#Sorry sorry this rambling led nowhere

[im-a-chunky-potato]

I've been thinking about it and the doa really correlates well to the past pm!

Now I know that sounds crazy but hear me out for a second.

First off, to put it simply, the doa really doesn't exist anymore. Fukuchi is dead and wasn't sharing their goals anyways, Sigma isn't working with them anymore, and Bram didn't want to be on their side to begin with!

This is what would have happened to the port Mafia had mori not taken over. Most likely it would have fallen apart and been held up by false loyalties.

Hmm not really a correlation but there's 5 doa members and 5 executives, which is a really nice touch! And... yeah I can correlate some of them to each other.

Fyodor is just like 16 year old Dazai. I feel as if this doesn't really need to be said, but Fyodor is what Dazai could have become had it not been for Oda.

Nikolai acts as Ace! This one I feel works really well. Nikolai is stuck in Fyodors game and just like Ace, I feel he will finally either think he has gained or will gain freedom through Death.

Sigma really has some of the same traits as Chuuya. Besides both of them not having memories of their past, dealing with Dazai, etc they both are extremely motivated and willing to fight even when the odds are against them.

Sighs. That leaves Bram and Fukuchi with Kouyou and Verlaine?

...OH. Verlaine and Fukuchi go together. They both have a sort of twisted love for what they consider to be like family to them. Verlaine and Chuuya, Fukuchi and Fukuzawa.

Bram and Kouyou... I can't really explain this. However I will say they would both be able to survive in the dark or the light. Bram seems to be a decent person and Kouyou does care about Kyouka. I believe her clothes are lighter too because of this fact.

Kouyou had Kyouka and Bram has Aya. For both Kouyou and Bram, Aya and Kyouka are people who represent the light for them or the good in the world.

Sorry I thought I was going somewhere with this(ToT) but that's really all I have. It's an interesting thought though!

[gtgbabie0]

{Vi can’t sleep so you bring her back to bed}

I want to put her in my pocket </3

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Vi used to be a really light sleeper before she met you. The tiniest of creaks or the slightest movements would make her jolt out of dreamland— the joys of spending years in prison she supposes. Being forced to constantly watch your back just in case. Everything was a threat in there, the inmates, the guards. It was literally hell on earth.

Nights were better with you. Sleeping by your side with her head nestled either on your tummy or in the crook of your neck. Oh, sleep had never been so easy, you were warm and so very soft. Your breathing lulled her and the safety of your embrace was a balm to her soul. As long as you were with her, then she would be fine.

Tonight was just a bad night. Violet had spent a good five minutes tossing and turning, at the very cusp of sleep but never finding that peace. It was pissing her off, so with a kiss to your bare shoulder she slips out of bed as carefully as possible and down to the garage to work on her gauntlets— the right one had been broken for weeks.

That’d been what?— her eyes flit up to the clock on the shelf above her workstation, 3:05 AM taunting her in bright red LED lights. She groans, rolling her head from side to side. Almost two whole hours and she’s gotten nowhere, so much for the groundbreaking works of Hextech… yeah that was definitely to blame not the fact that her eyes were burning, her body screaming at her to rest.

“Fucking piece of—” she cuts herself off from her frustrated ramblings with a groan, throwing the screwdriver onto the table, the jarring clang of metal against metal only drives to annoy her more.

She was far too in her own head to even notice the door opening and closing behind her— it’s only when she feels the warmth of your palm against her shoulder does she snap into reality, flinching slightly at the unexpected touch.

“Shit, baby. Scared the crap out of me.” her tone instantly softens within seconds, big hand resting over the top of yours.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to.” You whisper, yawning mid-sentence.

God, she’s instantly hit with an overwhelming wave of guilt the moment her blue eyes meet your oh-so-sleepy ones— your voice still gruff having been woken up by presumably her, which doesn’t make her feel any better.

“Don’t be silly, it’s fine.” Violet chuckles, turning around on the stool she was perched on, making space for you to stand in between her legs— her hands resting over your hips.

“You look like you’re about to fall over,” yeah, she feels it too. Even more so when you brush the pad of your thumb just under her eye— along the small ‘VI’ tattoo on her cheek, the warmth of your soft palm making her sigh. “What’re you doing up, baby?”

“Mmm, can't sleep.” She replies almost sheepishly, strong arms snaking around your waist to draw your body closer to her— head snugly resting against your chest, nuzzling into the fabric of her hoodie you’re wearing. Oh isn’t that a sight for sore eyes?

“Why’s that huh?” You ask, pressing a delicate kiss to her hairline, black clinging to the red tresses that had begun to fade- it oddly suited her.

She doesn’t answer your question, she’s never been the best at speaking on her feelings— so she pulls back, fingers tugging on the end of the hoodie with a smirk. “You look good in this,” you roll your eyes, not having any of it.

“I know I do. Tell me what’s keeping you up?” Vi scoffs in amusement, brows raising, her blue eyes flickering up to you in slight surprise- although she shouldn't be, she knows that you see right through her.

She dips her hands beneath the hoodie to caress the bare skin of your waist ever so gently, rough fingertips skimming along your curves. “Nothing particular— m’just restless tonight, I guess.” Her face softens as she speaks, “Can’t shut my mind off.” She looked so pitiful in this light, lips slightly pursed, looking up at you through her eyelashes.

She thought she might’ve gotten used to this— the way you care for her so intently after so long but at last here she was practically on the verge of tears as you brush your fingers through her hair, hugging her against your chest. God, she felt so pathetic, she’d blame it on the exhaustion.

“You should’ve woken me up.” You whisper, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

At that she chuckles, shaking her head. “You would’ve gotten all grumpy with me if I woke you up at three in the morning babe.”

“I would not have gotten ‘all grumpy’ at you.” You huff, slightly offended.

Vi barks a laugh. “Yeah, you definitely would have. The last time I woke you up you nearly took my head off.” You didn’t have to see her to know she was smirking— ah she knew you like the back of her damn hand, so infuriating.

“Because you woke me up at two to tell me a joke, that wasn’t even funny.” Well, now that was just mean! She pokes your tummy in retaliation, making you squirm slightly with a yelp.

Your hands swat at hers, shooing them away. “Was hilarious,” she yawns against you, face pressed into you. “You just don’t appreciate my comedic brilliance.”

“Comedic nightmare more like.” She pinches your side once more, toned arms tugging you down to take a seat on her thigh using the opportunity to nose at your jaw. “Meanie,” her words muffled against your cheek.

“Mhm, m'just playing. Now, come to bed before you crash face-first into the table.” You whisper, kissing over her cheek and just above that tiny scar on her brow— thumb brushing along her jaw.

Violet knows she can’t keep herself up any longer than she already has, even if the thought of sleeping feels a little daunting right now. Her arms tighten around you the tiniest bit, sighing in contentment as your fingers massage the nape of her neck in a way that turns her into a puddle— yeah okay, maybe sleep wasn’t the worst thing if you kept touching her like that.

“Only if you keep doing that,” she murmurs to which you hum in agreement, biting back a giggle as she all but groans against your shoulder.

“M’Kay, c’mon then.” Then she’s hauling you up bridal style, enjoying the way you cling to her like a scared kitten as she walks up the stairs and into your shared bedroom. Violet finds sleep sooner than she thought, the magic touch of your hands— paired with those gentle kisses you shower her face with has her snoring into your neck in record time, her thigh draped over your hips effectively trapping you against the bed. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

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[joelswritingmistress]

Neighbors With Benefits: Part 4 (Joel Miller x f! reader)

Part of the #hotdilfsummerchallenge @hellishjoel

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Word Count: 3600

Warning: Smut, Smut and more smut. Age gap (23 & 42)

“I, uh…” You let out a deep breath and felt him glance over your shoulder at the open photo album. “I’m sorry.” You closed the book, “I just heard my parents pull in and was looking out the window. I toyed with the cover of this. It’s not my business, I’m sorry.” You were rambling and felt a sudden rush of emotion.

Joel sighed and when he parted from you, you expected the worst. You turned to face him and he looked you directly in the eye.

“We’re not together anymore,” he confessed. The words impaled you with instant relief, dulling the pain that had immediately made home in your chest.

“Okay.” You nodded and then shrugged, “I shouldn’t have opened it. I didn’t even realize-”

“It’s okay.” Joel ran a hand through his hair and took a single glance down at the book before regaining your stare. “We bought this house together in the winter. We thought moving and starting fresh somewhere would help our marriage.” He eyed the hardwood floor for a moment. “There’s an old saying: ‘wherever you go, there you are’. That’s what happened. After the initial high wore off of buying the house and settling in, the same old fights started and we were just as.. distant.”

“I’m sorry.” You shook your head. “I didn’t mean to bring this up.”

“It’s fine. I should have told you.”

“So, you’re divorced?”

Joel cleared his throat, “We’re separated. Her name is still on the house but I pay everything here - barely.” He scratched the back of his head, “She moved in with her sister up in Lakeway back in March.”

This is heavy. You took a deep breath and swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.

“If this changes things, or if you’d rather not-”

Right away you cut him off. “It doesn’t.” The words couldn’t have left your mouth fast enough. You knew you would have time to process it all later, but in that moment there’s not a bone in your body that could have led you out of Joel’s bedroom. “You’re not together…”

Joel shook his head. “No. We haven’t lived together for three months, decided to officially call it quits right after Valentine’s Day.”

That’s really sad, you thought.

A part of you felt guilty. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Joel studied your features and then raised a hand up to touch your cheek before resting his palm there. You covered it with your own and kissed the heel of his hand. Watching Joel’s eyes close sent tingles down the length of your back.

“I haven’t done much of this in the last year,” he confessed in a voice just above a whisper. “I can’t get enough of you, baby. I forgot how much I missed it.”

When his hand moved to toy with your hair you moved back to him and left a single, closed-mouth kiss on his lips, letting it linger for an extra few seconds.

 Joel’s arm slunk around your lower back. "Come to bed," he urged.

You kissed him again and felt his eyes on you. For the first time you sensed his vulnerability. “Okay.”

***

Restless - that's how you felt that night in Joel's house. There was nowhere else you would have rather been, but even in dreams your subconscious willed you to the feelings of guilt and worry. You dreamed up some abstract version of Joel’s wife in your mind and it was ultimately the image that jolted you awake.

Your eyes snapped open, and you breathed heavily as you sat up in bed. A light sweat decorated your forehead and you glanced around the dark room. Next to you, Joel slept soundly and it calmed your nerves just a bit. He laid peacefully still on his side facing you. Even in the darkness he looked as good as ever, and watching him sleep gave him an angelic appearance that wholly complimented the fiery passion he’d brought into your life as of late.

You took a moment to admire him, noting to yourself that you might never see him in that near-perfect way again. The thought made your body feel heavy; your core feel numb. Still, you couldn't look away. You didn’t know what this newfound relationship actually was. Your next move was selfish, but you couldn’t help it.

"Joel..." you whispered his name and ran your hand across his stomach before resting it on his side.

You were aware that he had to be up for work early in the morning, and at that moment he slept so soundly. Still, the rush of emotion you felt from watching him lay there gnawed at you enough to wake him up.

"Joel."  You said his name a little louder this time and traced your hand up and down his bare torso.

He stirred in the darkness and sat up abruptly, looking around in all directions. "What?" Joel cleared his throat, still in a subconscious, delirious state. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as he looked over at you.

"Nothing, I’m sorry, I.." You shook your head 

"Are you alright?" He took in your body language and then looked back up to meet your stare.

 You nodded. "Yeah..."

Joel's eyes moved side to side, reading deeper into your expression. Before he could take a guess at the two or three things that entered his mind,  You leaned in and kissed him.

When you pulled back briefly you immediately went back in for another, this time kissing him harder.

"I'm sorry," you whispered again against his lips as he finally reciprocated and pulled you back to him. "I know you have to wake up for work." The last word was smothered into his mouth as he grew more aggressive in his pursuit of you.

Joel moaned into your mouth and urged you completely on top of him. "You can wake me up any time," he whispered, guiding your face back to his.

You loved making out with Joel, especially as you had sex. With no barrier between the two of you, you straddled him and positioned yourself so he could easily slide up into you with a subtle lift of his hips.

Joel guided you back, securing his hands on the outsides of your hips as you sat upright on him. He moaned when you moved in the right way and stared up at you with sleepy, heavy eyes. "Go ahead honey," Joel bit down on his lower lip and his eyes finally closed when you jolted your hips forward.

Your fingertips dug into his chest as you pushed off of him, feeling every inch he had to offer as you moved in a consistent, fluid fashion on top of him. "God Joel..." The headboard slammed into the wall and you closed your eyes when you felt his hands grip your harder.

"Fuck, baby." Joel groaned as you carried on, allowing you to have full control for the first time. He bucked his hips up once, making you physically cry out as he launched up into you with extra force.

He repeated the motion again and again, holding you in place as he drilled you from below. Your fingers dug deep into the fronts of his shoulders now, you found yourself struggling to catch a breath in between moans. You couldn’t have controlled what you were feeling if you tried.

Joel roughly pulled your face down to his and your lips collided hard as he aggressively penetrated your lips with his tongue.

"I want you to come on my dick," Joel whispered into your mouth. He kissed you sloppily again and then laid flat, clutching your hips again as he continued to thrust into you from below.

You couldn't control yourself when his cock continued to pound the same spot inside of you. Each fluid movement he made left your body aching with pleasure and your thighs trembled from how tense your body was. 

“Don’t stop,” you choked out, pushing back off his chest again into an upright position.

When his hands reached up to engulf your breasts you covered them with your own, locking your fingers through his as you continued to ride him more forcefully.

"That's it." His aroused, husky whispers encouraged you to continue. Each heavy breath he let out let you know that what you were doing was effective for both of you.

Joel hummed your name now, dropping his hands from your breasts as he took in the image of you on top of him. "You're so fucking... " he moaned again to end the sentence and then felt the dominant part of him take over.

He sat upright, pulling your face to his and kissed you again. Joel’s force was needy and hungry. It left you groaning into his mouth.

Without warning he pulled out and pinned you on your back in the center of the bed. Without wasting a second, he re-entered you, pushing your knees apart as he began to fuck your harder. You whimpered and gripped the comforter, gasping his name as you clawed at his thighs.

Joel’s head fell back and he groaned in such a way that you were sure he was close. You felt it, too - the intensity; the build up.

His upper body collapsed onto you and Joel buried his face into the nook of your neck. Your mouth hung open when you felt his teeth graze your skin. "I'm going to..." you barely got the words out. "Joel..."

 Your eyes pressed shut harder when he moaned again. The sound of the headboard hitting the wall became louder and more consistent, urging him on as he never let up.

Again, an explosion of warm pleasure filtered through your body, and you knew that Joel could feel the pulsing sensation that ultimately milked his dick of everything he had to offer. He let it all out - panting, breathing, moaning. Joe’s body rocked on top of yours as he completely finished into you with a lengthy orgasm of his own.

You held onto him as his back heaved up and down. Joel swallowed hard and let out a final, quiet groan into your ear.

"Fuck, baby" He kept his face buried against you as you held him. "I don't think I'm going to ever get sick of fucking you like this."

You let out a deep breath and held onto him harder, shifting one hand up to cradle the back of his head. "That makes two of us."

He laid there for several minutes beneath you as you stroked the waves of his thick, brown hair. With each breath he seemed to come back down to earth a little more. When Joel finally lifted his head he kissed you once, letting his lips linger. With another breath, he pushed himself up off of you and laid on his back for a moment before blindly reaching across to the nightstand for his phone.

You watched him fiddle with the device for a moment and then smiled when he turned to you with a grin.

"I just set my alarm to wake up a half hour early," he informed you.

You pressed your eyebrows together but continued to smile. "How come?"

Joel set the phone down and then laid back down and let out several more breaths. "Because honey... every morning I wake up alone with my cock harder than a steel pipe.” He closed his eyes and let his hand fall lazily over his eyes.

What a visual. You snickered and sank into the pillow beside him and cuddled against his glistening body. Your knee curled up over his leg as you laid on your side with your arm around his waist. 

“I can give up a half hour of sleep if we can start the day just like this.” Joel was still breathing heavily as he spoke and draped an arm around you to bring you in closer.

That next morning when Joel’s phone went off you felt your heart race as you crossed over from the realm of dreams to reality. After the midnight romp you had initiated, you had slept soundly wrapped up in one another.

For a moment you had to decipher if you really were awake. Everything that had happened the night before could have easily passed for the sweetest and most erotic of dreams. When the repetitive sound coming from the night stand came to an abrupt stop, you glanced over and saw Joel fiddling with the phone's screen. He then set it down and turned to face you.

A smile formed on his face beneath a sleepy stare, and you felt the rush of butterflies that had been a constant feeling as of late. You could feel it in your chest that you were already starting to fall for him.

Joel's eyes never left yours as he tossed the covers away and held out a hand without saying a word.

You took in his naked body in the darkness as he stood without reservation waiting with a head of messy hair.

He wasn’t lying about the steel pipe. You maintained a sleepy smile, unable to even feel a bit self-conscious because of his own comfortability in his own skin. Joel always appeared both confident and amused, and those positive feelings projected themselves onto you. You reached a hand up and Joel eagerly pulled you out of bed, chuckling when you laughed from the force of his action. Immediately your lips connected.

You tried to keep the moment going but he parted from you after a few seconds and towed you by the hand toward the door.

"Where are we going?" you asked him.

Joel reached for the handle and pulled it open with his free hand. He glanced over his shoulder, still grinning. "I can't go into work smelling like I just fucked half the night." He raised his eyebrows with a boyish grin and flashed a wink, "And I'm guessing you wouldn't want to go home in that condition either."

He pushed open the partially open bathroom door and turned on the less intense of the two lights though both of you squinted.

Joel removed a set of towels from a small closet and then turned on the shower. "You, uh," he smiled and pointed, "Need a second one for your hair?"

You shrugged and then gave a subtle nod. He winked again and tossed the towel playfully in your direction, making you giggle.

Joel reached for your arm now, pulling your back to him and the two of you shared a laugh. Joel kissed you again, purposely letting his hands wander to all the right parts of your body in a teasing fashion as the water warmed up.

"Put your hands flat on the sink," Joel whispered into your ear before taking part in turning you around.

 You closed your eyes for a moment, anticipating him upping their intimacy. Your fingers tightened around the edge of the sink when you felt him enter you. When his hands slid up to cup your breasts, your eyes opened and you met his gaze in the mirror as he began to kiss up your neck toward your ear.

He thrusted once and your eyes almost closed, though you held his eye contact.

"Mmm..." Joel smiled wickedly when you grinned in the midst of the initial pleasure. He bit down on your earlobe as he thrusted gently into you, "Keep eye-fucking the shit out of me."

You couldn't look away now - not after he said that. He continued to fuck you, alternating between glancing down to take in your figure and regaining your stare in the mirror.

Steam began to filter into the bathroom as the water grew warmer. He let out a breath and covered your hands with his own on top of the vanity, kissing along your neck down to your shoulders as he did.

You both loved and hated when he grew more sensual in your embrace. Each time he kissed you gently or locked his fingers with yours, your feelings for him increased - like a thermometer indicating the temperature was getting hotter, only you didn’t know how to make it go down. 

"Come shower with me, honey." His teeth latched onto your earlobe again and he opened his eyes to meet your gaze in the mirror again.

You didn't want to separate yourself from him, though the thought of showering together was far too tempting to pass up.  You turned partway and kissed him several times in a row before Joel backed away and pulled the shower curtain to the side so the two of you could get in.

He reached for a bar of soap on the ledge and spun your around again, securing his arms around your and drawing the bar of soap across your breasts and down your stomach, gently caressing the areas as he lathered up your body.

You closed your eyes and focused on every action he took. It was all erotic and new. You had never had a sexual encounter that even came close to what you had experienced with Joel in just a few short days.  When his hands moved to your upper back, you shuddered and smiled, melting into him.

He dug his thumbs into your muscles, kneading the area upon placing the soap back down and then carefully encouraged you to bend over without stopping the sensual, soapy massage.

Joel slid back inside of you, watching as beads of water trailed the length of your back, dropping off at the curves of your hips. He kept his hands secured on your shoulders, continuing to dig his fingers into the muscles of your upper back as he picked up from where you left off in front of the mirror.

"God Joel..."  Your hands fell flat against the wet square tiles on the wall. It immediately triggered the memory of your first night together in the bathroom at the bar. You let out a breath, feeling like you were injected with some type of drug. The warmth of the water crashing down on the two of you, the feel of his hands as they kneaded the tense muscles in your back and the perfectly matched pace of him thrusting into you made your legs begin to shake. Each time you felt like you'd been hit with the most pleasurable experience of your life, Joel did something else to surpass the time before.

When he abruptly stopped you turned your head in an attempt to make eye contact with him, though his eyes were closed and his jaw clenched. A smile crossed your face when you recognized his inability to control himself and you were tempted to force him to continue to get some self-gratification that you held some type of power over him the way he did with you.

Instead, you reached for the soap and turned around, finally making his eyes snap open.

"Give me a fuckin' minute." He swallowed hard, but managed a small, painful smile and watched as you began to draw the soap across his chest. Joel re-closed his eyes allowed you to continue as you returned the favor, soaping him up and massaging for a few seconds before reaching below his waist.

 You smiled to herself again, taking in his features.

"Easy there, baby." Joel didn't smile this time. His jaw tensed again and he reached for your arm, tightening his fingers around your wrist as you began to have your way with him. He slowly forced your hand away and caught the other one when you attempted to grab a hold of him again. Joel chuckled and let his eyes flicker open partway, "You ain't gonna get yours if you keep doing that."

"I don't care."  You perched herself up onto your toes and pressed your lips to his once.

"I do." He tipped his mouth up in a smirk. "I like making a woman come."

"Well maybe you've met your match Joel."  You winked at him this time and Joel laughed a little louder.

"I think you're fuckin' right. I'm about to blow my load after two minutes like I'm fuckin' sixteen."

You laughed again, pleased to know what you did to him and wrapped your arms around the back of his neck and kissed him partially beneath the warm water.

Joel moaned into your mouth and picked you up by the backs of your legs, planting your back against the wall so you sat in his hands.

You shuddered from the cool feel of the tiles in the midst of the steam and the heat and locked your legs around his waist as he easily entered you again.

"This isn't going to fuckin' take much," he whispered into your mouth, kissing your again with a hard enthusiasm.

"It's okay," you gasped the words out.

Joel secured his mouth to his, aggressively pursuing your tongue and your body at once.

You held his wet body tightly against yours and lived vigorously in the moment as you had been for days. When you felt that he was close you decided to match the demands he often whispered in your ear during your love-making.

You broke off the kiss to let your lips caress the center of his ear. "Let it out," you whispered, clutching a fistful of his wet, dark hair as you did.

Joel felt a surge of arousal and he couldn't deny her; not in the heat of the moment.

I've definitely met my fuckin' match, he thought.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 5

@pedropascal111 @axshadows @smolbeanszz @mybritishstyle @untamedheart81 @pedroswife69

[hana-no-seiiki]

cat villain reader my beloved. I'm so obsessed with it already. Please tell us more.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA THEY ASKED FOR IT SO YOU CANT BLAME ME NOW F-

@sophiethewitch1 hi here’s your daily schizophrenic voice giving you even more mental illness

another short one cause im still lazy asf

I feel like a broken record just playing different flavors of the same oc/reader on my blog with the batfam i swear

tim is the only batfam member who figured out your identity prior to your own snooping

mostly because bruce’s identity was already aired out to your by selina and damian being his blood born son + appearing out of nowhere was a given.

as such it provided a lot of interesting scenarios

such as that one week where you were extremely active in your heists. like more so than the usual which was already a lot.

of course, you always tried to keep a sense of mystery as your cat villain self so asking you as robin wouldn’t have worked

so tim decided to approach you in class ( you were his senior or maybe even a young, fresh out of uni prof) and ask you why you seemed so…different or frantic lately

“oh. am i?” tim narrowed his eyes. it was so you to answer with another question, even as a civilian.

“sorry, i’m just really excited about this new limited edition robin figure of the new guy in the suit and—“

you proceeded to go on a ramble about your headcannons of the dude, saying how different and/or similar he was to robins of the past and ofc how much you admired him

this leads to his eventual downward spiral into depravation and horny

oh and unrelated to the boys, my headcannons for reader’s powers are as follows (mostly inspired from cat related cartoon characters)

invisibility/teleportation (from kitty chesire)

and cataclysm (from chat noir)

okay back to the boys

you and jason definitely had the biggest enemies to lovers arc out of everyone

like next to dick and damian, jason and you definitely hated each other’s guts

at that time you were dating dick and wanted him to stay as robin. pretty much in denial and anger, which led to you lashing out on jason.

at that time you still had hope for batman’s parenting skills and wanted jason to not take the opportunity he was given for granted

eventually you two found a lot in common and after a lot of deliberating and losing your mind with thoughts of “what ifs” and “but what about”s you broke it off with dick to pursue him

only to find out that jason was killed

people that knew you say you moved on pretty quickly. as if he was no more than a passing thought in your pretty little head.

but people like selina knew that out of everyone on this planet, the incident broke you the most

turning you into this near-empty husk, an imitation of what you were like

only filled with fear and anxiety

you would hurt people more, be more reckless

and boy do these men like playing savior to the fallen like you.

EXTRA:

i absolutely believe that as soon as you found out red hood was jason you two boned. like literally on whatever street/alleyway/battle you guys were in

emotions were high

and you two definitely cried the whole time im not sorry-

also you two always quote pride and prejudice lines at eachother

went from rabid dog that bit you several times to your goodest boy fr fr

[mattsfavoritestar]

LATCH, matt sturniolo

synopsis… matt meets a girl at a party and becomes infatuated by her

warnings… mpdg!reader, very small angst, fluff

thank you @bernardsbendystraws for the dividers <3

everything was so loud.

matt didn’t know if his ears were gonna burst from the loud bass of the speakers before his eyes went blind from the flashing colorful lights. he sat in the far back of the room—solo cup nursing in one hand while his phone, flashing twenty percent, rested in the other.

his friends were nowhere to be found, and his brothers, who were supposed to stay near him, vanished the moment they walked in. matt’s leg bounced with angst; he desperately wanted to leave but didn’t feel like he had a real reason to. with a quick swing of his cup, matt got up to make his way to an empty room in hopes of locking himself in solitude.

as he shuffled through the crowd, he mentally cursed the people he came with as he caught glimpses of them. by the time matt made it to a room, he shut the door quietly and leaned on it with a heavy sigh. matt didn’t register the body laying on the bed facedown until she said something.

“you aren’t here to drug me and then assault me, right?” she asked, though it came out muffled.

matt jolted at the voice, then shook his head before realizing her head wasn’t facing him. “no—i, uh, just wanted to chill in here for a bit… if that’s okay,” he rambled.

the girl sat up with a small laugh. she could hear his nervousness in his voice—it intrigued her. “so what’s your name, stranger?” she asked.

matt stared at her in awe; short, washed-out blue hair with bangs that curled toward her face. it wasn’t his first time seeing someone with colored hair, but the way hers looked, paired with her outfit, made her seem unreal—a fairy almost. she tilted her head and furrowed her brows in confusion. matt snapped out of his daze.

“sorry—s’matt,” he quickly said.

she smiled at him sweetly, then took in his appearance. suddenly, matt felt self-conscious in his hoodie and jeans. he ruffled his hair as he shuffled his feet. he didn’t notice her getting up, so he was startled as her eyes were a lot closer than before.

“wanna get out of here, matthew?” she asked lowly.

his face heated up at the close proximity, but he still managed to nod his head. she smiled before reaching for the door and dragging him out. the mystery girl led him through the crowd and out the door. he realized he didn’t know anything about her—let alone her name.

“you never told me your name, by the way,” he quietly said.

“you never gave me one,” she shrugged.

matt stared at the girl in confusion. did she not have a name? was she messing with him?

“okay… can i call you pixie?” he cautiously asked.

she shrugged, then gave him a cheshire cat smile. “do you have a car, matthew?” she asked. matt pulled out his keys in response.

when she asked him about his car, matt didn’t think she meant that she would be driving it. but here they were, speeding down the empty freeway as matt had a tight grip on the dashboard and door handle. when she asked for the aux, he didn’t expect her to play the entire soundtrack from the familiar multiversal spiderman movie.

“relax, matthew, i told you i got you—didn’t i?” she said, laughing at his panicked expression. she was right; she had promised him the moment she asked for the keys.

“just—slow down a bit? please?” he practically squeaked.

“close your eyes,” she said, glancing at him quickly. matt gave her a confused look before doing it. “do you feel that? the buzzing, i mean.”

matt wasn’t sure if it was from the music or the acceleration. the streetlights flashed through his sealed lids—he felt like he was in a movie.

when he opened his eyes, she was looking back at him. they were parked in front of a mcdonald’s.

“kinda craving a mcflurry,” she said, breaking eye contact.

matt followed behind her with a stumble. he saw the blue-haired girl walking back to him with a displeased look.

“shit’s busted as per usual,” she grumbled.

as she made her way to the car, a group of people walked past, causing her to halt.

“pixie?” matt quietly called out.

she let out a heavy sigh before turning back to him with a smile. “hey, do y’wanna go to the store? i think target’s open—i’m feeling like i wanna go red,” she said, turning back and rushing over to the car.

matt looked over his shoulder at the group, who were laughing and not paying the two any mind. he was confused about what made her mood slip but brushed it off. he got back into the car with her, giving her a quick glance.

“are you okay?” he asked.

she turned the music up and ignored his question.

matt felt the air shift. it was subtle but undeniable. the playful edge in her voice had dulled, and the energy that radiated off her like sparks seemed dimmer. matt’s grip on the seatbelt tightened as he watched her fiddle with the knobs of the stereo, her fingers tapping erratically to a beat that wasn’t there.

“pixie,” he tried again, softer this time. “what’s going on?”

her gaze stayed fixed on the road ahead, but her foot eased off the accelerator slightly. the silence between songs stretched long enough for matt to hear her sigh, low and barely audible over the hum of the car engine.

“it’s nothing,” she finally said, her voice light but strained, like she was trying too hard to sound unbothered. “just… ghosts.”

matt furrowed his brow. “ghosts?”

she gave a half-laugh, shaking her head as if she could physically shake the thought away. “you know, the kind that hang around even when they shouldn’t. the ones you think you’ve outrun, but they catch you in a stupid mcdonald’s parking lot anyway.” her tone was bitter, and it didn’t match the manic, carefree girl who had dragged him out of a suffocating party not long ago.

matt wanted to press, but something told him to tread carefully. instead, he nodded. “i get it,” he said, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he did. but the truth was, he knew what it was like to carry invisible weights—his own ghosts just took different shapes.

her lips quirked upward, barely a smile. “do you, though? you seem like the kind of guy who has it all together. clean-cut, polite… hoodie-wearing matthew.”

matt scoffed, unable to hold back a laugh. “if by ‘together,’ you mean accidentally wandering into a stranger’s bedroom to escape a party i didn’t even want to go to, then yeah. totally got it all figured out.”

that earned him a real laugh, bright and short but genuine. she glanced at him briefly, her blue bangs shifting as her head tilted. “touché.”

the car slowed to a stop in the nearly empty parking lot of a 24-hour target. she pulled the keys from the ignition and turned to face him, her eyes glinting with something he couldn’t quite read. “alright, matthew. you’re coming with me, and we’re buying hair dye. red, like i said. maybe some snacks, too, if you behave.”

matt raised an eyebrow. “if i behave?”

she smirked, already halfway out of the car. “yeah. if you’re good, i might let you pick the snacks.”

he shook his head but followed her anyway. the fluorescent lights of the store buzzed faintly, and matt couldn’t help but feel like he’d stepped into another world entirely—one that revolved around her gravity. she weaved through the aisles with purpose, grabbing a box of vibrant red dye off the shelf and turning to him.

“what do you think?” she asked, holding it up as if she were modeling it.

“i think you could pull off any color,” matt said honestly before he could stop himself.

her expression softened for just a moment, a flicker of vulnerability passing through her eyes. “careful, matthew,” she teased, her voice quieter now. “flattery might just make me keep you around.”

they roamed the store longer than necessary, tossing random items into the basket: sour candy, a bag of cheetos, a pack of glow-in-the-dark stars she insisted they needed. but matt didn’t mind. for the first time in a while, he wasn’t in a rush to leave, wasn’t desperate to retreat into solitude.

back in the car, she leaned her head against the seat, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “thanks for humoring me tonight,” she said, her voice unusually sincere. “i needed this.”

matt smiled, surprising himself at how easy it felt. “me too.”

the rest of the drive was quieter, the frantic energy that had propelled her earlier now replaced with something softer.

they returned to the party when it was nearly empty. matt stepped out of the car after her, the buzz of the night air alive in his chest. she leaned against the hood, her arms crossed as she looked up at the dark sky.

for a moment, matt felt like he couldn’t breathe. there was something about her, the way she carried her chaos like armor, that made him want to stay.

“pixie?” he called softly.

she didn’t look away from the stars. “yeah, matthew?”

“can i stick around?”

she smiled faintly, her gaze still skyward. “yeah,” she said, voice soft. “maybe you should.”

[seraphinitegames]

I'm in love with the immersion, world-building, and characters of your writing. I can't help but gush about how talented you are with your you are as it's obvious how much love you put in your work.

The routes that I've been going through with my mc and his love interest between Adam and Mason was intriguing, funny and sometimes left me flustered and secretly yearing for more as although the difference between the two is like night and day, there is also a sense of familiarity the two of them share as well such as when it comes to the people they cherish and how they can react when they're threatened especially when it comes to the mc when picked as a love interest.

My favourite moments in the series would be from your most recent book, book three. I was pensive and aching to reach out towards Adam, as I wanted him to realize that it's okay to feel vulnerable every now and then, and that it doesn't make him weak as I desperately tried to reach out to him, and how when I was about to confess that I had fallen for Mason until Felix came out of nowhere, cockblocking me, which led me to furiously mutter under my breath and mind "GOD F@#*ING DAMMIT, FELIX!!"

My heart also ached for how much Sin was in pain who didn't want to hurt anyone but felt like he had to, resigned and trapped with no way out. I didn't hesitate to find any way to help him in anyway I could to free him. That's why near the end of the book I let him leave to live his life the way he wanted to. I couldn't stop imaging about giving him something to not just remind him of our budding friendship, but to also remind him to stay true to himself, and remind him that although he did do some terrible things, they don't define who he is, and that he has the right to been and feel happy as well when the guilt of his actions starts to consume him, whilst I'll also run and shout towards him when he flies of and leaves as I wave with a smile, "Goodbye! Stay safe!" I wonder how he'll react towards the mc doing this.

I can't wait for book four, as this time the stakes are dire, and the mc can even fall for the villian! I can't wait!!

Sorry for my ramblings, but I truly love the series that you've created and I cannot wait for what you have in store for us all. I hope you have a wonderful day. 😊😊

Aah, what an incredible message! I honestly cannot even begin to tell you how much it means to me to read this! <3

It's interesting you saying about the similarities of A and M—It's kind of why it's always fun writing them when they end up paired off for a mission or something.

M is very honest with A (as can be seen with that rather cutting statement by a BFF M to a romanced A at the end of Book Three! But A kind of…gets M in some ways more than the others un Unit Bravo, and it's the same for M. They both know how in pain they are—emotionally or physically—and there's a very deep understanding and bond between them because of that.

I could go on about the unique bonds between each member of UB forever, so I'll stop not before it turns into an essay, hehe! :D

But yeah, I think Sin would love to hear that from the MC. No one has ever looked out for him or cared to before, so having someone they barely know do that for him would make a very big impact—and it does depending on your ending with him!

Thank you so so much for your wonderfully motivating message! <3

[acinnamongirlsdiary]

𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓡𝓲𝓫𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓼-𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 2: 𝓒𝓸𝔀𝓫𝓸𝔂 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓜𝓮 - 𝓣𝓢

Summary: Reader and Jacaerys are arranged to be wed. But reader doesn’t want that bc she hardly remembers him. Tension are rising with house Lannister so allies are more important then ever.

Cw: Slowburn, angst, this is genuinely just a fix-it fic, Rhaenicent, some mentions of s/a trauma but will be tagged in the chapters!!, mean dad, eventual smut but will tag in chapters, readers super apprehensive, VERY self indulgent

A/N: Hi guys! I’m so sorry that I haven’t updated but I’ll get chapter 3 out this week!!! I hope you enjoy! (Also imagine season 2 Jace lol)

Part 1

You were breathtaking

No stories or art could do a being like you justice.

He could hardly hear his mother introducing you, you were perfect. Everything else was background noise.

“My lady.” He spoke. Taking your hand and kissing the back of it. “Forgive me if this is inappropriate, but, you look unfathomably beautiful.”

“Prince Jacaerys.” You spoke softly, “Thank you. I feel as though I’m not worthy of a compliment from you.” You felt your face heat. The prince himself was complementing you.

“Nonsense. May I be honoured to have your dance?”

“Of course my prince!” You smiled wide, letting Jacaerys take your hand and lead you to the floor. People cleared, aware to make room for the heir to the throne and his future bride.

He dance with you through many songs, never once parting with you. Soon the hour was late and you wished to retire, which he gladly led you to your quarters.

“My lady, I ask for you to join me on Vermax for an early morning ride. I feel he would love you, and you being my future wife, should get along with him.” He rambled.

You smiled at his clear nervousness. “I would love to, my prince.”

.˳⁺⁎˚ ꒰ఎ ★ ໒꒱ ˚⁎⁺˳ .

Jacaerys and you met at breakfast, anxiety brewing in your stomach. As he walked you to the dragon pit you looked around in awe. It was beautifully built. Nothing like you’ve seen.

“What happens if Vermax doesn’t like me?”

“I don’t think we have to worry about that.” He smiled. “If I like you he certainly will.”

Vermax was beautiful. His serpentine eyes assessed you. Jacaerys gently took your hand by the wrist and placed it on Vermax’s snout.

Vermax inhaled and pushed his snout further to you.

“I think he’s taken to you.” Jacaerys whispered in your ear. “He may abandon me.” He joked.

Vermax made a series of trills to that.

“May we go for a ride, My prince?” You giggled.

.˳⁺⁎˚ ꒰ఎ ★ ໒꒱ ˚⁎⁺˳ .

The wind wasn’t as aggressive as you expected. It was more of a soft breeze. Your hands around Jacaerys’ waist as you leaned into his back.

“Are you happy to be wed to me?” Jacaerys asked out of nowhere. “I don’t mean to speak out of turn but I know the Dowager queen didn’t enjoy my grandsire.” He spoke softly.

His question caught you off guard. You knew his mother didn’t love Leanor Valeryon as a wife and husband should love each other, but you didn’t know his grandmother held no love for king Viserys.

You’d taken a liking to Alicent. She’d been kind to you and welcomed you when most others at the castle shunned you.

“From the short time I’ve been with you, Jacaerys,” your face turned red at the thought of admitting what you were about to.

“I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

.˳⁺⁎˚ ꒰ఎ ★ ໒꒱ ˚⁎⁺˳ .

[tizeline]

Bro that angst potential ur separated au is keeping me up at night. You've said since Mikey would be a powerhouse due to training at such an early age, would it be safe to assume that Leo & raph are too? They've been mastering their ninpo 4 years? And if yes then dam they must be tanks. Must be a force to be reckoned with the bros and drax being all chaotic. Did they start to train so early bcuz drax only saw them as soldiers n stuff? Drax sure must've softened over the years huh guess he couldn't handle the cute lil menaces lol. Is Donnie aware of his own ninpo yet? I'm imagining him going up against the others with all his cool tech and then they whip out this anime magic ass superpower out of nowhere. Like meeting others like u after years of thinking u were the only one must be at least baffling right, now it turns out magic is real too. And he's gonna have it too(Not to mention the bro bomb waiting to drop on his head). Would his insecurities rise after witnessing all that?

Sorry I just absolutely LOVE ur au friend, i have a ton of questions but ill hold it 4 ltr. I'm really excited to see where you take it :)) -🌾

Oh man, Anon, glad to see you so excited haha!

Just a heads up, I'm still figuring out the story of the AU, so I don't know all the specifics yet, but here are some of my thoughts. And also, this became a bit of a ramble, that's what you get when you send long asks lol /lh

The way I'm thinking how Draxum is gonna be like in this AU is that he didn't view himself as the turtles' father initially, not really because he only viewed them as mere tools for him to use, he always saw them as people with induviduality. But rather, he hadn't really connected the dots that creating children + raising said children = parenthood, which led to Draxum like a year after mutating the turtles having the sudden realization one day of "OH SHIT AM I A DAD!?" and having a mini crisis because of that.

Anyway, while I don't think Draxum is the perfect dad in this AU by any means, he does genuinely care about his kids. (If Mikey managed to win Draxum over in canon after having spent a whole season fighting each other, there's no way he'd care about Mikey any less in a scenario where they've been on the same side since day one like they have in this AU.) He started training the turles from an early age and they are expected to help him with his Definitely Not Evil World Domination Plan, but they are still allowed free time and hobbies and such. And aside from some "ugh I don't wanna train right now I wanna play vidya gaemes" occasionally, the turtles never really opposed the idea of them becoming Draxums super soldiers. Kids are really easily influenced and if your parent keeps telling you that you are the heroes who are gonna save the world from evil, chances are you're gonna latch on to that narrative without question. But after meeting Donnie and April, who knows, it might be what finally starts making the other turtles question if their cause really is as just as they think :) That being said, I still have to figure out how Draxum would react exactly to his sons starting to oppose his world view.

Then their abilities! I also have to do more reasearch into exactly how the magic system works in RoTMNT cuz uhhh it's a bit unclear sometimes. Anyway, ninpo is specifically the magic used by the Hamato clan, and considering Raph, Leo and Mikey weren't raised as Hamato I don't think they would have access to that specific type of magic (though I still think they'd be be able to possibly unlock it later down the line) They would still have access to yokai magic, and of course the mystic weapons that they stole in the show would just have been given to them in AU by Draxum. And oh yeah, the brothers are powerful. To be fair, Donnie was able to keep up with Draxum pretty well in the pilot episode, so he wouldn't be COMPLETELY outmatched by his brothers. His tech is powerful enough that he'd be able to put up a decent fight even if he lacks mystic powers himself but..... three against one? Yeah, Donnie isn't winning any time soon. The biggest advantage he'd have would honestly be that his brothers wouldn't really WANT to fight him cuz they'd be all like "Long Lost Brother™??? 😭😭😭 Please come home Long Lost Brother™ we love you!!! 😭😭😭"

And I think Splinter would have kept both of their origins secret initially like he did in the show, so Donnie would't have any ninpo either, but I also think Donnie would still learn about the whole Lou Jitsu and Genetically Modified Super Soldier thing earlier than in canon. And god, yeah, learning about all of that would definietly be A Lot, which is why I still need time to figure out Donnie's exact reaction sorry Anon you're gonna have to be patient XD

[mywitchcultblr]

Saw your posts abt the shadow of the erdtree writing and wanted to say thank you for being open abt your opinions on it because I feel largely the same but everyone I've encountered has an tantrum if you critique the writing. Like lets be honest radahn came out of nowhere & I wouldn't even be that disappointed abt it being him instead of godwyn if there was any build up to it in the base game but there isn't.

Miquella feels like they legitimately didn't know what they wanted to do with his character which is a shame bc hes was probably my favorite demigod before hand.

His motivations are wack as fuck. He wants to make the world a gentler place but his consort is a war monger and simps for godfrey, who, mind you, led a genocidal campaign against the giants on markia's behalf??

I swear even the tarnished would have been a better choice for consort. And why imply he was torrents former master if that wasn't the case? It would make sense, melina literally tells you '' torrent has CHOSEN YOU'' so if miquella needed a consort, why not pick the tarnished who has the ability to kill actual fucking gods and isn't inherently a blood thirsty warrior.

biggest disappointment for me is mesmer, hes so cool and his lore is super interesting but he feels like his presence and relevance is side lined or just diminished. Idk. Felt like he had so much potential only to be forgotten in the wake of radahn somehow being alive and back again.

Sorry for rambling but really thank you, your posts really said what i couldn't articulate before.

Also the fact that Radahn being Miquella's consort doesnt make sense because THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

Miquella desired a world of peace, so peaceful there wont be any war or conflict while Radahn is a man of action who relished in bloodshed, he's a relentless warrior who idolized Godfrey.

Him wanted a glorious battle against Malenia before settling down with Miquella, turned Radahn into NOTHING BUT GODFREY'S CLONE. Its one thing for him to idolized the first elden lord, its another thing for him to just become another carbon copy of his idol.

A cheap replica, first elden lord from wish dot com...

This weird arrangement with Miquella is detrimental to not only his Caelid arc (the whole festival thing, letting go, and putting him to rest) but also for Radahn as a person. Also if Radahn became Elden Lord (and marry Marika? Or Ranni? Or Malenia?) his age wouldn't be an age of eternal/total piece that Miquella desired, it has to be a world where warriors could not only survive but also thrive.

A world that Miquella would never approve.

"Oh but its about the symbolism of repeating Godfrey and Marika-" Symbolism for the sake of symbolism that ruined Radahn? Yeah its still shit... And yeah I dont get why Miquella would insist on marrying Radahn, while the STRONGER LORD AKA THE TARNISHED WHO BESTED COUNTLESS ENEMIES IS RIGHT THERE!

True, Mesmer should have been the main big bad, I dont care what anybody said, its such a waste that he was so hyped as this living embodiment of heresy and just ending up as not that relevant in the grand scheme of thing, like this guy has 0 impact on the main title.

I really dont want to see this DLC as canon :(

"Mr. Stark I dont feel so good."

[celeryb1tch]

cruel summer!

an abby x reader x ellie summer camp counsellor fic! (aka my magnum opus)

jackson, wyoming.

not much to it other than the acres of land with groupings of small cabins sparsely spread. traced with wood plank fencing, and a front entrance with a hand-painted sign that read "welcome to camp!"

it was a long story as to how you ended up here. the start of a gap year after graduation had left you aimless, or so your parents believed. it was your dad's college roommate, a man you rarely saw past the age of ten, who proposed this opportunity. this connection had led you to standing in the middle of fucking nowhere, now a camp counsellor for the next two months.

"tiny!"

the childhood nickname almost paralyzed you. glancing around, your gaze landed on a large frame you didn't recognize. this person bounded up to you, surrounding you before you had a chance to wriggle away. when you looked up in fear in order to plan your escape, you met familiar eyes.

"abby?!"

"obviously, who else d'you think it'd be? my dad told me you were coming!"

"put me down!" you squeaked, thrashing your legs about to emphasize your point.

"sorry, sorry, got a bit carried away there," she said with a chuckle, easing you back down to your feet.

and this was when the full reality hit. abby- who was taller than you by only a smidge; abby, who was kind to you when no one else was; abby, who stuck up for you because everyone respected her and she couldn't bare to see you upset; your abby, from childhood- was here now. yeah, you had been told that abby anderson was gonna be here- but you hadn't seen her in at least five years, and now she was so incredibly hot.

she rambled her welcomes and introductions, taking your bag without even asking, ushering you toward the main circuit where you'd be working in a few days when the kids arrived.

you took the opportunity to really take her in. abby had always been muscular, playing any sport she could get her hands on as a kid. but now she had grown to be gorgeous- nearly six foot, broad arms and freckles dotting every inch of visible skin. a dirty blonde braid trailed down her back and bobbed as she took each step forward.

"-so that's about it. hey, you with me?"

you couldn't be sure how long you'd been unaware of your surroundings, only that it was enough to justify Abby's hand waving in front of your face, brows furrowed in concern. awoken from your ogling, your cheeks heated as you nodded up at the woman. "sorry, uh, it's a lot to take in."

"you'll get a hang of it in no time," she assured, that breezy smile returning to her face. "here, this is the girls' staff cabin- pretty simple, but you'll have plenty of space to lay out your things and—"

"fresh meat, huh?" called an unwelcoming voice.

the both of you turning around, a new figure appeared- a lean girl with shaggy brown hair, somewhere in height between abby and yourself.

"not now, williams," abby huffed, clearly accustomed to her unwelcome antics. you wondered if you should be equally wary.

"oh come on, anderson," the girl quipped, "won't you let me introduce myself? it's only polite."

abby's arms crossed, taking a step toward her. "you can introduce yourself, but that's it. anything else can wait until dinner, we have shit to do."

as this girl drew closer, you could see abby's jaw wound tighter. but still, she stayed to the side and allowed what was asked of her.

"ellie, but you can call me anytime," was spouted towards you, accompanied by the cheesiest wink imaginable.

you smiled, allowing a nervous giggle to pass through your lips. "nice to meet you, ellie," you began to reply, "i'm-"

"tiny, we gotta go," abby chimed in, cutting the moment just abruptly enough to disallow ellie's flirtatious introduction to continue.

ellie smirked, tipping her head toward abby as she leaned against the doorway. before she could cook up a reply to rattle abby further, the latter girl tossed your bag and pillow onto the closest bunk.

"we have more to cover before the meeting tonight, so if you'll excuse us, williams."

with a sly nod, ellie shifted to allow the two of you out of the cabin. you shot her a small wave when you turned to look back, before abby began lecturing about some other miniscule task on the grounds.

—

by the time the sun was low in the sky, you were sure you had seen every square foot of the fucking campground. abby had dragged you here and there and back again, certain to cover everything you could possibly need to know(and to keep you away from ellie, of course). she had showed you the nurse's station, the washrooms, the bunks, the washrooms again.

"it's my first time in charge this year, so i really can't afford any mistakes. my uncle would be so pissed with me," she confided, once the two of you had stopped at a picnic bench.

your hand reached out before you could consider otherwise, fiddling with the end of abby's braid as you always had as a child. whenever she was stressed, you would wind your fingers in her hair and soothe her through touch. it hadn't hit you that the custom might be strange now, given how long it had been. her small recoil of hesitation was unfamiliar, but after a moment she relaxed into the gesture.

"you're doing great, abs," you assured, "and i'm so happy we get to spend time together again. i really missed you."

a light blush dusted her freckled cheeks at your words. "i, uh- really missed you too. but hey, dinner's soon. i'll leave you to wash up or whatever, see you in a few."

with that, she had semi-abruptly stood and walked away, long strides carrying her quickly. had you made her nervous?

—

after switching to something covering your appendages to protect from mosquitoes as abby had warned, you made your way to the mess hall.

"tiny, huh? that on your birth certificate?"

you jumped a little, but recognized the voice of ellie williams behind you. her arms were crossed, with what you assumed to be her signature smirk as it was on her lips so often.

"abby called me that when we were kids, please don't... tell anyone else. it's embarrassing," you divulged.

she nodded, head then quirking to the side. "you haven't given me any other name?"

"oh!" you squeaked, once again embarrassed in front of this girl you had just met. "it's just (Y/N)!"

"alright then." she opened one of the screen doors to the building, holding it so that you could walk through. "see you later, tiny."

you tried your best to brush off the interaction, making your way to the front table where Abby sat. she smiled in your direction as you approached, and it warmed you like the sun.

abby stood, placing her hand on your shoulder and lifting a hand in the air. "everyone, attention please! this is our new recruit, (Y/N)! be nice, it's her first time."

there were nods and grunts of acknowledgment before everyone turned back to the food that was hot and ready on the table. self-serve platters of greens and chicken breast were spread across the three tables housing the camp employees.

smiling at you again, abby sat and motioned for you to join. as you pressed into her side to fit, you could feel the definition of her arm. in an effort to distract yourself, you surveyed the others at your table. you were met with friendly, sun-kissed faces of athletic young adults- all seemingly like-minded to abby. you smiled at the idea that she was loved and appreciated here, though that had never been a feat for her. abby anderson was easily likeable.

this summer would be fun. you would bond with your childhood best friend, make memories, and try desperately to act like you weren’t dying to finally kiss her… oh fuck.

thank u for reading!! i’ll be continuing to upload parts of this here + on ao3 (same user)!! have a great day!!!

(ps. do u like my little ms paint art hehehe)

[r7leee]

a job well done | t.c.

i’m gonna start by saying this is for a friend’s birthday, there is absolutely no other reason i’d be writing this otherwise 💀 anyways, love u ava, u better enjoy 🤬

pairing: timothée chalamet x actress!reader

summary: it’s you and your boyfriend’s first day filming. timothée’s a sweetheart while he helps you adjust.

warnings: cursing, mentions of sex but no direct smut, actress!reader and timothée are filming something together, probably very ooc!timothée, basically just a bunch of fluff

word count: 965, should take about seven and a half minutes to read

listen to: banana pancakes by jack johnson

IT WAS UNUSUAL for you to be asleep this long. your boyfriend had been beside you awake for a while now, when usually, it was the other way around.

the way your schedule worked, you were used to early mornings filming or getting on flights that it just became a habit. so to say it concerned timothée when it’d been two hours since his awakening and you were still sound asleep next to him was an understatement.

he didn’t want to be disruptive, but he didn’t want you to stay asleep much longer. he started by gently shaking you, which didn’t work. he tried a bit harder, but again, that road led to a dead end.

“darling…come on, wake up…” he whispered, which again, led nowhere. “darling!” he tried a bit louder. he sighed when your eyes stayed shut. with one final, heavy push, your eyes shot open.

due to the light coming into the trailer, you immediately threw your hands over your eyes and groaned. “what’s the deal?” you whined. he just laughed.

“it’s 11:00 in the morning, honey. you gotta get up.” you quickly took your hands off your eyes, which was a bad idea, since the light made you squint. you looked him dead in the eyes while doing so, however.

“funny joke. why did you actually wake me up?”

“i’m not joking.” he grabbed his phone from the bedside table. “look.” you widened your eyes just the slightest bit to see that the lock screen did indeed read 11:16 am.

“oh my god…” you muttered. “i don’t know how that happened, i’m so sorry, you should’ve just done stuff without me,” you rambled.

“hey. look at me.” timothée placed his hands on your face. “it’s not your fault. it’s okay. i just didn’t want to be late to get on set.” he placed a gentle kiss on your lips.

you giggled and raised an eyebrow. “you sure?”

“100%.” he got up and started stretching. “you hungry? i can get us some breakfast before we have to leave.” you laughed at his little routine. “what?” he asked, stopping. all you could do was shake your head and laugh.

“oh, so this is funny to you, huh?” timothée leaned over next to you to grab a pillow. without warning, he threw it straight at your face. you just gasped.

“don’t start a fight you know you can’t win.”

“trust me, honey, i’m planning on winning.” you threw the pillow back at him, but he caught it.

more pillows got added to the mix, and soon enough, they weren’t even being used anymore; just you two wrestling on the bed. it was all giggles and laughs until you all but pleaded him to stop.

there was a moment of silence after that as you lay on the bed underneath him. the air was thick and heavy as he remained on top of you, panting. timothée brushed a lock of hair out of your face. you could see his pupils dilate. you, in turn, gently swatted his arm. “don’t try anything. we have places to be in a few hours.”

you crawled out from underneath him and started to walk to the kitchen. the pillow fight gave you a bit of energy to enter the trailer living area. you could hear him yell. “i wasn’t going to-”

“save it,” you giggled. you turned around, hearing him exit the room. his mouth opened, trying to say something, but you grabbed his hand. he looked down, confused. you grabbed his face to kiss him.

it was just a little peck to distract him. your plan worked as he stood with a small smile afterwards. “so, you’re getting breakfast?” you confirmed cheekily.

all he could do was nod. “on me.” you concluded it was a job well done.

AFTER THE BREAKFAST your boyfriend "very lovingly," in his words, ordered, you two got ready to head on set and meet your castmates. that was all it would be for the day, so you didn't know why you felt so nervous.

timothée noticed it as you walked out of the trailer. "you okay?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. you nodded.

"ya," you quietly mumbled. you were playing with your hands, a habit he noticed you did when you were stressed. he grabbed one of your hands gently as an ailment.

"it's gonna be okay," he promised. you blushed at the simple touch and turned back to where you were walking. he smiled at this and ruffled your hair, only after giving the top of your head a chaste kiss.

meeting the cast wasn't nearly as bad as you imagined, and by the end of it, you actually wished you had more time to stay.

when you got back in your trailer, you mostly spent the evening unwinding. you two ordered more food since you were too bothered to make anything.

the night ended with you filing your nails after the picking you'd done at them earlier while you watched a movie. you were sitting on your boyfriend's lap as he braided your hair. the only light in the room present was the soft glow of your laptop with the movie playing.

you really weren't paying too much attention to it. you were too focused on timothée's fingers gently pulling strands of your hair over one other. it was a kind of weird thing he did in spite of boredom; he liked doing your hair. it came from watching his mother do his sister's hair. he was a fast learner from just simply observing. you teased him for being a hairdresser in a previous life.

"all done," he mumbled, snapping you out of your daze. you turned around, craning your neck to give him a gentle kiss.

"thanks, baby."

"anytime, honey."

[middenska]

Little Janeseth drabble...

Its in ULTRA BETA so ignore awkward placing for now. if i post it i might actually work on it, hahahh... anyway. My unorganized ramblings below.

Janeseth Almost Break Up!?!? (Working title)

“I think we should break up.” WHATTT?? THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE

“W-what? Why?” Ofc it would end like this… (jane's thought)

“Whenever I’m at work, I’m thinking about you. Whenever I’m home, I’m thinking about you. I can't focus… I feel like I'm getting backed up in my paperwork, and, and…”

That really touched Jane… he loves her too much, isn't that crazy?

“If it was just me, I would've been fine, but if I recall correctly, you’ve been the same way, right?”

She totally has been. So… he's doing this because of her..? GOSH DONT MAKE HER FALL IN LOVE W YOU AGAINNNNN

“I just, if this relationship only hurts both of us, I-” she doesnt interrupt him he just kinda quits talking

“Do you… really want to break up?”

“I really don't, but I don't know what to do…”

She looks away from him, lowering her hands to her side.

“Seth. Can I hold your hand?”

���Uh, yeah.” He clasps her hand first.

“...I’m really sorry about this, Jane. I really am.”

She stays quiet, listening to the flow or the water. After a moment of silence, Seth speaks once more.

“Jane, is it alright if I let go now?”

“...Okay.” The waver in Seth’s voice made her look toward him. Their hands unlocked.

“Seth? What’s wrong?”

Seth is starting to cry. That’s why he wanted it to be quick.

“Jane, please…”

She looked around and led him to a quiet corner. As their skin was in contact, the volume of Seth’s tears increased. When they got to the corner… (THEYRE NOT ON THAT TYPE OF TIMING)

“Seth.” She placed her hands on her shoulders. She looked deeply into his eyes. “What’s wrong..?”

His voice quivered before he started audibly sobbing. He shuddered under Jane’s gentle watch.

“I want you to be the best you can, Jane. I feel like I’m burdening you, and- and you already have so much to worry about, with your missions and all, and-”

He’s interrupted by the feeling of something on his hand.

“Here. I took some from the hotpot place.” Jane held the napkin in his hand until Seth took it himself.

“Thank you…” he said, as he started to sob harder.

“Seth. You make me better. You help me to be the best I can be.”

He looked up at her, eyes and nose both red and leaking. He opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it just as fast, instead responding with a nod no.

“You do. And what you’re trying to do now only proves it. Even though you’re hurting… you just want what’s best for me. It only makes me love you more,” she said, almost teasing him but at the same time he could tell she was completely serious. She sighed, deciding to open up to him just a little.

“I’ve never really been cared for like you do. It’s hard for me to really get attached to anyone, since my job is all about… deceiving. Seth, you’re the only one to make me feel needed as Jane. Not as a pawn, not as a tool, but as Jane…” As me, she thinks to herself. “If… If I hadn’t known you, I would’ve probably felt stuck in that role. But you want so much more for me…” The speed of her blinking increased.

“You… you really think so..?”

“I do,” she replied, regaining her composure.

“Jane,” he said, wiping his eyes, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to break up. If… if it’s alright with you… I still want to be together.”

So basically they stay togethr

Me neither lemme finish this later… ANYWAY they dont break up!! And Jane’s love for seth is even stronger!! [this part in particular was right after the "idk what to do" prt lol

Writing requests open! I do imagines of any zzz character that has a friendship thingy!

[milogreer]

i would like to go to bat for cutie real quick, not to excuse anything they did because it was consistently fucked up, but because i love them and how imperfect they are. geordi was so correct for pushing them towards therapy because they seriously needed to work their shit out. having their powers manifest in (presumably) their teens really fucked them up to the point that telepathy is a compulsion. you can feel it in 'asks for your trust' at the end when there's that long pause between geordi saying goodnight and cutie listening in - like they were wrestling with that decision before ultimately making the wrong choice because they just had to know. and hell, even geordi says multiple times that this is a deep-seated issue.

"Not knowing hurts you, because you've gotten used to knowing."

"[T]he thought of not knowing what someone thinks all the time pushes you to this place where you just—"

"I know you’re hurting, I know you’re not trying to hurt me, I know this doesn’t come out of nowhere. I see how much you struggle with this[.]"

"I know you’re not comfortable at the thought of opening up about any of this stuff, you barely even talk to me about it[.]"

"Because what was coming out was coming from somewhere within, and I know you had a lot of hurt[.]"

like, it's a compulsion. sometimes thoughtless, sometimes all-consuming. it's not just something they're doing for the fun of it. they're in unfamiliar waters and something (likely their unempowered childhood around empowered family) led to them being so weird about having to know everything. personally i also think they've developed a habit of molding themself to fit the expectations and wants of whoever they're with and not being able to track that all the time with geordi makes them act out, but i digress. i couldn't even finish this audio because i had to get up and walk it off and now i've forgotten my original point. sorry for rambling about cutie again i just have a lot of feelings and thoughts about them that i don't know how to put into words

[taempteng]

【 Analytical Essay 】 Why did Chu Wanning Apologise?

Mo Ran was at the pinnacle of the cultivation world. He mastered the Zhenlong Chess Formation and took down the Sisheng Peak and Rufeng Sect. He also defeated his master, Chu Wanning, and detained him.

Mo Ran was unstoppable. He declared himself the emperor of the cultivation world and went by the title Taxian-Jun — the Heaven-Trampling Monarch. To commence his rise to power, he crucified Chu Wanning and let him bleed to death.

As the life force of the master he strongly despised slowly dripped away, Mo Ran relentlessly mocked Chu Wanning. He sneered at his master’s righteousness and saviour complex, laughing at the pathetic state he was reduced to. He blamed Chu Wanning, saying that the world fell into this state of chaos because of his master’s own arrogance.

“Let me ask you, Chu Wanning, let me ask you — what is ‘poor character, difficult to polish’?”

As Mo Ran continued to affront Chu Wanning, he noticed for the first time the look on his master’s face. The expression shocked Mo Ran to speechlessness, trying to understand the meaning behind his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Mo Ran. It’s this master’s fault…”

Why did Chu Wanning apologise to Mo Ran in that scene?

Was it for being too harsh in disciplining Mo Ran? However, he was just carrying out his job as Mo Ran’s teacher.

Was it for not guiding Mo Ran to a path of virtue? However, he already did his best to train Mo Ran, but his efforts were in vain.

As I pondered about the sequence of events leading to Chu Wanning’s apology, I realised the possible reason behind his guilt.

This is why Chu Wanning apologised in this scene.

Disclaimer: Spoilers for Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun, specifically the Underworld Arc. We will speak as if you have read the whole story or at least up until the aforementioned arc. Please proceed with caution.

An Apology in Response to

For every comment, there is a reply. Although we can chalk off Chu Wanning’s apology as the delirious rambling of a dying man, we can likewise believe he was responding to Mo Ran’s words.

A dialogue is an exchange between two or more characters. Before the apology, Mo Ran brought up an important phrase that could have tipped off Chu Wanning.

“Poor character, difficult to polish”.

This was a statement originally made by Chu Wanning. At that time, Xue Zhengyong asked Chu Wanning about his thoughts on Mo Ran. Hence, the response.

Despite the harsh words, there was a reason for Chu Wanning’s judgement. Beforehand, Mo Ran was acting rebelliously and causing trouble. It did not matter how Chu Wanning disciplined him, Mo Ran would still act out.

But, why was Mo Ran behaving this way?

Mo Ran admitted that it was to get a reaction out of Chu Wanning. Whether that be of praise or shock. He just wanted Chu Wanning to notice him and give him attention.

In that case, what caused him to act disobediently? Surely, Mo Ran did not begin making trouble out of nowhere. There must be a starting point, a catalyst to his subsequent behaviour.

There was one event.

The Begonia Plucking Incident

It was a leisure stroll around Sisheng Peak when Mo Ran found a blooming begonia. Its beauty reminded him of Chu Wanning. So, without thinking, Mo Ran plucked the flower, wanting to give it to his master.

Unfortunately, the begonia was a medicine grown by Madam Wang. It was difficult to cultivate, and the flower Mo Ran plucked was the first of its blossoms. His actions were witnessed by Xue Meng, who took him to Chu Wanning for punishment.

Mo Ran tried to explain himself. However, he was stopped by the coldness in Chu Wanning’s eyes. He mistook the gaze for condescension and thought his master looked down on him. After the severe punishment which left him bed-ridden, his ire towards Chu Wanning ignited.

Mo Ran admitted that this was the incident which led to his rebellion. His enmity towards Chu Wanning drove him to break sect rules, all in the hopes of catching his master’s attention. Sadly, his disobedient act only soured Chu Wanning’s view of him, leading him to believe that Mo Ran was an unruly disciple.

Mo Ran remembered this event due to how wrongfully punished he was. However, he was not the only one who held this incident close to heart.

Chu Wanning also remembered this event dearly. It is certain that, because of this event, Chu Wanning apologised to Taxian-jun.

But, why would Chu Wanning remember this incident? There were so many instances where Mo Ran lashed out and received harsh discipline from Chu Wanning. So, why would Chu Wanning single out this one event?

It is because — while Mo Ran had woes from the incident, Chu Wanning had regrets.

Chu Wanning’s Perspective

After the severe punishment, Mo Ran was sent to his room to recuperate. It was there that he encountered Shi Mei, who brought him a bowl of dumplings. Thinking that his senior brother gave him the food to cheer him up, he started to develop an infatuation for Shi Mei.

Mo Ran thought Shi Mei made the dumplings. However, it was revealed in the Underworld Arc that the true maker was Chu Wanning.

After disciplining Mo Ran, Chu Wanning felt remorseful for his harshness. He cooked a bowl of dumplings as an apology, but was too embarrassed to give it to Mo Ran himself. So, he had Shi Mei send it, since he was passing by.

Not serving the bowl of dumplings to Mo Ran personally had been Chu Wanning’s biggest regret. After his death, his Human Soul was found in Meng Po Hall, carefully cooking a batch of dumplings. He was stuck in the moment after he punished Mo Ran, where he dealt with his disciple too harshly and did not get a chance to apologise for it.

As a Human Soul, Mo Ran was able to put Chu Wanning to ease after granting his wish — to have Chu Wanning himself bring the bowl of dumplings to Mo Ran. Only then did the Human Soul settled with peace.

Reasonable Conclusion

Mo Ran was hung up on Chu Wanning’s quote of “Poor character, difficult to polish”. The phrase was said because Mo Ran was acting rashly prior to the line. Mo Ran was acting out because he wanted to get Chu Wanning’s attention after being punished for plucking the begonia.

If Mo Ran connected that remark to the incident, then so did Chu Wanning. Because Mo Ran was not the only one who felt strongly towards the situation — Chu Wanning did too.

So, Chu Wanning made the connection. He knew he made that statement and knew that it was in response to Mo Ran’s disobedient behaviour. He realised the moment Mo Ran started acting rashly was after his punishment for plucking the begonia, and felt despair over the turns of events.

As such, with his dying breath, he apologised to Taxian-jun, truly believing it was his fault that Mo Ran turned into this state.

[roxannarambles]

Title: Wings of a Butterfly, Eye of the Tiger (Part 3)

Ship: Nemona x Juliana (Julinemo/Terajules)

Summary: Nemona and Juliana just can’t resist returning to Area Zero once more. They find new places to explore, new pokemon to discover, and a new things to learn … about pokemon battling, but also about each other. (Sequel to Picnic in Paradise)

Chapters: Part 1 Part 2

Tags: Slowburn, Romance, Friendship, Crushes, Action/Adventure, Pokemon Battles, Fakemon

The cave you were in seemed a lot quieter than the rest of the cave system, probably because there weren’t pokemon everywhere you turned. You could hear the occasional drip of water and the distant cry of a pokemon from somewhere, but that was about it. It felt exciting and a little eerie. Hellcat set the pace, creeping forward into the dim cavern, and you both followed close behind. 

For about five minutes, your walk was uneventful. You passed by tera crystals that were growing from the ceiling and dripping water like stalactites, and followed the cave in a gradual downward slope deeper into the earth. Then you began to encounter pokemon again; only some Glimmets and Glimmora at first, until the pathway you’d been following led to a larger chamber, and then some Paradox Pokemon began to show up once more. It was nowhere near their usual numbers, though. As you passed by a Great Tusk plodding through the cave, you commented,

“It’s interesting there’s fewer pokemon back here. I wonder why. I guess because we’re so far in?”

Nemona agreed,

“Yeah, probably. Life’s a lot scarcer the deeper you go into caves or the deeper you go into the oceans.”

“Yeah, that’s true. That’s because there’s less food available, right?”

She nodded.

“Basically. I mean, most food chains have plant life at the bottom, and when there’s no sunlight, well, there’s no plants. There’s pokemon with a mineral-based diet like Carbink or Sabeleye of course, so they can live really deep in caves. But most pokemon eat other plants or animals.”

You gazed around the cave you were traversing.

“Seems like there’s no plants at all though, how do any of these guys eat?”

Nemona hummed,

“Well, there’s a few ways. Some pokemon species don’t live in caves full-time, they just roost in them or raise young there. They leave the caves at some point to eat. I think a lot of the pokemon we’ve seen probably do that since we see ‘em on the surface. Annnd, sometimes resources get washed into caves. Like those waterfalls that dump directly into here? Probably a lot of plants and fish in there. Also poop! Bacteria break it down and bug types can eat the bacteria and bigger stuff eat the bugs . . .”

You looked at her as she trailed off. She added on sheepishly,

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to ramble.”

“No, I was just thinking you really know your stuff!”

She laughed.

“Well, I’ve done a lot of reading, and I’ve listened to Jacq’s lectures for longer than you have. Gotta work hard if you wanna understand pokemon! But I’m sure you’ll pick it all up too.”

You noticed a small pod of Scream Tails ahead of you, floating in the air like weird pink balloons. When they noticed you, they turned to glare with big yellow eyes and hissed. Hellcat hissed in return at them. 

“Let’s leave ‘em alone, Hellcat,” Nemona said, trying to guide the tiger away. The fact that Paradox Pokemon seemed to all have such aggressive dispositions certainly didn’t make exploring any easier. The pod of Scream Tails broke apart, floating their separate ways, apparently unnerved by Hellcat. However, one of them remained, an especially large one.

Now that you were looking closer at it, though, it wasn’t just larger; it also seemed to have longer hair. Instead of a tuft of hair on top of the head leading into a single long ponytail, it had three of them, the tails obscuring most of its face and covering its eyes. Its ears were longer, too, more like a rabbit’s. 

“Umm, Nemona–”

“Yeah, I see it, what is that?? Is that just a Scream Tail or . . .”

The pink pokemon drifted closer, causing Hellcat to bristle and growl. 

The wild pokemon also growled– the sound much deeper than you’d expect from a pink puffball. When it did, it showed its long, sharp fangs, much bigger than a Scream Tail’s. You nervously said,

“I think the answer is definitely ‘or.’”

Nemona enthused,

“Oh man, we found something good already? We’re so lucky!”

A soft pink glow began to surround the wild pokemon, the ‘tails’ drifting upwards at the same time, revealing the huge yellow eyes beneath, pulsing with dangerous energy.

“N-nemona . . .”

“Oh right, sorry. Hellcat, Dire Claw!”

Hellcat leapt into the air, striking a vicious blow before the pokemon could use its Psychic. The pokemon took massive damage and seemed to slowly deflate like a balloon, giving a strangled cry. Nemona praised,

“Great shot, Hellcat!”

You had a pokeball handy, so you gave it a toss, seeing if the pokemon was weak enough to catch already. It clicked with no problems.

“Great shot for you too, Jules!”

“Thanks.”

You both decided to immediately send the pokemon back out so you could heal it up and inspect it more. Hellcat watched over it in case it tried to misbehave.

Leaning against the wall of the cave as she studied the floating creature, Nemona asked,

“So we agree it’s gotta be an evolved form of Scream Tail, yeah?”

You nodded.

“Probably. It’s funny this is the first we’ve seen of it though, considering Scream Tails are everywhere.”

“Well, Jigglypuff can’t evolve unless they have a Moon Stone.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. So you think these are the same?”

“Seems like there’s a good chance. Oh, and maybe there are Moon Stones deep in these caves! And that’s why we’re seeing these guys here but not elsewhere.”

“Hmm. I guess we could always try to test it on one of our own Scream Tails sometime.”

“Good idea! We’ll definitely try that out sometime.”

You spent a couple minutes instructing the new pokemon, trying to check out its movepool and abilities. It showed you Psychic and Dazzling Gleam, nothing too unexpected. 

Eventually Nemona said in an eager tone,

“You know, if it’s a new pokemon species, we’ll get to name it. Since we discovered it and all. That’s how it works, right?”

You smiled at the idea, but pointed out,

“IF it’s a new species. It’s possible Sada might have known about it already, especially if she thought to evolve a Scream Tail.”

“Aw, c’mon Jules, let a girl dream!”

You laughed.

“Okay, okay. What do you wanna call it, then?”

“Ummm . . . hmm. Well . . . I guess the name should be kinda similar since it’s an evolution . . .”

You watched the weird pink creature for a bit before suggesting,

“Maybe like, Screech Tail? Or Tails, I guess, it has three of ‘em.”

She shrugged,

“Works for me!”

You held up your pokeball and recalled the new pokemon. You answered,

“Great. At the very least, it should come in handy when we’re catching Roaring Moon.”

Nemona grinned.

“Good thinking. Okay, Hellcat, onward! To adventure!”

You both continued along the path with enthusiasm, despite the general gloomy atmosphere of the dim cavern. The trail led you deeper and deeper into the earth, growing steep and awkward to traverse before long. The ground was also slick with damp and slime; you fumbled your footing more than once, and Nemona had to catch you one of the times before you could fall on your face.

“You okay, Jules?”

She had an arm wrapped firmly around your side, her amber eyes full of concern as she gazed down into your own eyes.

You swallowed.

“Y-yeah! Fine. Thanks. It’s u-uh, it’s slippery.”

You were full of brilliant observations, as usual. Nemona let go and made sure you were steady before turning and agreeing,

“Yeah, it is getting kinda bad, plus it’s a bit dark . . . oh, I know.”

She pulled her Rotom phone out, hitting a few settings. The phone’s light switched on and it floated in the air, just above her head. 

“There we go! Should be safer now.”

You looked at the phone, surprised.

“I didn’t know they could do that.”

“Yep! If there’s one thing I hear a lot about it’s all the dang features on these phones, I can show you all the other features sometime if you want,” she chuckled. You were too distracted noticing Nemona had apparently swapped her plain black phone case out to an orange one with little pictures of Pawmi and oranges. It was very cute. 

She continued,

“Anyway, careful through this part, there’s sort of a step here.”

You made it past the steep bit just fine, but not too further along, you felt a bit off-balance again, wobbling, and started to wonder if your feet were intentionally betraying you. You swore this wasn’t on purpose–

Nemona asked,

“Whoa, is the ground moving?”

You paused, realizing it wasn’t just you; the ground really was trembling slightly. You answered,

“I think so . . .”

 As soon as you’d finished speaking, it seemed to stop, though.

“Hm.”

You both continued on, curious and cautious. It had been a while since you’d run into another pokemon, but you spotted a Brute Bonnet trundling along up ahead. Hellcat bristled at it.

The ground began to tremble again, this time accompanied by a distant rumbling sound.

“Er . . .”

The Brute Bonnet moved faster, hobbling as quickly as it could on its stubby little legs, wanting to get the heck out of there. Water fell from the ceiling in big droplets. Hellcat shook its head, flicking the water off.

“Is it an earthquake?” you asked, trying to keep the anxiety from edging into your voice. This wasn’t the best place to be during an earthquake. Nemona answered,

“I dunno, maybe? But it hasn’t . . .”

The rumbling sound came again, this time much closer. In fact, it sounded as though it was echoing through the cave itself. You quickly realized the rythmic thumping wasn’t an earthquake at all.

They were footsteps. Approaching footsteps.

“Nemona–”

Nemona squared her shoulders, calling,

“Hellcat, get ready!”

You reached for your pokeballs, ready to back her up if need be, and the pair of you waited to face whatever was coming. The vibrations rattled some smaller stalactites loose from the ceiling, the crystals dropping and splintering, and the rumbling drew closer and closer. Further ahead in the gloom of the cave, you could see small bits of yellow flashing, lights flickering along the floor of the cave in little electric ripples. 

And then you could make the creature out: just a dark figure at first, charging through the cave in your direction, although fortunately it wasn’t especially fast, just very noisy as it lumbered along. As it got closer you had the time to take note of some basic details. It was running on all fours, it was dark red with sooty black paws and legs, and it had zigzagging black stripes down its back. Its long black tail was held aloft and tipped in a jagged yellow spike in the shape of a lightning bolt; its ears were pointed and long, and it had a big spike protruding from its forehead, as well as a big ruff of spiky yellow fur around its neck. As it moved, its paws thumped heavily along the ground, leaving little ripples of electricity in its wake.

You exchanged a quick glance with Nemona.

“Is that a Raichu?” you asked, knowing it wasn’t one, but it bore a passing resemblance to one. A really big, spiky, angry one, anyway. 

“Maybe an ancient Raichu? Hellcat, get ready to use Thorn Fang!”

The tiger crouched, baring its fangs, ready for the foe lumbering towards it. The ancient Raichu gave a cry, the sound more akin to rolling thunder than the high-pitched noise from a usual Raichu. You could see its beady black eyes now as it approached, and the sharp little fangs protruding from its mouth. The ruff around its neck seemed to be charging up with energy, a dangerous yellow-orange flickering of power between the pieces of spiky fur. Something about it struck you as sort of odd, but you didn’t put it together fast enough.

Nemona, however, did. Her eyes widening, she called,

“Hellcat, wait!”

Her hand quickly moved to her belt and she spent a half-second choosing a ball, then snatched it up, throwing it. Her Great Tusk materialized right in front of Hellcat, just in time for the ancient Raichu to charge into it with an earth-shuddering crash. Electricity and flames were thrown off from the impact, crackling in the air, but Great Tusk’s body shielded you, Nemona and Hellcat from any crossfire. 

“Great Tusk, use Close Combat!”

The mammoth swung its trunk, smacking its foe across the face, then reared up, kicking at it with its hefty feet. The ancient Raichu gave a guttural cry, staggering backwards before standing up on two legs, its tail lashing back and forth, beady eyes glaring. Energy started to build around its ruff again, and you got a better look at why it seemed so strange. The yellow-orange ripples of energy flowed between the spines of fur in serpentine squiggles, and it was hard to tell if it was electricity or fire– or possibly both, as seemed to be the case. 

“Great Tusk, Knock Off!”

You silently noted that Nemona was intentionally holding back with her attacks, probably with the aim of wanting to capture this pokemon. Great Tusk whacked its foe once again with its trunk. The ancient Raichu recovered from the hit and then rushed forward, butting hard into Great Tusk with the horn on its head, sending out another mighty sputter of flames and electricity. 

“Knock Off, again!”

When Great Tusk brought its trunk down once more, it knocked its foe clean off its feet, dropping it back down to all fours. The ancient Raichu gave a rumbling cry, sounding tired. 

“Now’s our chance!” Nemona yelled, reaching for an empty pokeball from her bag. She took aim and threw it.

However, the wild pokemon was not intent on cooperating. It dodged the pokeball, then turned tail and began to run. Nemona shouted,

“Wh-uh?! It’s running? Oh no you don’t, get back here!”

Nemona quickly recalled her Great Tusk and then took off after the pokemon. It was stomping away at a pretty good pace, but Nemona was fast.

“N-nemona, wait!”

You and Hellcat chased after her. Of course, Hellcat outpaced you very quickly and then you were alone, splashing through puddles and slipping over rocks in the dim cavern, trying to keep up. You turned a bend in the path and saw the fleeing pokemon was rushing towards a round hole in the cave wall, which was encrusted in tera crystal. When it reached the hole, it got up on two legs and then jumped through, vanishing from sight.

“Hey! You’re not escaping that easily!” Nemona yelled, charging after it and jumping into the hole without hesitation, like an absolute madwoman. You could hear a startled yelp from her before she vanished from sight. You cried,

“Nemona!”

Hellcat had stopped at the hole, hesitant, but you couldn’t afford to hesitate when Nemona could be in danger. You reached the hole in the wall, finding it was a tunnel coated entirely in smooth rainbow crystal, dripping in water. You hopped up and climbed in, calling,

“Nemona?”

You tried standing, but almost immediately you felt yourself slipping on the wet crystal. Your shoes gave way and you landed on your butt– and then, to your horror, felt yourself sliding through the tunnel. You yelped and tried to stick your arms out to brace yourself, but your slide was way too rapid, and you went shooting through the tunnel on your back like some kind of terrifying water slide. You gave a prolonged shriek as the slide swooped you down in a huge drop, then swooped up again and twisted around and around. The world was spinning in sparkling rainbows, completely disorienting you.

After one final drop and swoop upwards, you felt yourself flung free from the slide, which mercifully spat you out at a speed and distance that was relatively gentle.

You landed on your stomach, colliding with something soft. 

“Ooof,” the something grunted, giving you a pretty good idea of what you’d probably landed on. You pushed your torso up with your elbows and met with Nemona’s wide, honey-amber eyes, your faces hardly more than a breath apart.

“Gkkk,” you said, the blood rushing to your face so fast you could hear it roaring in your ears. Nemona giggled. You could feel the giggle ripple through her chest and vibrate your own. 

“Hi,” she chirped. You tried to remember how your vocal chords worked. Nemona’s brows quirked up higher in amusement while you struggled, which was frankly making it worse.

“Hhhhiiii,” you finally uttered, proud to get the syllables out. You were briefly lost in the details of Nemona’s eyes, realizing her streaks of golden amber had flecks of tangerine in them. Gosh you were close. Have you ever been this close to her before? You were pretty sure you hadn’t.

“You, um, you need a minute?”

You blinked at her question, confused. The bridge of her nose and cheeks pinkened a little, highlighting her freckles all the more. Her voice was light and playful when she continued,

“‘Cause I don’t exactly mind resting here with you, but we should proooobably get up before that pokemon gets away . . .”

Your brain finally caught up with what she was saying and you squeaked, scrambling to get off your poor friend. It was an entirely graceless affair, but you finally righted yourself and helped Nemona climb to her feet as well, stammering out an excuse to her.

“S-s-sorry, I-I– ummm– I was, uh, a bit dizzy from the slip-n-slide?”

It wasn’t exactly wrong. She laughed,

“Yeah, that was a pretty wild ride, wasn’t it? I was thinking of going again–”

An awful noise interrupted her, shrieky and shrill, coming from the crystal-lined tunnel. The both of you managed to get out of the way before a bright green tiger was expelled from the slide, splatting onto the ground. Its claws were all stuck out and its fur was all frizzed up, its eyes gone huge. Nemona’s Rotom phone went shooting through the slide next, smacking lightly into Hellcat and causing the tiger to jump. The tiger grumbled and shook itself off, looking incredibly disturbed and disgusted with its experience.

“Oh, Hellcat! Aaw, you came down here for me? Are you okay?”

You watched Nemona try to comfort the tiger, feeling grateful for the distraction. Maybe your face would stop burning in like an hour. Nggh. Hellcat still refused to let Nemona actually pet it, and it withdrew to lick itself and sulk, but at least it wasn’t growling at her or anything, so it was honestly progress. Nemona seemed to recognize this fact, telling the pokemon,

“Okay, you need your space, I’ll let you recover from the scary slide. I’m sooo proud of you though Hellcat.”

She moved back over to you, looking you over carefully and asking,

“And how ‘bout you? Still dizzy or anything?”

You glanced away bashfully under her scrutiny, murmuring,

“N-no, I’m good now, I think.”

She nodded and grabbed her backpack off the ground, answering brightly,

“Great! Let’s go find that pokemon before it gets away then!”

She took off before you could respond or even think about mentioning that running ahead and leaping blindly into tunnels was maybe a bad idea. Exasperated, you shouted after her,

“Nemona!!” 

Once again you gave chase, following her down the rocky corridor. At least it wasn’t too dark in this part of the cave– if anything, it seemed even brighter, probably due to a larger number of glowing tera crystals. You were grateful when you caught up to Nemona not too far along the path ahead, having apparently cornered the weary Raichu lookalike. Honestly it was impressive how fast she’d tracked it down. She had her Great Tusk out again, but she was busy digging through her bag. When she noticed your approach, she called,

“Oh, Jules, I found them! Come quick!”

You hurried to join her, and she said,

“I’m so glad it didn’t slip away, that would have sucked. Ugh, do you know where your empty balls are, mine kinda rolled around in the chaos–”

“Got you covered,” you answered, grabbing a Dusk Ball from your bag and chucking it at the ancient Raichu. The pokemon resisted and popped out of the ball, but after a few more, the ball finally clicked shut. Nemona cheered and went to pick up the pokeball off the ground, while you tried to catch your breath and get your heartrate back under control. Chasing after Nemona was definitely an experience. 

After grabbing the ball, Nemona rushed to you with an excited gleam in her eyes, asking,

“Do you know what this means, Juliana?”

You looked at her, trying to think. After a bit you said,

“Uhmmm, that I probably should have brought more Dusk Balls with me?”

She laughed.

“Well, that too, yeah, but also, Hellcat wasn’t the only new pokemon in Area Zero! There’s more to find down here, I bet a bunch more if we keep going!”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, we’ve already found three species, there’s bound to be more, right? And none of them were mentioned in the Scarlet Book at all, or any of Sada’s notes we happened to read.”

You nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s true . . .”

Nemona pressed the Dusk Ball into your hands, gushing,

“Which means we might be the first trainers in existence to have seen and captured these pokemon!!”

You weren’t entirely convinced you two were the first, since it was always possible Sada had records about them you simply hadn’t noticed. However, it was also equally possible you were the first, and Nemona’s excitement was terribly infectious. You broke into a grin, admitting,

“That is a pretty awesome thought.”

“I know, right?? It’s so cool, I–” She squeezed her hands into excited fists and gave a giddy little giggle, then impulsively grabbed you and hugged tight, your cheeks smooshed together as she exclaimed,

“I’m so glad we got to discover them together!!”

Your skin rippled pleasantly in icy-hot goosebumps, but she released you before your brain had the chance to shut down entirely, which was probably for the best. Then she looked a little self-conscious, saying, 

“Sorry. Got a little excited there, heh.”

You hastened to reassure her.

“No, you– you have every reason to be! It is cool, I think I just have a habit of being afraid to hope for things I really want. But if we really are the first . . . that’s incredible. Like, it’s not just finding a new species, it’s finding an ancient, otherwise extinct species. Which is just nuts. And it’s honestly totally possible, since the Time Machine was transporting pokemon completely on autopilot until we finally shut it down.”

She nodded with enthusiasum. 

“Yeah, exactly! Okay, I’m glad you get it, I woulda felt weird to be the only one this psyched.”

You smiled and looked down at the pokeball in your hands.

“It’s definitely not just you. Plus, not to get too hopeful but I um, I think maybe this ancient Raichu might be pretty special? Was it just me or did it look like this guy was using electricity and fire at the same time? I dunno if that’s even possible, can pokemon moves be, like, dual-type?”

Nemona nodded again.

“I did notice that. Well, I noticed something funny at any rate. I always thought it was impossible, at school they always told us moves can only be one type. But . . . who knows? We’re in uncharted territory here, so I feel like anything’s possible, you know?”

You thought about that for a bit, rolling the pokeball in your hands. It was incredibly tempting to let the pokemon out and study it to try and learn more right then and there, because it intrigued you so much. But you also wanted to keep exploring the cave, and you knew Nemona would want to, too.

You looked at her.

“Guess we’ll find out more when we battle each other later, huh?”

She grinned.

“I like the way you think.”

You heard a quiet little chirp and glanced up, noticing Hellcat had caught back up to the two of you. Funny, you hadn’t noticed the pokemon make that kind of noise before; it seemed to be some kind of greeting. The tiger’s ears were perked and it looked at you both attentively. Nemona greeted,

“Hi Hellcat! You all dried off and ready for more exploring?”

The tiger made another quiet chirp, as if responding.

“I think they’re starting to like you, Nemona.”

“Really?” She sounded hopeful.

“Yeah. They don’t even try to bite you any more!”

She chuckled.

“Well, I guess it’s something.”

You took the opportunity to finally look around at the cave you’d ended up in, since you hadn’t really had the chance to yet in all the rush. The space was relatively narrow and cramped compared to other parts of the cave, but it was packed full of tera crystals glowing from all sides. The ground was sloped downward, the cave ahead leading ever deeper into the earth. 

“How far down do you think that tunnel brought us?”

Nemona was busy quickly re-sorting the empty pokeballs in her bag. She answered,

“No clue.”

You took a glance at your Rotom phone, but as expected, there was no service down here. Obviously. It was a good thing the caves you’d been following so far were generally one-way and not some confusing mazes, or else you’d be worried about getting lost. Getting back up that water slide tunnel would be a bit of a pain on the return trip, but you felt confident Scarlet could carry you guys up if need be.

Turning your focus back to the path ahead, you asked,

“How much deeper do you think it goes?”

Nemona zipped her bag up and slung it back over her shoulder. She smirked,

“No clue. Only one way to find out.”

You couldn’t argue with that logic. As you both began to walk again, you started to tell her,

“So, I was gonna mention, maybe next time when there’s a pokemon or a mysterious tunnel leading somewhere, you could–”

Nemona suddenly stopped, staring ahead intently.

“Wait, did you hear that?”

You frowned.

“Hear what?”

There was a very distant noise echoing in the cave, a low chattery kind of sound that could have been a pokemon cry. 

“Geez. You know, your hearing’s scary good.”

“That’s a pokemon! C’mon, let’s go see!”

Nemona started to run, but you lurched forward and grabbed her wrist before she could get away.

“Wait, wait, this is exactly what I’m talking about, Nemona!”

She turned to you, blinking.

“What?”

“You can’t just . . .” You hesitated and sighed, starting again,

“Well, you can, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t just run ahead every time there’s something going on. I get that you’re excited, but you might be charging right into danger! I was really worried when you jumped into that tunnel blindly, that could have ended up pretty badly if it had spit us out from a bit higher up!”

Nemona looked at you a moment, then slumped a little, looking guilty.

“Sorry, Jules . . . I wasn’t trying to worry you. Or, uh, do anything risky. I guess I just was really focused on not letting the pokemon get away . . .”

You smiled gently and said,

“I understand. You don’t have to feel bad about it, I just want to make sure you’re safe, you know? And also, well . . . I’d rather face things together on this adventure. We’re a team, after all.” You suddenly felt a little unsure after saying it outloud and added, “Uhm, I mean, we are, right?”

Nemona studied you a moment, a soft smile forming on her face. Then she reached out and took your hand. 

Her voice was clear and certain when she answered,

“You’re right. I’ll remember from now on.”

You returned her smile, relieved.

“O-okay! Then, um . . . let’s go see what that noise was.”

“Yeah!”

You both forged ahead, following a path that continued downward and grew more cramped the more you traveled. At several points it was necessary to squeeze past some large rocks blocking the way; it appeared as though there had been some partial cave-ins at some point in the past. It was an unnerving reminder that you were indeed beneath an enormous amount of earth and rock that could crush you like a bug if something cataclysmic occurred. Thankfully Nemona’s excitement for adventure was an easy distraction, keeping you from dwelling on such thoughts for long. Besides, your curiosity overrode the nervousness you felt. The path seemed to meander down into the earth forever, and for a long time, there was not much to see but rock, dirt and tera crystals. There was nary a wild pokemon in sight, but you kept going anyway.

Then, with very little fanfare, the tunnel you’d been following emerged into a massive space, the ceiling towering above you like an enormous vault of crystal, the path soon leading to a narrow catwalk. On either side of the catwalk was a sheer drop, the ground so far below that it was impossible to even see exactly where it ended. Huge columns of crystal jutted up from the pits, growing at random angles, like the world’s prettiest death trap. For a good thirty seconds you and Nemona just stared silently in awe, taking it all in, eyes wide. 

“I don’t know how Area Zero manages to keep getting more and more impressive,” Nemona finally said, her voice hushed, almost as if she were worried that speaking too loud would disturb the peace here. You were gazing down into the pit. 

“How does it just keep going down? I bet you’d fall into the Earth’s core if you fell down there.”

Nemona gave a nervous chuckle, taking your hand again.

“Let’s not test that theory. We’ll just take the path nice and slow, okay?”

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

Hellcat moved ahead of you both, not intimidated by the enormous drop. It quickly crossed over the catwalk, reaching a broader area beyond. You and Nemona took your time, mindful of your steps so that you wouldn’t go tripping into the blackness. The air that rose up from the pit was cool and pleasant-smelling, like musty, damp earth. When you reached the other side of the catwalk, you found Hellcat was slinking about, ears perked and nose sniffing the air. It lowered into a crouch and began to stalk forward. Nemona muttered to you,

“I think they found something.”

You both carefully followed after the tiger. Hellcat was approaching a large patch of crystals that were sprouting from the ground. The crystals grew in long and thin columns, almost resembling some kind of plant from the way they were growing, like an aloe vera or some other succulent. You couldn’t see why Hellcat found it so interesting, but as you drew closer you noticed a quiet little chattering noise emanating from the crystals. It sounded a bit like the noise Nemona had noticed earlier, in fact. Perhaps you’d finally caught up to it. 

The cry sounded vaguely familiar to you, and you were busy trying to figure out what it reminded you of when you finally caught sight of some movement: a slithering black shape, coiled among the crystals. Hellcat’s eyes narrowed to slits and it looked as though it was preparing to spring. You glanced to Nemona; it seemed she saw no reason to interfere, since Hellcat was basically doing all the work in tracking down the pokemon. You both watched and waited.

Hellcat lunged, striking at the mysterious pokemon with its claws, but the tiger’s paws impacted hard with a crystal instead of a pokemon. There was a harsh cry, raspy and aggressive, and the serpentine black shape reared upwards, a vivid, glowing stripe of orange suddenly lighting up along the length of its body; there was a flash of teeth and glaring eyes as the body swayed, and you realized the pokemon was being reflected over and over in the array of tera crystals, making it extremely difficult to tell where it actually was. 

“Uh-oh. Um, any guesses, Nemona?”

The wild pokemon hissed, and you could see a purple tongue flicking around curved, black teeth. From all the reflections, you honestly couldn’t tell how many heads the snake had, because at the moment it seemed like you were staring at a very angry hydra. 

“Uuhm, I . . . there! I think. Hellcat, Dire Claw, there!”

Hellcat lashed out where Nemona pointed, but once again was foiled by the fakes, cracking a crystal instead of hitting a pokemon. Despite that fact, the snake didn’t take kindly to the attempted attack. It opened its mouth and spat a fireball. Hellcat tried to dodge but was partly singed by the attack, and it gave an angry shriek in response. 

“Oh man. Another fire type? This just isn’t your day, Hellcat, I’m sorry,” Nemona said, looking guilty about the hit Hellcat had taken.

“Don’t worry, Nemona, I have an idea,” you said, quickly checking through your pokeballs for the right one. 

“Got it, partner. Let’s back off for now, Hellcat, let Juliana handle this one.”

You grabbed up the ball you needed from your bag and tossed it. The purple form of your Gengar took shape. The ghost looked around at the situation, curious, and then turned his eyes to you.

“Gengar! There’s some sort of . . . uhh, something in that patch of crystals. I want you to use Dazzling Gleam!”

Gengar grinned and nodded, then turned to face his foe. Nine different heads hissed at Gengar, but the ghost was not easily intimidated. He floated forward, a small light starting to build as he charged his attack. 

“Cover your eyes, Nemona!”

Gengar unleashed his move, a brilliant white light flashing, reflecting in the crystals dozens and dozens of times; you could see the incredible brightness even behind your closed eyes. The wild pokemon’s cry was loud and grating, and you got the feeling Gengar had hit it hard.

When you opened your eyes, you saw the snake spew a stream of fire in retaliation, engulfing Gengar in flames. The ghost grunted, looking charred and wounded, but stuck it out. You ordered,

“Again Gengar, Dazzling Gleam!”

Your pokemon unleashed another sparkling attack, his foe crying out in pain once more. The snake uncoiled from the tera crystal it was wrapped around and began to slither out of the patch of crystals, perhaps starting to think the better of its hiding place. As its head peeked out, you could see it much better: it had a long, toothy snout and a pair of narrow, purple eyes. The stripe of orange that ran along its body continued up back its neck and onto its head, splitting into a pattern with several prongs on the top of its head. The shape almost made it look as though it were a glowing, orange crown. 

The orange crown began to glow brighter and brighter, a sphere of orange energy forming there. The pokemon flicked its head upwards, shooting the ball of energy up into the air over your heads. Your eyes widened. You’d seen this move enough times to recognize it by now.

“Draco Meteor?! Gengar, watch out!” The orange ball of energy exploded, creating a volley of meteors that began to rain down. Neither you or Nemona had expected such a move, so Gengar wasn’t the only one trying to dodge; Hellcat, you and Nemona all scrambled to get out of the path of the meteors as well. You slipped on the ground in your haste, managing to catch yourself before crashing down too painfully. You grunted and twisted around to quickly assess the others– thankfully, it seemed there weren’t any casualties. You yelled,

“Gengar, Dazzling Gleam, one more time!”

Gengar sprang ahead, the flashes of pure fairy energy overwhelming his opponent. Despite how exhausted the snake was by now, it still managed to spit a fireball in return. Gengar trembled and then fainted, and you called,

“That’s okay Gengar, you did great!”

You returned Gengar to his ball, quickly trying to assess if the wild pokemon was catchable by now– it probably was. You reached for your bag, only to realize it had slipped off while you’d been dodging meteors. Aw, nuts. You glanced up when you heard the snake hiss again. It was slithering towards you.

“Nemo–”

“Got you covered!” she responded immediately, throwing a pokeball. The ball hit its target and shook twice, then the snake popped out again, still hissing. She yelled,

“Don’t be stubborn, get in there!” 

The second ball she tossed successfully captured, causing you to sigh in relief. 

“Thanks, Nemona.”

“Yeah, of course! Great job handling that, by the way– Dazzling Gleam was such a great idea.”

She picked the pokeball up and tried to hand it to you, but you shook your head.

“Keep it, I took the last two.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

“Okay! Heheh, this is gonna be so fun to use. I’m guessing it’s Fire/Dragon? I’ve never seen anything use Draco Meteor other than dragon types before, so that’s my best guess.”

You nodded.

“Yeah, seems a good bet to me. It really surprised me, though.”

“I know, right? But then again, you never know with pokemon. Especially these Paradox Pokemon, they seem to have a lot of surprises.”

That certainly was the truth. You surveyed the damage caused by the Draco Meteor. A number of impact craters in the ground but nothing too serious– no catastrophic cave-ins or anything. You were glad none of you had been struck by the attack, though. 

“Guess we should make sure to really be on our toes from now on, huh?”

She answered, “Yeah, for sure.” Then, with an excited gleam in her eyes, she turned to you and added, 

“But what I tell ya, Jules? We’re already on our third new pokemon, I knew we’d keep finding more!” 

You laughed,

“You were right. At this rate we’re gonna be able to write a sequel to the Scarlet Book.”

It was just a joke, but Nemona looked thrilled with the idea.

“Oooh, that’d be so cool! Well, La Primera would have to be okay with releasing information about Area Zero to the public first, I guess . . .”

“And that’s assuming she doesn’t kill us if we tell her that we keep coming down here.”

“Oh come on, she wouldn’t kill us! She wouldn’t be that mad . . . would she?” Nemona looked suddenly uncertain. You shrugged.

“I dunno, you know her better than I do.”

Nemona seemed to consider for a few moments, then said,

“Um, let’s keep exploring!” You didn’t have a problem with leaving thoughts of punishment for another time– you were already down here, and you were going to enjoy it to the fullest while you could. You and Nemona continued onward, mindful to check any patches of crystals from now on in case they contained any surprises. However, nothing else unexpected seemed to be lurking. There seemed to be very few pokemon in general at these depths, in fact. You passed by a few docile Carbink, then walked a path that wasn’t as narrow as earlier, but was close enough to the dizzying drop that you both continued to be careful and take your time. 

Eventually you met with another tunnel, covered in smooth tera crystal and leading ever-deeper into the earth. This one was different, though, as it was blocked by a very large collection of crystals. The crystals that composed the roadblock seemed to be denser and more opaque than the usual tera crystals. 

“Can you squeeze by?” Nemona asked, trying to see if she could wedge herself between the crystals and the tunnel. You attempted to do so on the other side, but the crystals had grown far too close, almost sealing off the tunnel entirely.

“Nah. We’ll have to use Scarlet.”

You both backed off and sent out Koraidon, then ordered a Rock Smash. Scarlet gave the crystal a good thwack with his tail, but the crystals remained solid. 

“Try again, Scarlet!”

He hit it again, but to no effect. Several more attempts, each time with increasing intensity, also ended in failure. Scarlet backed off and licked at his bruised tail, giving a little whine.

“You okay, Scarlet? Hmmph. I don’t think this crystal is gonna budge. Don’t worry, boy, I won’t make you keep trying.”

You returned him to his ball. Nemona crossed her arms, complaining,

“Well this stinks! I wonder why this crystal is so much tougher than the other ones?”

You shrugged.

“It’s pretty big. Maybe it’s older and thicker? At any rate, this might be the end of the line for us.”

She sighed sadly.

“Yeah. It’s starting to look like it.”

Your hand was still resting against the large crystal when a familiar sound echoed within the cavern: a loud, feral roar. Your eyes widened, and you both quickly turned.

Floating high in the air above the pit was a pokemon with crescent-moon shaped wings tipped in a row of feathers. Its forearms had long, sharp talons and its armored head had spiky tufts of feathers and crocodilian jaws. A pair of yellow eyes peered down at you from above.

“Roaring Moon?” Nemona whispered. You nodded silently.

That wasn’t the strangest part, though. The Roaring Moon was Terastallized, which in itself was not unusual. But it wasn’t like any Terastallization you’d ever seen. The pokemon’s body was glittering in an entire rainbow of colors, and its Tera Jewel was . . . more of a Tera crown, studded with a whole slew of shimmering hexagonal gemstones.

Hellcat bristled and growled at the pokemon while you and Nemon exchanged a look, dumbfounded.

The dragon gave another roar.

[crownofstarfall]

Ramblings (Ashton Greymoore x Reader)

Helllooo. I wrote this sweet moment for my friend who is a huge Ashton simp.  The reader in this story is a ranger, but tbh it just mentions Longbow so you can self-insert whatever you want! 

Let me know how you like it and if I should start posting more of my writings! 

Enjoy! xxx

word count: 826

Ashton wasn’t a man of many words, especially when it came to expressing himself to those he cared for. It had been no different when he had first met Y/N. The two genuinely enjoyed one another’s company, and conversation seemed to flow very easily. They had to meet no high expectations when conversing with one another. But suddenly one day, Ashton was hit with a ton of bricks. He started to feel a few little sparks in his chest when he was around her. He played this off as a new type of chronic pain that he would experience, much like the rest of himself, but after more and more time had passed, it grew, and he wasn’t sure when he would explode.

A few months passed, and the sparks in his chest were now more of a fiery warmth that enveloped his heart and the surrounding area of his chest. He always felt this, not even just when he was with Y/N. His every thought was about her, she never left his mind. This new sort of heat constantly reminded him that she was not his, and she probably never would be. He had no intention of revealing his intentions to her. She would most certainly never feel the same, so he would spare himself the pain. 

He didn’t mean to start completely ignoring her, he just wanted to rid himself of his affections and then they could continue their relationship as normal. He hadn’t realized that Y/N had a mind of her own and noticed that he was distant. She had feelings for him of her own, and she also did not allow herself to completely fall for him. But she didn’t want to lose her friend altogether either, he was too important to her. She would not stand by and watch as he drifted away from her, so she confronted him. Which led to a huge fight. Which then led to them kissing. Which then led to them telling each other how they felt. And now they were together, happy. 

Unlike Ashton, Y/N sometimes had too many words to say. He had grown accustomed to her rambling on about things he didn’t care about, but he listened to them anyway and smiled to himself about how lucky he was. One particular day Y/N was rambling on about a certain type of longbow she admired, but could not have. Ashton sat with her on a bench, his shoulder around her, pulling her into his side as they watched the street around them. He hummed along to show he was listening and acknowledging.   

She continued on for another ten minutes before seemingly, out of nowhere his heart burst with love, and finally allowed himself to smile over at her. He loved these close moments with her, just sitting in intimate proximity and just enjoying the other’s company. He didn’t say a lot, but he loved how she filled the silence around them.  He was lost in his thoughts when he was suddenly pulled out of them when Y/N asked him a question. 

“What?” he raised his eyebrows.

“I asked if you were tired of hearing me talk.” she frowned. “I knew you were, you’re not even paying attention. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bore you. I’ll shut u…” but she was cut off when he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened with surprise. She really thought that she was boring him. 

After the kiss she couldn’t seem to form a word, “I…I… ghmn.” He chuckled. 

“Don’t ever shut up. I love to hear you ramble on about things you like. Don’t ever stop.” He caressed her cheek. 

“Are you sure? I knew you weren’t listening… I can stop.” she tried to meet his gaze but couldn’t allow herself. 

“I was before, I just was lost in thought of how much I love you,” he whispered, then kissed her again. 

She was too stunned to speak. 

She felt his lips leave hers but she still left her lips agape. Her eyes fluttered open to look up at the beautiful green genasi before her. He smiled at her and stroked her hair, pushing a few strands back behind her ear. 

“You know I love you too, don’t you?” Y/N asked him, placing her hand on his, stopping his movements. 

His gaze moved from her eyes, down to her lips, which were still agape, and then back up to her lovely eyes. 

“Of course, I know. You have made that perfectly clear.” She nodded along with his words. “Now, please continue. I promise I will listen more intently.” He grinned at her and then pulled her back into his side. She was silent for a few moments and then picked up where she had left off. She began to trace the gold on his chest while she rambled on. He couldn’t keep the smile from leaving his face.