was never my intention."

His words assuage any fears you might have had as exhaustion creeps in, making your eyelids droop. You burrow into his chest, needing to be closer to him in every way you can.

"Would you please just...hold me? Until I wake up?"

He does, letting you cling to him until morning arrives and you slip back into the waking world, to your own empty bed.

⁂

The Master-masterlist

Fandom Masterlist

If you liked this spicy snack even a little, please consider supporting your local smut-slinger and hitting the reblog button on the way out, perhaps even drop a comment if you're feeling generous, it really helps with the motivation side of things a lot!

[fandomtrash-16]

that one panel in the noland flashback has been eating at me for months, and the sillies are on their way to Elbaf, so like. never a better time to post my god headcanons

/their designs were made before Egghead finished so like, any inaccuracies are due to that, sorry//

little fun facts and doodles below:

Ohma (Ohm-ma), Nika, and Aamaru (Ah-ma-rue) are major gossips. Often they'll gather in the gardens and relay stories about themselves or other things between each other. Nika often has the weirdest stories, while Aamaru has the most dramatic.

Rudahn (Rue-dan, like Dadan) is the eldest of the divine four, and is the most strict. (Think of a school Principal) Nika is his polar opposite, and the two often get into arguments, as Rudahn thinks Nika's behavior is unfitting of a God. Nika thinks him controlling.

Nika and Ohma like to garden together :) His rooms in his temples/castle are eternally sunny, so she borrows them for her plants

Aamaru has a proper big dragon/sea serpent form!! ....but I'm still working on it,, He is based on Amaru, which is a sacred serpent from Incan mythology!

the whole "Sun god Nika of Elbaf" thing makes me think that maybe Nika's giant form is his normal size, but I like to think he prefers being in such a small form. easier to party!

part of Ohma's hair is actually vines! she uses them to hold up her hair in a partial bun, and she likes to weave flowers onto them

confession: I love @/orange-artist 's god AU so much, like Astrus and Tsuisu are canon to me, so if these sillies were a part of that AU then Aamaru, despite being a god himself, would actually worship Tsuisu. (bc yknow, mink.)

the fact that the joyboy silhouette (not from egghead) looks almost identical to Nika's silhouette but without the boa has led to my personal belief that the first 'Joyboy' was just Nika coming back to cause problems (Imu hates him so much)

Nika has two human (mortal) friends: Veras, his personal attendant and Ashira, a wandering scholar. (because I can)

^ i also have some bare concepts for the ocean as a god, because the fact there's a character tag on ao3 for it is just too good, and also its literally so important to the story and it being alive is just AUUH

my ramblings are probably all over the place but i hope they make enough sense shsbdn

[grinnames]

I HAVE A QUESTION-

How exactly were the SMG4 and SMG3 "affected"? This question was going around in my head ._.

I had to think really hard about this.

If you’re asking about their personalities, due to being forced to become the source of all corruption, they have taken on qualities that drive them to use their powers to corrupt, as well as inhuman, otherworldly attitudes towards reality. 

Both of them feel a general sense of being higher than mortal. They also are burdened with a feeling of emptiness within, and will seek out SOMETHING to fill that ever-growing void in their chests.

For SMG4, his character came to me very easily. Canon SMG4 is a silly guy that likes to make memes, and really cares for his friends. After his metamorphosis, he is still a guy that likes memes, but now his sense of humor is dark and twisted, and he’s desensitized to the varying degrees of pain he causes when he screws around. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he often doesn’t seem to notice that he’s hurting people, and most of the time, he just makes everyone incredibly uncomfortable. He’ll wear a smile on his face but it’s a facade more than anything. He still cares for his friends, but it's the kind of love in which he squeezes a little too tight. He'll do anything for his friends, but that means ANYTHING, including being very controlling and possessive towards them. His friends fill his void. He vows that he will never lose them again.

As for SMG3, I’m still working on his character development, because he’s already a villainous character, and now I somehow have to twist this in some way that turns him into this murder monster. He used to be a cartoony villain that always tries to get rich, get powerful, and one-up SMG4. Now he’s got the standard murder-monster package: the urge to kill mixed in, as well as a love for the chase, and a god-complex. HOWEVER! Here’s where it gets interesting: He has nowhere to put that energy. Partially due to lore reasons that I can’t reveal yet, he’s actually kind of lost. He can’t find the thrill in his old villainous ways anymore, because he has all this power already. And he doesn’t feel like being the hero, because the last time he stuck out his neck for others, he was screwed over, killed, and turned into an eldritch vessel. So he’s angry, but he's also stuck. He’s so incredibly bored. He hungers for something new. That’s his void. So why not become a monster instead? He embraces the new darkness within him. He's either pretty chill, or an absolute menace. Being bored and spiteful is a dangerous mix. He’s very chaotic, counter to SMG4, who likes more order to things.

[sunderingstars]

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER! ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— a silly little overview of different "sampos" i find interesting

— not meant to be taken super seriously or canonically, but can tie in to some of the theories i have

— in the true spirit of elation, these aren't hills i'm willing to die on, just ones that are fun to play around with :3

— feel free to use for writing/art inspiration!

— i add to this periodically as new sampos catch my eye!

— word count: 3k (good lord)

— 🎭s indicate aha!sampo

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

🎭 sampo "midlife crisis" koski

— at risk of losing his aeon/emanatorhood

— doesn’t find anything funny anymore

— tired of being behind the scenes

— becoming a buzzkill (having “lines” he won’t cross)

— taking drastic measures to improve his quality of life (fucking off to a random ass snow planet to scam people)

note: may lead to a villain arc — sampo "renewed vigor" koski — in which he remembers why he used to love tormenting people, conquers his midlife crisis, and returns to pure elated insanity. this is bad for everyone involved for obvious reasons

🎭 sampo "how're you gonna win if you never take any risks?" koski

— aha took drastic measures to secure their success, either through memory erasure, mortal transformation, giving up power, or all three

— under the radar, civilian aha

— trying to circumvent “destiny” through delusional self-confidence

— enter sampo i mean aha i mean sampo i mean aha i mean s

sampo "ceaseless watcher's special little boy" koski

— not aha but aha definitely likes him

— perhaps an avatar or emanator of some sort

— whether he likes aha or not is up for debate

— can easily turn into sampo "ceaseless watcher get their ass" koski, in which sampo becomes a little too fond of invoking his status as aha's favorite to accomplish his own goals

alternate possibility: he’s aha’s favorite due to his pathetic nature and slutty hip windows, he just doesn’t know it. he thinks his luck is due to his own talent & skill (it is literally outside eldritch forces beyond his control)

sampo "close enough" koski

— not an actual aeon, but rather a vessel for aha’s power or consciousness on varying levels

— perhaps akin to caelus/stelle being a stellaron receptacle

sampo "let's get you back to bed grandpa" koski

— the wear and tear of a long life has taken its toll on him

— despite the infinity of time, he has become out-of-sync with newer masked fools members, who regard him as an “old timer”

— isn’t shown much respect, and is frequently asked why he isn’t as cool as he used to be

— also know as sampo "L + ratio + fell off" koski

— “peaked in high school” energy

— can be either aha, emanator, or similar high status

🎭 sampo "in rehab" koski

— aeonic existence isn’t easy and can, in fact, take a toll on those that ascend from human forms

— he finally decided that maybe he should make a change

— and has thus embarked on a healing journey

— therapeutic exercises include: scamming people, starting pyramid schemes, selling artifacts on the black market, and more!

sampo "ultimate dealmaker" koski

— in a contract or some sort of deal with aha in exchange for power, money, or a combination or the two

— possession? who knows

🎭 sampo "i'm not mad i'm just disappointed" koski

— doesn’t understand why his children have strayed so far

— “where did i go wrong? why do they think this is funny? do they even care about the worm?”

— has the energy of an exasperated parent watching his kids flush car keys down the toilet again

🎭 sampo "horrified creator" koski

— aha & the masks have outgrown their creator (sampo) and have gone off to do their own aeonic thing, leaving him behind

— he thinks it’s all insane, actually, and he’s very disappointed and very tired

— trying to pick up the pieces of whatever mayhem the aha!masks cause

— aha!masks keep him around for fun

— “i should never have laughed at that goddamn baby”

sampo "me and aha kiss on the weekends" koski

— just a silly little guy who has somehow wormed his way into the heart of an eldritch being

— in it for the mind-bending sex

sampo "blasphemy" koski

— technically affiliated with the masked fools but doesn’t subscribe to their beliefs

— thinks aha is a load of horseshit but needs to keep up with what they’re doing to circumvent it

— may have been formerly in a high-ranking position, or just another guy with a mask

— aha probably wronged him or did some fucked up shit in the past and now he has a vendetta

🎭 sampo "stole my fucking thunder" koski

— someone stole aha’s power. that’s it

— sampo is salty

— 10/10 betrayal plot

potential inverse: he’s the one stealing aha’s power

sampo "my boss sucks and i want to quit" koski

— tired, overworked employee of the masked fools

— views aha as a sort of fucked up insane ceo that he wants nothing to do with but is unfortunately contractually obligated to work for

— wants to start a union

🎭 sampo "next in line" koski

— can also branch into sampo "formerly in line" koski or sampo "abdication" koski

— wherein aha’s power or masks are akin to titles or positions that are passed down between different people, somewhat akin to how “crowns” and “kings” work

— in this case, sampo would either be currently in line for this power, formerly in line for this power, or has actually been in power but abdicated or otherwise lost/gave up/moved on from his position

— this could be natural or otherwise

note: this does not have to be solely for aha, this kind of power transfer could work for other high-ranking positions like emanator or organization leader

🎭 sampo "this price was too steep..." koski

— got a bit cocky and wagered his aeonhood

— is now in a Not Great position

sampo "i hate owing people things" koski

— owes aha one

— does not like owing people things

— doing whatever he needs to cancel out the debt

🎭 sampo "i was crazy back then lol" koski

— the universe’s idea of aha writ large is based on an outdated version of their personality

— this always annoys sampo because he has to be constantly reminded of his insane college days before he mellowed out

— the type to reminisce over wine and say “yeah that worm thing was wild. i was crazy back then huh”

🎭 sampo "committed to the bit" koski

— one of my personal favorites

— became mortal as a joke

— ended up liking it a little too much

— doesn’t really want to go back

sampo "worm on a string" koski

— what is a man if not just another omniscient worm destined for tragedy?

— he’s a puppet, basically

— & he just gets wormed around like he’s on a string

— hence the name

— another one of aha’s classic cosmic jokes

🎭 sampo "one of many" koski

— ties into my split consciousness theory

— aha split their personality into multiple people (either as a joke or for a bigger reason) and sampo is one of those pieces

🎭 sampo "yeah i heard aha was super cool and hot and sexy and smart and did i mention sexy" koski

— big fan of the rumor mill

— can’t help but try to win people over to the elation even when he’s supposed to be laying low

— he’s not fooling anyone. just yesterday serval watched him laugh until he cried because a kid dropped their ice cream. he is not slick

🎭 sampo "reverted to babey" koski

— someway, somehow, aha got reverted back to who they were before they ascended to aeonhood

— now sampo is just really fucking confused (and annoyed because mortal life is pretty annoying)

sampo "character creation screen" koski

— aha just had a silly goofy lil day & wanted to create a guy

— so they did

— sampo acts as a kind of controlled character who’s self-aware about his position as a playable character

— or alternatively he was turned loose with no purpose scaramouche-style and is now just fucking around doing whatever

sampo "failed clone" koski

— obligatory clone theory

— aha tried to clone themself. it wasn’t as funny as they wanted

— sampo is the result

— aha realizing sampo was a bit of a buzzkill: “i don’t want to play with you anymore”

🎭 sampo "vicarious existence" koski

— part of the split consciousness theory

— aha sectioned off or created a part of themself that can live in a way they can’t (i.e. have free will beyond the elation)

— similar to the focalors/furina situation in genshin

sampo "trojan horse" koski

— is his own person, under the impression he has free will, but is being used as an unknowing vehicle for eventual Big Aha Moment

🎭 sampo "can't remember shit" koski

— he forgor :((

— used to be aha but doesn’t know that

— most likely erased his own memory in order to accomplish a planned endgame

🎭 sampo "you don't wanna see me when i transform" koski

— dual consciousness theory

— sampo koski as a human is much more rational and reasonable than eldritch-form aha

— sampo likes to stay as sampo as much as possible because he doesn’t like what he becomes when he changes forms

— may lead to a tragic arc where, in order to defend belobog, he reverts to his aeonic form knowing he won’t be able to transform back

sampo "lmao got you" koski

— all signs pointing towards aeon or emanator status are red herrings

— he’s just really good at gaslighting to get what he wants

sampo "whoops i got attached" koski

— fucked off to belobog for whatever reason

— got surprisingly attached

— belobog now has an extremely powerful entity/protector without even knowing it

— “it’s just a weird insane little place. very charming” — sampo, probably

🎭 sampo "elias bouchard" koski

— just a shell for aha, jonah magnus style

— used to be his own person, but got yoinked along the way

🎭 sampo "5d mind chess" koski

— knows exactly what he’s been doing from the beginning

— strategic placement on belobog to meet the trailblazer

— has done a damn good job of coming off as “normal pathetic scammer mcgee” to distract from larger plans

🎭 sampo "just like everyone else" koski

— for whatever reason, aha is insistent that they be treated just like any other member of the masked fools; same rules, same hierarchy, everything

— this results in everyone looking at him weirdly but not saying anything and trying to strike up casual conversation with their literal aeon

sampo "gimme your eldritch money" koski

— the final form of scammers everywhere

— he’s scammed everyone he possibly can, and now there’s only one thing left: to scam an aeon

— chooses aha + the masked fools because there’s a good chance he’ll get stuff just because aha is amused with him

— tries to link aha up with a pyramid scheme

sampo "you should see me in a crown" koski

— either on a delusional self-confident power trip or gunning for aha’s power

— can be aha, emanator, or other high-ranking position, but aha works the best if sampo wants to go all the way up the ladder

— thinks he’s the best ever and can never fail, pairs well with “5d mind chess” sampo like fine wine

— drunk on power/worship

🎭 sampo "wine aunt" koski

— also known as sampo "washed up aeon" koski

— he’s out of the limelight, whether that means he passed on his power, had it taken from him in a free for all, or just wants to retire, and now he’s kicking back with a margarita and enthralling the belobog locals with “hypothetical” scenarios that are actually crazy mind-bending stories from his glory days

— he’s not as great as he used to be, nor does he have the power of a full-fledged aeon anymore, but belobog appreciates him all the same (goes hand in hand with sampo "just like everyone else" koski)

— “geez yeah, ix is so annoying. such a buzzkill, really, that guy even hates knock-knock jokes. i mean, who hates knock-knock jokes? … hypothetically, of course.” — sampo, probably

🎭 sampo "zhongli the funeral consultant" koski

— aha is secretly “dead” but no one knows

— perhaps the masked fools know, but either way sampo has either already faked his death, is currently doing it, or is planning to in the future

— he just wants to retire man, and if that means he has to “fall” then so be it

sampo "just a silly guy" koski

— there is actually nothing special to this man at all

— he’s just a guy. just a silly little guy

— aha is laughing at all of us for even making theories about him

sampo "aha jr." koski

— sampo is a doll created by aha like in the simulated universe occurrence, having the same appearance as aha’s human form and sharing personality & path attributes

— most likely wants to break away from the elation’s influence but doesn’t know how

— views aha as a really fucked up dad

sampo "oh my god i'm in a cult" koski

— raised in the masked fools, didn’t realize how batshit insane they were until a Formative Traumatic Event occurred and he went “oh.. oh no…..”

— estranged from most of the members but still deals with them in the way you do when you hate your family but have to put up with them at holiday dinners

— maybe got to a high position of power before, but left when he realized it wasn’t good for him

sampo "partners in crime" koski

— him & aha are friends, besties even

— knows the risks of working with an aeon but can’t say no when that much money is involved

🎭 sampo "for funsies" koski

— if aha can give the entire universe’s knowledge to a worm for fun, then by god they can give all of their power and aeonhood to a silly little guy randomly for no reason whatsoever (especially if he doesn’t want it)

— constantly fighting against increasingly powerful eldritch control

— “young god”

— canon in my heart

sampo "reality tv" koski

— part of the vicarious emanator theory

— aha gave him all their power and basically watches him like a reality show

— *pokes sampo with a stick* “hey why aren’t you doing anything” — aha, probably

— constant voyeurism

sampo "communism" koski

— part of the dual consciousness and vicarious emanator theories

— one of aha’s emanators that they share their entire path with

— “our” power

— perhaps some sort of memory or consciousness sharing

sampo "horse girl" koski

— “but your dream is to be an emanator”

— “no that’s your dream dad, not mine”

🎭 sampo "aeons anonymous" koski

— aeon in rehabilitation

— wants to start a former aeon support group

🎭 sampo "power receptacle" koski

— in which the masks function as the true “aha” and sampo has given them up or put them away for safekeeping

— “sparkle please please i’m so serious just let me put it back on once. no seriously only once i promise i won’t go insane like last time i’ll be so normal it’ll only be for five minutes please” — sampo, probably

sampo "one-sided hate boner" koski

— man absolutely hates aha (probably for backstory reasons)

— aha doesn’t care at best and at worst thinks it’s really really funny

— “you burned my house to the ground!”

— “🤷”

— “my family is dead!”

— “🤷”

— bonus points if aha makes him an emanator or something

sampo "significant annoyance" koski

— dedicated to being as annoying as possible to aha, whether out of spite, a vendetta, or sheer interest

— aha finds this funny so they let him stick around

— “he graffitied my mask with a bunch of dicks and it took me years to get it off. isn’t he just the greatest little guy?” — aha, probably

sampo "god's silliest soldier" koski

— aha gives their hardest battles to their silliest soldiers

— and that is sampo

sampo "true wild card" koski

— he’s not aha, an emanator, or any higher status

— he is quite literally just That Good as a regular human being

🎭 sampo "cosmic irony" koski

— “man, it sure would suck to be aha the aeon of elation. glad i don’t have to deal with that. i love being mortal”

— “🎭🎉👀”

— “HOW DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE”

sampo "cult leader" koski

— humility is a facade

— “lines” he won’t cross are a facade

— everything is for the purpose of appearing like the perfect leader (or candidate for leader)

— secretly the most insane out of anyone

sampo "secret agent man" koski

— doing aha’s bidding willingly

— a goon. a henchman even

sampo "tainted love" koski

— aha isn’t the most healthy person to be around, on account of the ten billion cosmic torments jokes they throw around on a daily basis

— guinea pig sampo is TIRED

sampo "sacrificial lamb" koski

— may or may not be aware of his sacrificial status

— created or being manipulated into a position where he becomes collateral for aha doing whatever the fuck they wanna do

sampo "impromptu therapist" koski

— the receiver of many rants and complaints unrelated to him within the masked fools

— becomes the “advice friend” even though this man should never be trusted for reliable advice

— but surprisingly he is the most reliable within the masked fools

sampo "sanest masked fool" koski

— just a long-suffering member of an organization whose followers are some of the most insane people you’ll ever meet

— permanent eye bags for having to put up with them

🎭 sampo "michael distortion" koski

— he was a regular guy once, but ended up absorbing aha’s eldritch power one way or another

— potential assimilation into one form

— aha didn’t expect the joke to joke back

sampo "court jester" koski

— similar to "ceaseless watcher's special little boy"

— the king’s (aha’s) favorite little jester

— and also they make out sometimes

— has a semblance of protection afforded to him by being the favorite (he uses this to his advantage)

— “jester’s privilege”

sampo "try me" koski

— aha is physically keeping tabs on the trailblazer

— sampo is too, but only to swat aha’s hand away like a kid reaching into a cookie jar

— usually a mad dash to see who gets there first

— leads to many situations where they make tense eye contact across the street or smth

— subsists off of pure spite & annoyance

🎭 sampo "favored of humanity" koski

— aha is one of the aeons closest with humanity, and has such developed a more “mortal” frame of mind over time

— eventually if you spend enough time around mortals you might just turn back into one

🎭 sampo "hedonist" koski

— why is he doing any of this? who knows

— who can possibly understand the machinations of what an aeon finds funny

— eldritch humor beyond our comprehension

🎭 sampo "cosplayer extraordinaire" koski

— “so this is my humansona his name is sampo koski he likes scamming people and has slutty slutty hip windows”

— likes to stay in character as much as possible

— kinda like playing a dnd character 24/7

sampo "long-suffering host" koski

— somewhat dual consciousness theory

— aha is just up there, and sampo has to listen to their annoying ass constantly

— can be a joke, chill possession scenario, or necessity for aha due to external circumstances

— may be a side effect of emanator status, or may just be another Classic Cosmic Joke™

sampo "unwilling hierophant" koski

— informercial: how would YOU like to receive PERSONAL and INCESSANT psychic messages from eldritch forces beyond your comprehension?

— “geez ew no”

— infomercial: is that a YES?

— “no”

— infomercial: thank you for signing up for our FREE TRIAL service!

— “wait no”

— infomercial: text "NO PLEASE STOP NO" to 69420 to UNSUBSCRIBE from the Laughter’s FREE psychic telepathy service

— “NO PLEASE STOP NO”

— phone: thank you for subscribing to our LIFETIME PLAN of FREE, UNCEASING, TORMENTING visions from AHA THE ELATION. please enjoy your COMPLIMENTARY descent into insanity!

— “god fucking damnit”

sampo "vacant apartment" koski

— possession receptacle that’s no longer in use and is left up to his own devices

sampo "moved to iceland and became a sheep herder" koski

— living off the grid

— only came back because something bad is gonna happen to belobog

— can be aha, emanator, or other high-ranking position

🎭 sampo "undercover boss" koski

— keeping tabs on the masked fools because they’re fanatical

— “what the hell guys this is not what i want” — sampo, probably

— they say or do something and he’s just like “not funny. didn’t laugh”

— y’know when people say “if jesus came down to earth, he’d be disappointed at what people are doing in his name” — yea that’s sampo but like for real

— damage control

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

© written by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[cherrycola27]

false god

Series Warnings: Mythology!AU. Language, alcohol, drinking. Military inaccuracies. Mutual pining, unrequited love. Allusions to and eventual smut. Minors DNI. 18+. Individual chapter warnings will come as needed. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

Masterlist Previous Part Next Part

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Chapter 3: Roses and Gold

"Minthe? What are you doing here?" You repeat as you take a seat at your breakfast bar.

"I came to see you, silly!" She sing-songs as she flits about your kitchen.

"What's wrong? What bad news have you brought me?" You huff, hoping to get straight to the point. "Why do you assume it's bad news? Can't I just come to check on you. It's been a while since you've been home and Hecate, and I are worried about you. Now, where do you keep your wine glasses?" She pivots.

It's always bad news

"Second cabinet to the left from the stove." You instruct her. She claps her hands before bringing down two of them and pouring both of you a glass. "I know that mortal stuff doesn't do it for you, so I brought a bottle of Dinoysus' special blend." Minthe chirps as she sets the glass down in front of you.

You thank her and take a long drink of the maroon liquid.

"So, spill, I want to hear all about this Rooster you're crushing on." She presses you.

You almost choke on your wine when she says his name. "Bradley is a coworker of mine. A colleague. A friend." You tell her.

"A friend—huh. So, I guess you were just being friendly when you saved him today." Minthe chuckles. You glare at her.

Just a friend

"Come on, Hay. I'm your best friend, you can tell me." Minthe takes a seat beside you and hits you with her pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, maybe I have a few feelings for him." You relent.

"Yes! I knew it!" She whoops.

"It's just—" you trial off. "It's just what? Hades you, more than anyone deserves to be happy, especially after what Persephone did to you." Minths grumbles.

"Minthe, I know you never liked her, but I'm the one who hurt here. You saw the burn marks yourself." You remind her.

"Yes, but I don't think Little Miss Spring is as innocent as she claims. She did something, I just know it." Minthe huffs out.

Minthe was nothing if not loyal. She'd been wary of Persephone since the first day she'd met her. Never fully trusting her. And after what happened between the two of you, Minthe was one of the few still in your corner. She and Hecate had been your support group, and they were currently watching over the Underworld in your absence.

"Minthe, do you really think Persephone had me burn her on purpose? Do you think she chose to be scarred for life? " You counter.

"I don't know. All I do know is you were so in love with her, and you had never lost control of your powers like that before, and you would never hurt someone you love." Minthe finishes before downing the rest of her drink.

"But, that's in the past. Tell me about Bradley." Minthe shifts the topic.

"He's kind, smart, and funny. He's genuinely a good person. He reminds me a lot of Persephone, in the best way. But at the same time, he's different. He doesn't shy away from the pain he's felt in life, he over comes it. He doesn't let his scars, mental or physical ones keep him from being his true self. Bradley is just—he's different." You sigh. It's been so long since you've let yourself feel like this.

"I think he sounds wonderful. Maybe he is your soulmate." Minthe takes your hands and squeezes them. The smile drops from your face and you pull away from her.

Soulmate, ugh, you hated that word

"Minth, he's not my soulmate." You tell her. "You know I don't even believe in those. Not after Seph." You sigh.

"Persephone isn't your soulmate. She wouldn't have said those things about you if she was." Minthe defends.

"Even if she wasn't, I've been wandering Earth for three thousand years. If I had a soulmate, surely I would have met them before now. 'Soulmate' is a stupid word made up by the Gods and mortals to give them hope that there is someone for everyone, when their really isn't." You almost shout at her. You sigh and take another drink. The wine warms you from within and calms you.

Good job, Hades, push away one of the only friends you have left

"Sorry. I just—" you shake your head.

"It's fine. You have strong feelings about it. You're allowed to have them." Minthe reassurances you.

There is a long pause. "Hades, I know you think that you don't deserve to be happy or have someone in your life who cares about you, but you do. If you like Bradley, you should pursue him." Minthe tells you.

"How would I even begin to explain to him what I am?" You ask her. "I don't know. But I'm sure you'd figure it out." Minthe offers.

"He's just so good. Too good for me. I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt him. I mean, what if he saw my true form and it terrified him. I don't think I could live with him calling me a monster or being afraid of me." You sigh.

That would be a fate worse than death

"Hades, you can't let fear hold you back." Minthe takes your face in her hands and kisses your forehead before hugging you. You lean into the hug. It really is good to see her.

"Now for the bad news." Minthe says as she takes a step back.

Of course

"Ah ha! I knew it!" You proclaim as you jump up from your chair. "I knew you were coming with bad news. What is it this time? What's got Zeus' lightening bolts in a twist?" You ask her.

"It's not about Zeus or the other Olympians, Hades. It's about you." Minthe settles into a seat across from you with a serious look on her face. You sit back down. You've never seen her look like this. She almost looks afraid.

"You know how we have assumed that you were still immortal after being cast off of Olympus because you reincarnate every time you die?" Minthe began.

"Yes." You nod your head.

"Well—Hecate and I were visited by the Fates a few days ago, and they took us to the lifeline temple." She continues. "And the Fates showed us your lifelines."

"Lifelines? That's impossible. I only have one. Everyone only has one." You tell her.

"That's what we said. But apparently, when all the Gods were cast off, their lifeline split into thousands of pieces. Each time they died before completing their quest, a line would snap. But they would reincarnate because another line was there. When the Gods completed their worthiness quest, the lines fused back into one unbreakable line." Minthe tells you. The gears start turning in your head.

"And because I haven't completed my quest, I never got the unbreakable line of immortality. I've just been burning through the lifelines." You say.

"Exactly. And for the others, it wasn't an issue, but because you've been on Earth so long, you've used several of them. But that's not the bad news." Minthe cringes and takes a long drink of her wine.

"Well, what's the bad news?" You press her. She hesitates.

"You only have one lifeline left. Hades, if you die again, you become a permanent resident of the Underworld, and not as it's queen. Your death would be the end of the line for you with no chance of reincarnation." Minthe drops the news on you. You suck in a breath as the realization hits you.

You aren't immortal, like you thought. You'd been so careless for so long, and now you only had one life left.

"Okay. I guess I'll have to be careful then, won't I?" You say.

Careful, sure

"Extremely careful. Hades, the next time you're home, I want it to be because you're taking back your rightful place as queen. I know you said you were done trying to complete your quest, but you need to. Please." Minthe begs you.

You promise her that you will. She gives you a smile and hugs you once more before she leaves. After she's gone, the scent of mint still lingers.

"Well, you two, it looks like Mommy is going to have to tone it down." You say as you look at Cerberus and Hydra, who are curled up together on the ridiculous large pet bed you bought for them. Cerby cocks his head to the side, while Hydra holds eye contact with you. You throw your head back and laugh.

"Who are we kidding? We all know that I don't know how to tone it down." You shake your head laughing before going to grab them some food for the evening.

Maybe dying wouldn't be the worst fate

It might be freeing

You get Hydra squared away with her dinner before opening the pantry to get Cerberus his. That's when you see it. "Oh no, Cerby, it looks like you've got just enough for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I'll have to head to the store across town to get you a refill tomorrow." You tell him after giving him a head scratch. Even though he didn't have three heads, Cerberus ate like he did. While your fur babies ate dinner, you decided on a quick bite yourself.

After all of you had your bellies full, you showered before tucking into bed. Hydra and Cerberus curled up at the foot of your bed and the three of you drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, you woke up early for a quick run. Cerberus came with you while Hyrda preferred to stay home. After a quick shower and breakfast for the three of you, you opted to slip on a simple blue sundress and tie your hair in a ponytail. You weren't in the mood to match pants and a shirt today. You slipped your feet into some sandals, grabbed your keys and headed out.

You made a day of your pet food run, stopping to get your nails done and to pick up some groceries. You were missing home a little extra today, so you decided to pick up everything you needed to make moussaka for dinner when you got home.

When you arrived back at the parking garage for your apartment complex, you knew you didn't want to make two trips to bring everything in, so, using all your strength you gathered all of your groceries and pet food and headed to the elevator. Someone had just gotten on, and the doors were about to close when you shouted, "Hold the elevator, please!"

You had a hard time seeing over the giant bag of dog food, but you could just make out a hand holding the doors open. You dashed through the doors and let out a sigh of relief as you leaned the bag against the wall. "Thank you so much." You breathed out.

"No problem, Hades." You froze when you heard his familiar voice. You dropped the dog food and turned around slowly.

"Bradley? What are you doing here?" You asked him. He chuckled and leaned against the wall. You gave him the once over. He was in gym shorts and an old UVA shirt.

"I could as you the same thing." He fires back. "I live here." You tell him matter of factly.

He nods approvingly.

"So I ask you again. Why are you here?" You asked, praying that his answer wasn't along the lines of him visiting his significant other.

"I live here too." He shrugs.

"Wait—what?" You look at him with wide eyes.

"So we've lived in the same apartment complex for almost two months and didn't know?" You're shocked.

"Looks like it. I live in 1113." He tells you. "No shit? I live in 1013. You're my upstairs neighbor." You both laugh.

Oh, good grief

"What are the odds. Hey, do you need some help with that?" He gestures to your things. "If you don't mind, that would be great." You say just as the bell to your floor dings. Bradley picked up the massive bag of food and follows you down the hall.

"So you have a dog." He says as more of a statement than a question. "And a cat." You tell him.

You pause outside your apartment door and unlock it. You're just about to tell Bradley to set the food by the door, but he marches inside right past you.

"Careful!" You warn him, but it's too late, Cerberus is bounding towards Bradley. You're waiting for him to start barking, but instead, you hear the sweet sounds of Bradley talking to him.

"Oh, who's a good boy, you are. Is that your food? No wonder it's such a big bag because you're such a cute, big boy, aren't you!" Bradley scratches Cerby's ears and pats his head.

Never one to be left out, Hydra weaves through his legs and begins to purr. "Oh, aren't you a pretty thing!" Bradley praises her.

Obviously, your animals like him, why wouldn't they?

You drop your keys on the table and chuckle at the sight.

"What are their names?" Bradley asks you as he moves to sit on your couch, and they both join him.

"Cerberus and Hydra." You tell him.

"You're kidding? Your call sign is Hades, and you have a dog and a cat named Cerberus and Hydra?" He laughs.

"Well, if you didn't notice, Cerby, my Rottweiler is a tripod, and Hydra is a six-toed cat. So, they fit." You laugh as you start putting up groceries.

"How long have you had them?" Bradley asks you.

"About three years. I was in South Korea on a detachment. One night, we went into the city and stumbled upon an animal fighting ring. We called the cops and helped get the animals safe and relocated. Cerberus and Hydra wouldn't leave each other, and no one wanted to take both of them, so I did. It cost me a fortune to get them here, but it was worth it," you say.

"Wow, that's amazing." Bradley says. He thinks that he likes you even more now. You shake your head and roll your eyes as you unpack your groceries.

"Are you hungry?" You ask him. "I could always eat." He responds truthfully. "Well, I'm making dinner. Would you like to stay? It's the least I could do after you helped me." You tell him.

"I'd love to." He smiles as he takes a seat at your kitchen island.

You begin to flit around the kitchen, chopping, mixing, and sautéing. Bradley watches you with wrapped attention. You grab a bottle of wine and pour a glass for each of you. Even if you can't get a buzz from it, you enjoy letting the fruity notes dance across your taste buds.

"So what are you making? It smells amazing." Bradley asks you as you're layer the dish into a pan to bake.

"Moussaka." You tell him. "It's Greek comfort food."

"Greek?" He quirks an eyebrow at you. "Yeah, I'm Greek. First-generation American. My whole family is from Greece." You tell him. It's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth either. "Kolasi is Greek for inferno." You continue.

"That's amazing. Is that part of the reason why your call sign is Hades?" Bradley asks. "That and I used to have a pretty fiery temper back in day." You reply.

Bradley nods his head and takes a sip of his drink. "So your whole family is from Greece. That's pretty cool. Do your parents live around here, or are they back home? Do you have any family around here, or is it just you?" He continues trying to make conversation. You stand in front of the oven and freeze. He sees your shoulders tense up and knows that this is a touchy subject for you.

Your voice drops. It's barely above a whisper when you say, "I—I don't have any parents, and I don't have any family around here. It's just me."

"Oh." Bradley breathes out. There's a pregnant pause. "I get it. It's just me, too. I lost my dad at three, and my mom when I was nineteen." He tells you. You sigh. Bradley thinks you're an orphan like he is. Maybe that's for the best. Honestly, he isn't totally wrong. You stay with your back to him for a long moment.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to. You're just—an enigma, Hades. I feel like I only know you on a surface level. I want to know more about you. Especially if we are going to be working together." Bradley tells you.

No, you don't

"Well, there isn't much to know about me. I joined the Navy at eighteen, graduated at the top of my class in the academy, and in Top Gun. Thirteen confirmed kills, but I've never been in one squadron for too long." You sigh. "That's about it."

"If I wanted to know your Naval career, I could have read your file. Tell me something deep about you." Rooster prods.

"Deep? Hmm. I have a lot of tattoos. Does that count as deep?" You chuckle.

"I mean, it's not ocean deep, but it isn't as shallow as a puddle." You both laugh at Bradley's comment. "What tattos do you have?" He continues.

"I have the rose and dagger on my arm. Kardiá tis fotiás on my ribs. It means 'heart of fire' in Greek. I have a poppy behind my ear, and then I've got a thigh sleeve of every place I've been stationed." You explain to him. You decided to leave out the details about your last tattoo. You didn't need him asking questions about it.

"Is that deep?" You ask him as you take your moussaka out of the oven and grab a few plates.

"Yeah, and now I feel like mine is stupid." Bradley snorts. "You have ink?" Now it's your turn to quirk a brow at him.

"Yeah." He slides the sleeve of his UVA shirt up and flexes his bicep to show you the Roman numerals etched into his right arm.

You gingerly reach out and trace the black numbering. "Thirty-two?" You question him.

"My mom was into tarrot cards and fortune telling. Thirty-two is the number for strength. I got it for her after she passed. The last thing she told me before she died was that she loved me and to be strong for her." There's a thick tension between the two of you as his words settle around you. "I don't think that's stupid at all, Bradley. It's sweet." You smile at him as you rub a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks. I've shown you mine. Does that mean I get to see yours now?" And just like that, his somber tone is gone, and his happy personality it back.

"Rooster, are you trying to get me naked?" You joke with him.

"Only if you're offering." You smirks. You shake your head and shove a plate at him before you can do or say something stupid.

He digs in a groans when the food hits his tastebuds.

"This—this is one of the best things I've ever eaten." He tells you appreciatively.

"I'm glad, I think I do a pretty good job with it." You smile at him and revel in his praise as he scarfs down his first plate before sheepishly asking for seconds, which you happily give him. Gods know you cooked more than you could ever eat.

After both of you finish dinner and polish off the rest of the wine, you pack up some leftovers for Bradley. He insisted on helping you with the dishes, so the two of you found yourself side by side working on them. Well, if you were being honest, the two of you were goofing around and playing more than you were cleaning. You were blowing bubbles and splashing each other and giggling like children.

"I hope you know that you're not going to be able to get rid of me now." Bradley tells you. "What do you mean?" You ask him.

"I'm like the neighborhood stray. You've fed me twice. You're stuck with me now." He tells you with a goofy grin. You throw your head back laughing, and Bradley swears it's the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. He loves the way your wide smile curls over your face and how your nose scrunches up and how the tips of your ears turn pink. You look so at ease.

He could get used to seeing you like this. Happy and carefree. It's a stark contrast to the rigid pilot he sees at work.

Soon, the two of you finish up, and you dry the last plate off before handing it to him to put in your cabinet. You turn to toss the dish towel on the counter, but slip on some soapy water the two of you had splashed on the floor and lose your footing. Bradley immediately reaches out for you and grabs your waist to steady you. Your hands attach to his biceps as you regain your balance.

It takes you a moment to catch your breath, and when your brain catches up with the rest of your body, you realize what an intimate position the two of you are in. You can feel the warmth radiating off of him, and his plush, pink lips are right there.

It would take hardly any effort on either of your parts to close the distance between the two of you. Your heart is screaming for you to do it, but before you can, Bradley clears his throat and drops his hands.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "I'm fine." You say in a deflated tone.

"Well, it's getting late, I should probably get going. Thanks again for dinner." He says as you walk him to you door.

"No problem. See you at work on Monday." You call as he walks into the hallway.

"See you Monday." He chimes back as you shut the door and lock it. You press your back again the cool wood and sink to the floor. Cerberus and Hydra both walk over and look at you with knowing eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, you two. It's not going to happen." You tell them.

"It's not going to happen." You repeat, this time as a reminder to yourself. You could let yourself be friends with Bradley. You could even let yourself have a crush on him. But you could never let yourself cross that line.

It's better that way

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[ezziefae]

Thoughts on Chap. 3 of The Prisoner's Throne (SPOILERS)

hello readers, forgive me for the typos, there are so many things about this chapter that had me screaming. Enjoy my thoughts!!!

“I want—” he begins.

“No,” she tells him. “By the power of Grimsen’s bridle, get on your knees and be silent.”

Wren has to be one of the scariest characters ever written by holly black. 

Her mouth curves into a smile, but it isn’t a nice one. “By Grimsen, I command you to do exactly as I say from here forward. You will stay on your knees until I say otherwise.”

Oak should have left when he had the chance.

Nahhh! I knew since TSH that we were gonna see Wren use the bridle on Oak, but now that i'm READING THIS it's still INSANE that she's willingly using it to CONTROLL him fully, it makes me think of Jude and Cardan, and how Jude kind of sorta had control of Cardan, but only by Pledge. Jude also had a power to command Cardan whatever she wished him to do, but she never ordered him to do something like THIS. Wren seems to have no mercy on Oak. She could legit make him kill or hurt anyone, she could make him jump off a bridge or say anything. Kind of also reminds me of when Locke ordered the ghost to betray Jude and the court of shadows, and how the Ghost had no control over his actions, and how in TQON he asked Jude to kill him because he'd rather die than be controlled by anyone. Wren did not come to play. This is so scary!!!

He finds her fascinating. He’s always found her fascinating, but he is not foolish enough to tell her that. Especially not in this moment, when he is afraid of her.

Oak is literally being controlled and is bridled and these are his thoughts…he's so downbad that it could actually get him killed. 

“I am already bridled,” he says, feeling a little frantic. “You don’t need to lock me away. I can’t harm you unless you let me. I am entirely in your power. And when I did escape, I came directly to your side. Let me kneel at your feet in the throne room and gaze up adoringly at you.”

THE LAST LINE!! IM DYINGGG!! THIS MAN NEEDS TO STOPPPPPP, OH OAKKKKK YOURE SOOOOO DOWNN BADDDDD FOR WREN

“I have to occupy myself somehow,” he says. “When I am between moments of gazing adoringly, of course.”

I have no words…Not Oak trying to use his charm on her, like dude, i dont think thats gonna work.

The door opens, and Fernwaif comes in, a single guard behind her. Oak recognizes him as Bran, who occasionally sat at Madoc’s dinner table when Oak was a child. He looks horrified at the sight of the prince on his knees, wearing the livery of a guard beneath a stolen cloak.

I absolutely LOVE that we’re getting past memories of Oak when he was a child. It also helps the readers feel nostalgic from reading the folk of the air series. When Jude, Taryn, Vivi, Oak, Madoc, and Oriana lived in peace.I hope we get so many of these moments…even though i have to say this paragraph is a little sad, how Oak recognized the guard as one of his fathers friends..

“You don’t know me as well as you think, Greenbriar heir,” she says. “I remember your stories, like the one about how you used a glamour against your mortal sister and made her strike herself. How would you like to feel as she felt?” 

NOT HER USING THIS AGAINST HIM!!! Love how that moment keeps being brought up. (And i predict that Oak will apologize to Jude about it in this book)

“I’ll slap myself silly willingly, if you like,” he offers. “No need for a command.”

OAK STOPPP IM DEAD

“What if, instead, I force you onto your hands and knees to make a bench for me to sit upon?” Wren inquires lightly, but her eyes are alight with fury and something else, something darker. 

Wren.... I don't think that sounds like a punishment to him sweetie…

“Crawl to me.” Her eyes shine, fever bright.

GUYS ITS THE LINE!! THE LINEEE!! SHE SAYS THE LINEEE HOLY SHI-

Again, Oak’s body moves without his permission. He finds himself writhing across the floor, his stomach against the carpet. He flushes with shame.

SHES SO WRONG FOR THAT. SHE'S HUMILIATING HIMM! Not even Jude did these thing to Cardan *sobs* 

When he reaches her, he stares upward, rage in his eyes. He’s humiliated, and she’s barely begun. She was right when she said he didn’t understand what it would feel like. He hadn’t counted on the embarrassment, the fury at himself for not being able to resist the magic. He hadn’t counted on the fear of what she would do next.

This is actually very sad. Wren is treating him somewhat in a way that she had been treated. She's hurt, and I guess it's very understandable, I just wish she didn't have to inflict that pain on Oak. 

Oak cuts his gaze toward Bran, who has remained stiff and still, as though afraid to draw Wren’s attention. The prince wonders how far she would go if he were not present.

Two things!! Number one I literally FORGOT the guard  was still in the room and he had to WATCH oak crawl to her. Number two, That last line…..what kind of things would she has ordered Oak to do if the guard had not been in the room……(side eye) 

Wren turns to him. “Perhaps I ought to have you sent to the Great Hall tomorrow and command that you endure ten strikes of an ice whip. Most barely get through five.”

Oh my god, she really is EVIL DUDE. I've never seen this kind of evil in a holly black book. Now I'm scared. 

Oak looks directly into her eyes. “Why are you keeping me at all, Wren? Am I a hostage to be ransomed? A lover to be punished? A possession to be locked away?”

“That,” she says, bitterness in her voice, “is what I am trying to figure out myself.” She turns to the guards. “Take him back to his cell.”

OH IM VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT SHE'S PLANNING. Remember that Jude and Cardan are on their way to save Oak, if anything I believe Wren is somehow going to use Oak against elfhame. Maybe she’ll order him to hurt jude or cardan. THIS BOOK IS GOING TO END ME AGH I NEED IT NOWWW.

“Good night, Prince of Elfhame,” Wren says as he is led from the room. He manages a single glance back. Her gaze locks with his, and he can feel the frisson of something between them. Something that might well be terrible, but that he wants more of all the same.

I'm very curious to know how Oak is going to handle this mess. Like he's absolutely F*CKED. He's so down bad for Wren that he would do anything to stay by her side and protect her, YET he also wants to protect his family members who are on their way to save him and to kill wren. He cannot save BOTHHHH, meaning he will probably have to choose sides. Holly Black why are you torturing us!!!

 MARCH 5TH HURYYY UPPP!

49 more days till this book comes out. stay strong. 

[aceswritingcorner]

Yandere Beginnings

Marc Spector hadn’t expected to see anyone during certain hours of the night. Let alone someone who seemingly walked through the night with ease. Coming back from missions given by Khonsu was never easy- nor was going to them and getting the crap beaten out of you but that’s what was signed up for. Yet- seeing the way you walked against the cracked cement sidewalk to just sit by the fountain that housed coins from lost wishes. 

No. No- He shouldn’t be thinking of stuff like that. 

He still had Layla- there was someone to go back to even if he was afraid of what the god would eventually do. But the way the pale light basked against your eyes, making them shine in such mystifying ways. No. He had someone… 

Steven Grant wasn’t paying much attention when he first heard. 'I’m just saying, there’re supposed to be nine gods on the banner instead of seven-‘ You were right. The banners were wrong but he had never expected to hear it from someone else. 

The bright smile you had offered him before buying the Tawaret plushie had nearly made his heart pause- he could swear his life on it. Maybe there was some way he could see you again… 

Marc had been the one to see you again. Of course, it had to be him. Nothing tended to get past the Avatar of Khonshu much these days. 

'Give me the body.'  "What? No. In case you hadn’t noticed Marcy-Marc, we are on a bus where people can see.“ The words muttered under his breath as he sent a small look to his reflection. 'Just give me the dang body.' "Not a bloody chance in hell. Today’s my day-" 

Words trailing off the tip of his tongue as his eyes gazed at the newest person on the bus. It was his favorite museum-goer. 

'Steven don’t you even fucking think about it!-' Oh ho ho this was definitely going to be a talk for later. 

Jake Lockley had never bothered to get involved in the petty fights and bickering between the other two. There was better things to do than argue over whatever those two pendejos did.  Especially when things were life and death and he wasn’t about to let the god that loomed over their shoulder choose. 

One of the targets got away from his range, the imbécil had to get killed. Not unless he felt like having the damned bird get angry again. 

The scene he had ran into was never something he expected to see. Bloodied knuckles and clothes, chest heaving from the unwarranted fight, you were definitely something interesting. 

"Bueno, jódeme. Eres divertido.” (Well fuck me. You are amusing.)

———-

Khonshu never held himself to the thought of holding an interest to someone. He was the fist of vengeance for crying out loud! He brought justice to those that did wrong with his Avatar! Not some silly little worm that feuded over mundane things that could easily be fixed or ignored. 

The idiots had been fighting non-stop over who got to see whatever it was this time. 

'PAY ATTENTION!' 

He had appeared in the small loft apartment, having to crouch to fit properly. Staff tilted to avoid the slanted ceiling. 

'THERE IS MUCH WORSE TO FOCUS ON THAN SOME MORTAL. I DO NOT WISH TO CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU WORMS ARE TRYING TO ARGUE ABOUT.’

“They know about you-” Marc spoke up, looking at the god as he sighed at the other two trying to switch in. 

“Indeed they do and it is quite amazing as to how much information they know of Egyptian history,” Steven interjected promptly before Marc took control back. 

“As I was saying. They know about you and apparently-" 

"Can see you. Paloma.” Jake switched in, cracking the knuckles in his hand boredly. “The two pendejos finally figured it out and now they’re fighting about it.”

“THEY CAN DO WHAT? THAT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE." Wind picked up, loose papers flying through the apartment. 

No one but their chosen avatar should be capable of seeing him. This shouldn’t be possible. No worm could see him. This had to be the work of something else- 

He had to keep his attention on this worm then. 

[lienspien]

I feel like all the Skittles have SOME sort of weird thing that's going on with them. Tw mentions of blood and dissecting

Barty is batshit crazy. Wild, messy, and all over the place. Almost terrifying. He makes ur mom jokes and threatens to kill or hurt or fuck someone who's messing with him. He also learned how to do his own tatoos and piercings, thats why he has a new tattoo or piercing every month. He finds it fun and silly to be stabbing his ear and shoving a piercing through it, likes the sting cause it gives him adrenaline

And there's Pandora who says the most out of pocket shit. She has weird visions sometimes and seems to be everywhere and knows everything. And she's so incredibly calm while saying the wildest shit ever that it scares some people. People never hear her footsteps, and she just shows up randomly. Her voice is so calm and peaceful that it really doesn't fit her liking in scary creatures

Then Evan, who is just as off-putting as his sister. Unlike Barty, who is chaotic, he's more reserved and calm. But sometimes does creepy stuff and acts like it's normal. He is weirdly fascinated with disecting humans and animals. Also has a weird interest in teeth and dead animal corpses. He probably learned how to preserve them somehow. He has a like thing where dead butterflies are stuck to and he wakes up everyday to admire it as a way to start his day.

Dorcas has an interest in lucid dreaming and shifting and all things psychological. Sometimes she'll say stuff like "oh I sent a message to you in your dreams, you got it, right?" Most of the time, you probably won't get it, but it happens sometimes. Mostly to the slytherin Skittles and Marlene. She also learned to do nonverbal spells earlier in her years because it helps give her more control over her own mind. She has definitely learned and did research on why the imperius curse does what it does to its victims

And Regulus, though never to admit out loud, fucking loves astrology. He learned about it through Pandora, and since then he's been doing astrological readings. He just finds it cool how something like a time of birth, the position of a planet, the moon phase of your birth, and all can say a lot about a person.

Anyways it might not fit some characters but it's how I think of them and I love them this way cause imagine like Pandora walking up to Barty and say "certain plants can bloom above dead corpses" and Barty suggests that they have to see it happen for themselves

Or Dorcas coming up reg like "did you get my message?" And Regulus said "yeah, it's written in the stars that your relationship will go well don't worry and stop pestering me in my dreams"

Or Barty making a new piercing and Evan suggesting that he should make a piercing out of one of his insects legs and Barty was really close to doing it before Reg stopped them

Or Regulus catching squirrels for Pandora to keep in her little squirrel cage and have as a pet that'll probably die because Evan keeps feeding it the wrong food

Sometimes, the Skittles all get hurt except for Dorcas, and she says stuff like "yeah because the universe is protecting me. I'm their favourite mortal"

Barty getting slightly unsettled and maybe a bit flustered when he sees Evan so focused on learning how to use his new dissecting tool, just tweaking it here and there for his own liking yk

Regulus in a bad mood cause today's horoscope says that it's going to be shit.

Yeah they're weird

[s-ephiroth]

i often thought, through all these years, like

"i'll leave this fandom someday"

i've seen people come and go, i've seen people completely delete and vanish and i've tried to mourn the hole they left behind when they went

(tried to, because i'm not good at mourning, i feel... i'm better at coping, at entering survival mode and just pushing through, and hiding the tears for when nobody is looking; i mourn extremely messy and never ending... i mourn any time i title a fic in full lowercase and think of the things icy said back then;

(i mourn when i see pages that will never update again and records of things from years ago — seeing how friends and i were so different back then, less paranoid, perhaps more carefree, less pained by the weight of world; seeing once busy chat rooms fall quiet even though people are still there, seeing people change fandoms... i mourn now even though i'm making a silly pun on a friend's stream chat)

i thought that one day i would be the next one to go, too

because somewhere in this world there are people who can't simply let others enjoy stuff on their corner or people who can't just give you a rejection email like a normal person and have to dodge a block to mock you, there are people out there who can't just say "i dislike this thing" and move on, instead coming up with convoluted excuses for why the thing is bad, while basking in equally messy stuff to what they bash

there are stalkers, there are people who go on your ao3 fic to ask why you blocked them, there are cowards who send people anon hate for months, people who crap comment on bookmarks, bullies who persist for years

there's a lot of bad and i often thought "maybe i'll be the next one to go... but... will someone miss me, when i go?"

the pessimist in me says people would miss me for a while, then forget

maybe eventually someone would be like "where are the prompts for sc/seph weeks?" and i would've been missed for a moment, then forgotten again

surely someone would come up with replacement events, maybe not

it would be okay... perhaps

the world keeps spinning and i'm but a little rock rolling along the river of time, as they say; ultimately, on my own i'm near powerless

i can't fully protect people i admire from their bullies, i can't stop drama bs from happening, i can barely bring myself to be creative quite often because my energy is limited

i can't rewind time and prevent one of my friends from being traumatized for life

surely one day i would be the next one to go; my self-esteem isn't very high, i don't really think of myself as too important

hell i almost died twice before, due to things outside of my control, i think of my own mortality and how fleeting stuff is a lot more than i'm willing to admit

probably someone like me would be the next to go, from fandom i mean, is what i think when i see people stop doing things they loved because others were evil to them

"surely, this time i'll not come back to public with art, it's not like some silly chibis are desired, it's not like my computer is robust enough, i was never given an excuse for why exactly i was rejected from that zine, maybe it was personal bias but maybe just maybe i really should fail, maybe what i do is not enough anyway... maybe if i come back those kinds of people will hunt me down like prey... but hey it's valentine's day, what if i force myself to do something"

it's not like anyone would've cared much, anyway

i could be the next one to go; the remake brought in too many ill intended people and icy was right in leaving, remake changed the climate

but for every single discourse bs that happens, for every no life person who manipulates others, even though there are too many people who have to touch grass

sometimes... sometimes you appreciate a piece of good fan art for 4 years, often going back from time to time to share it with others, looking at it when things feel too hard and the artist comes back to it, redraws it

and you just think "fuck... i need to do something too!!! i've thought of the original so much, i watched from afar for too long, it watered my dying crops over and over and over"

and i do... and i befriend the artist somehow? and there's official material related to the subject matter, and i befriend other people too and fuck, fuck, fuck—

turns out there way more people than i thought into the subject matter too!!! and even more official material coming out after years of just having this one shortish game to go by, the one thing to bring me into the fandom in the first place

and i just think

"i can't leave... i like it here, i hope no one takes this from me, i'll gladly shield people if i have to, i'll throw hands if i have to"

and suddenly, i can't be the next one to go and this post is turning much longer than i expected it to, while i'm bawling my eyes out from being too emotional while watching a stream

and you, reading this, as long as you're an innocent bystander who contributes in some way, even if you just mostly lurk and don't get involved much? you shouldn't go either

the world is a fuck on fire right now, but maybe you make it less so, for someone

maybe you're someone's favorite artist or writer or cosplayer; maybe someone is still waiting on that fic you haven't updated in like 3 years or maybe someone's seeing you go on hiatus and worrying, "will... will i see you again?"

you never know

maybe you'll indeed, move fandoms some day, find another place to lurk in with people you can affectionately call your "favorite losers" or maybe life will get too busy, maybe you need a short break to detox

but while that doesn't happen, please don't go?

please don't go

[strangelittlestories]

Today I plan to tell you That I love you.

The words lurk all day Lurching, lost, round my stomach Rattling up my throat Occasionally threatening To rock up early And open themselves to strangers.

I keep them on track Barely.

Finally, After dinner, (Vodka fog from ill-advised cocktails  Thickening in my eyes) I open my mouth Heart pumping pure sincerity And what comes out (those sweet three little words) is:

“I hate buses.”

“What?” You’re not angry (Yet)

“I really mean it.”  This is true. But in a minute My brain will catch up to my heart.

“What?!?” You repeat. Louder. Amused, but perturbed. The bartender is watching us Like dinner theatre.

Currently, this is an amusing non-sequitur. I could brush this off Let the ill-timed thought wend  its lopsided way onwards And this will be a cute anecdote.

Instead, I run after it. I chase that thought down Like I am fleeing justice.

“The thing about buses, right? Is that you never know when they’ll turn up.”

“There are literally schedules On the bus stops.” You reply, Carried along in the slipstream Of my accelerating rant.

“Schedules are at the mercy of traffic And traffic is god of chaos That calls judgement down from uncaring skies In a blare of horn honks. Don’t talk to me about schedules.”

“*Fine*. I won’t.” The tenor of that ‘fiiine’ Is a warning light. I ignore it.

“Buses turn up when they feel like it, They always take longer than you think (Because - again - traffic exists And none of us are free of sin) They don’t go where you think half the time, There is So Much Waiting And every part of the journey Is out of your control. I would rather walk for hours, I would rather cancel plans, I would hire an e-scooter Even though I think they’re Very Silly Rather than take one bus. I’d say that buses are my own personal hell But at least with hell, I know I will *get there* And I’ll be on time.”

“Sweetheart…” You say. And the warning light in your voice Flashes red Klaxons are sounding Someone is calling the president And texting their family To tell them - ironically, given how this started - That they love them. “...what the *flip*?”

I puff myself full of indignance Ready to let these fiery feelings Run their route When the right words Finally wend their weary way To my stop. I deflate And flag them down.

“I got a bus here.” I say. “Even though I hated it. I repeatedly get buses to see you Because you live far away Near no good transport And it’s quicker than walking. Just.”

“What are you trying to say?” You take my hand And it’s like you know The map of me.

“I don’t know my own feelings Most of the time. They roam where they will They keep no schedule They conform neither to the laws Of gods nor mortals

I spent a lot of time waiting for them When I was young And eventually I worked out I’ll only know they exist When they’re taking me somewhere. Often where I don’t want to go.

I know that I love you When I realise I am willing To go out of my way If it brings me to you In the end.

Because love is not just a thing That squats in your chest It’s actions you choose to take And I only notice it When I verb the noun And realise I’ve changed my life To fit it On purpose.

And I took a bus to get here To you Even though I hated it.”

And you say: “Gods you’re so fudging weird. ... I’d get a bus for you too.”