#The way he runs I could actually easily see her never appearing in the story but at the same time that's probably not going to happen

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Zahard x Arlene is SO "strangles you with the red thread tying us together" core... Zahard remaining haunted by Arlene's prophecy for the rest of his life and Arlene devoting the rest of HER life to her all consuming hatred for Zahard and setting said prophecy of his downfall into motion.

Forget about her so far pretty generic romance with V, (often further distilled down into the blandest possible core of m/f ('he was a boy, she was a girl', 'wholesome') without even acknowledging the edges canon gives them (going to war together - the whole "battle couple" thing you could make out of that alone - , what about their underlying ideals? Edahn doesn't mention Arlene as particularly taken with Tower residents and even acting as frequent intermediary between Zahard and V, so how did they mesh in that regard? Having to watching it all crumble, slipping away as literal fugitives, the breakdown of their relationship potentially even prior but definitely following their sons murder, etc.)), Zahard and Arlene is where it's at. It's literally the dynamic that created the plot of Tower of God.

[metalandmagi]

Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess). 

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a  (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

Blue Box- A sports romance about an aspiring badminton player named Taiki Inomata who has a massive crush on the girls basketball team's star player Chinatsu Kano. Through a twist of fate, the two end up living together and having to hide it from the rest of their classmates, all while Taiki tries to work up the courage to ask Chinatsu out. It's so sweet and wholesome, and it's a great blend of sports anime and romance that can appeal to anyone who is more hesitant to get into the romance genre. The animation is also so freaking gorgeous!!!!

365 Days To The Wedding- A workplace romance between the two most awkward people you could possibly imagine! The story takes place at a travel company that is about to open a new branch in Alaska, but because our two main characters are...like I said...very awkward, they come up with a plan to avoid being sent to work at the new branch...by telling their boss they're getting married. Because they wouldn't want to split up a married couple by making one move away, right? As ridiculous as the premise sounds, hilarious shenanigans ensue, but there's also a surprising amount of serious discussions about romance and marriage. The main characters also have major autism coding, so if you're looking for a neurodivergent romance, this is it. (There's also an episode that involves a princess wanting to give up the throne to pursue a life with her girlfriend!)

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

[undertheorangetree]

Cherry Wine

Summary- Coriolanus returns to the Capitol with his most prized possession.

Warnings- MDNI 18+ Female reader. Technically TBOSAS spoilers. Reader is essentially Lucy Gray. Really incredibly toxic relationship. Choking. Fingering. P in V sex. This is technically kidnapping.

Author’s Note- I wasn’t sure if this was ever gonna actually see the light of day but I am a lush little creature so enjoy. This is part 2 to In the Woods Somewhere but can probably be read as a standalone?? Either way full story linked below :)

She hates the Capitol. She has hated it since the first moment she set eyes on it. Admittedly, she had not seen much when she first arrived- thrown in a cage at the zoo, paraded through the streets, dragged into the arena- but it had been enough to forge an opinion. She hates the opulence, the disgusting displays of wealth. The way everything of value is flaunted and passed around as if it’s frivolous and easily replaced. How the towers loom over the wide streets, so different from the ramshackle buildings that make up Twelve. The way garbage is swept from the roadside the moment it appears, refusing for even a moment to appear as anything less than immaculate. Everything manicured. Everything perfect. Designed to make an impression, everything about it seems to grab you by the jaw and force you to look at the perfection of it all, nails dug in lest you attempt to look away. A perfectly ripe peach, all sunset pink with its soft, near endearing fuzz, hiding the rotten, maggot-ridden center underneath.

It's enough to make her miss the coal dusted streets of home.

The Snow penthouse- Coriolanus’s penthouse- seems to be the perfect example of Capitol excellence. The perfect patterns built into the tile in the bathrooms, the marble floors that seem to glitter beneath her feet, the paintings displayed behind thin sheets of glass to keep them perfectly preserved. She can see everything from up here, the highest apartment in the tallest building, and the longer she stares out the window, the more she comes to realize she hates to be so high up.

Or perhaps she simply hates that this bay window is the only view she gets of the outside world. The only view she has gotten in weeks.

She had regretted following Coriolanus onto that train the moment she set foot inside it but by then it had been too late. The doors had slid shut as silent as a wraith and she knows her face must have changed as he had half hauled her into one of the padded chairs and made her sit, watching her with his too blue eyes as if he were waiting for her to run. And had she thought she stood a chance, perhaps she would have. She should have. But then she had caught sight of the Avoxes serving them, standing silent and resigned in the corner and knew that should she cause a scene, she would likely share their fate.

So she had sat there uncomplainingly. Let him parade her back home and listened as the lies he told Grandma’am and Tigris flowed off his tongue like honey, hating the bits of truth sprinkled throughout. Holding her hand like a shackle as he told them how they had fallen in love. That he couldn’t possibly leave her behind. That she wasn’t really district, was she? Not like the others, not when she had never truly been one of them, not now that she was a Victor. The perfect lovestruck boy and his pretty little prize. Who could make them part now, separate them so soon after they had found each other? They had fawned all over him- and Tigris over her- so quickly it had made her skin crawl but still, she had said nothing, offering smiles she knew didn’t reach her eyes.

She had continued to say nothing when she heard him tell the Plinths just how sorry he was for Sejanus, that if he had known what he was doing, he would have stopped him. As he told them how dear his dead friend had been to him. Best friends. She had listened silently as the Plinth’s rewarded him for his devotion, handing him the keys to a lavish new penthouse for little more than his supposed loyalty, for loving their sweet, kind Sejanus. The keys to her self imposed prison.

Coriolanus had never told her how the Capitol had gotten its hands on the jabberjay that damned his lone friend to the hanging tree but he didn’t have to. She has had plenty of time to put that story together herself, sitting alone in his locked apartment while he attended the university and worked under Doctor Gaul planning for the next Games.

She is a Victor and though perhaps that should mean something, it has become clear that it doesn’t. Though people watched her Games, though she made an impression, the memories of those in the Capitol are fleeting. No Victor is remembered following their Games. They are congratulated for their victory and sent home on the first train, never to be seen or heard from again. They fade from the public eye quickly, forgotten before the next moon, and perhaps she would have been as well had she not caught Coriolanus’s attention. Had he not been her mentor, so enamoured with her that he would cheat to save her.

She blames herself just as much as she blame him. Curses herself for not being able to see behind that perfectly curated mask he presents to everyone who looks at him, for being distracted by his pretty blonde curls and handsome face. Had he been ugly or cruel or anything other than deceptively kind, perhaps she could have escaped all this unscathed. Gone back home to Twelve without having him falling behind her like some forgotten shadow. Even if she had lost the Games, at least then she would be free of him. But instead she had been little more than a moth drawn to a flame, her wings now singed and leaving her an easy meal to the predator who first spotted her.

Read the full story here

[chipi-chupi-chips]

I hope I'm not too late for this

But I finally managed to finish this character!

(★Click for better resolution/quality★)

⚙️Felice⚙️

An Oc for the "Milkshake House"

"Milkshake Mansion" belongs to @boiling-potato

It was such an honor to make this Oc! And thank you so much for accepting one more for your family! TToTT 💖

Felice is a living doll made of porcelain

(She was inspired by the story of Pinocchio)

Story:

An inventor who worked on a fabric decided to create live by making a doll, he wanted to create show people the wonderful things she could do to make anyone smile even if she had a hard time trying to get used to it and from the people who used to be scared by her appearance.

Still he made sure to no one sees him as the fabric was only for weapon inventions.

He decided to call his creation "Felice" and he was the only person in the world that Felice trusted no matter what, after all he promised to give her a good peaceful life.

But one day he was discovered by the others as they assured him to have mercy on his life only if he gives them Felice since they could see more fighting potentials for future wars.

Felice ended up hearing this and unfortunately she saw this as a betrayal even if her creator didn't accept the offer she already was feeling abandoned.

One night Felice had a rebellion against her creator and as the days passed by he never showed around the village anymore (His destiny is still unknown but rumors says that his life was took by the doll) Felice tried to escape from the village, the people only saw her as a monster at this point.

Authorities chased after her, Felice ran away and fought against however got in her way but she ended up running far enough as the bolts and nuts inside her body began to fail, Felice could see a Mansion not very far away, she tried to reach it but ended up passing out nearby with some broken pieces and cracks on her porcelain skin, even so her anger towards everyone from the village she use to live in never faded away.

(Aaaa this was too long so sorry ;_;)

Personality:

•Sour

•Stubborn

•Pessimistic

•Sarcastic

•Patient

•Quite aggressive/ easy to anger

•Feisty

Facts:

°She has mechanical nuts, bolts and more metallic pieces inside her body so she doesn't break easily.

°She can pull out pieces of her body or sometimes it can be by accident (Can be very practical or useful to her).

°Has mechanical skills so she can fix her own body.

°The black goggles on her head belonged to her creator but she stole it the night she decided to rebels against him.

°She was made and lived on a Steampunk village.

°Felice talks without open her mouth and only showing her teeth (Sharp teeth mades for self defense) still she can open it but mostly do this to bite.

°Her biggest dream is to become an inventor.

°Even if she hates a betrayal Felice would actually betray someone for her own benefits or only for survive.

°If she gets trapped into the Milkshake House, deep down she wouldn't want to leave during the fear of someone finding her (doesn't mean she would not try to fight for freedom).

°The cracks on her skin are from the escape she had and some fights.

There are more things but it would be a long post XD again thank you for this opportunity! >□< ♥︎♥︎♥︎

[lie-lacdreams]

Thermodynamics and Turmoil (Curly x Reader pt.2)

Hi friends -- I'm putting out the second installment to this quickly to gain some more momentum! Thank you for all of the support so far - I wasn't sure how well this was going to do but I hope you've been enjoying it. If you have any questions about the story so far, pls ask! I love interacting :)

Last Next

engineer! reader x Curly TW: vulgar language, mention of thermo transfer theories (EWWWW), and catching feelings (ew pt.2), oh, and the existential dread of unsatisfaction that ambition can bring to your life, leaving you hungry and wanting more Word count ~ 2.0k

“Daisuke, come back here! I’m going to kill you right now!!” A flash of pink passed Curly before halting to a quick stop to hide right behind him.

“Captain, please save me! Aaaah!” Daisuke screamed as he caught sight of (Y/N), who just came around the bend of the hallway hunting him down. 

“What’s going on here?” Curly asked, observing (Y/N’s) disheveled appearance. Her jumpsuit was zipped halfway up to her torso and her hair still looked disheveled from sleep. 

She slowed down to a stop, now embarrassed that she had been caught in such a state by the captain before replying, “This… one over here had the genius idea to turn off my alarm and I slept in three extra hours. Could you please hand him over so I could maim him?” She peered to the side of Curly to narrow her eyes at Daisuke, who let out a shriek and made himself smaller behind the man in front of him. 

“Oh? I had asked him to do that, actually,” he mused. 

“Pardon me?” she straightened.

“You looked so exhausted yesterday, you deserve a few extra hours of rest after giving yourself no breaks. He was just following Captain’s orders.”

“Oh… I see. Uhm, thank you. I guess you’re off the hook then, Dai. Has Swansea got you working on anything right now or do you want to come shadow me? I have to take a look at the pressure in the steam pipes.” she asked the intern. 

“Yes! Let’s go. I wanna hear about what you were up to all of yesterday. Swansea and I like, didn’t see you at all. Will you let me help out today?” He came out from behind Curly and started walking ahead of (Y/N), eager to please and for something to do. 

“Heh, sure. See you around, Captain.” she said a bit sheepishly, trailing behind Daisuke. After a good night’s rest and the initial panic of waking up late, the interaction with Curly finally sunk in for (Y/N). She typically kept her emotions so detached from the crew and her work and it almost horrified her how easily it was for her to open up to him last night in a moment of vulnerability. As much as it made her uncomfortable to realize that she had run her mouth and ranted to him, she woke up with a feeling of relief. Sure, her job was still going to be hard, but knowing that her captain believed in her and was willing to help in any way he could gave her a sense of peace. 

She stopped by some pipes in the corner of the hallway and turned to Daisuke. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

After a few hours of working and (Y/N) explaining Nusselt theory with Daisuke half listening, she finally called for a break. 

“Nerd,” he teased as he stuck his tongue out at her. “How did you even come to like any of this stuff anyway?” They leaned on the wall, sitting on the floor together.

“I don’t know. To be honest, I never really knew what I wanted to do in my undergrad. I just picked chemical engineering because it was kinda interesting but hard and so rewarding when I understood it. Getting my PhD in it after working for a few years just seemed like a natural next step.” She turned to Daisuke. “I know you’re in college now, and everyone is probably asking you the same thing and you’re sick of hearing it but what do you want to do?”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” he started. “I think everyone around me has these expectations that I’ll do something great, and I’m so scared of disappointing them. They say the sky’s the limit and that’s what scares me. I could do anything with my life, so how do I know that whatever I choose won’t be the wrong path?”

“I don’t believe in such a thing as a wrong path,” she responded. “Whatever you choose, you make the best of it and try your hardest. Everything happens for a reason.”

Under his breath, Daisuke laughed. “Man, maybe Anya should hand over the wellbeing check-ins to you. You’re like, so philosophical.”

“Oh God, no. I could never be held responsible for people like that. I’d go mad.” She stood up, dusting off her pants and held a hand to him. “I think we’re pretty much done for the day, believe it or not. Wanna go play some Uno?”

Spending the rest of the day relaxing after the past few days of struggling was refreshing and just what she needed. That night she finally joined the rest of the crew for supper, laughing with Anya about something too far away for Curly to hear. Their little family was complete tonight and it was moments like these that Curly savored. He wished that every moment on the Tulpar could be like this. 

A few days later, Curly was exiting the cockpit and was startled to nearly trip over (Y/N). “I’m so sorry, Captain. I had no idea you were in there.” She looked up from her mess of manuals, a notebook, and trusty abacus, a pencil tucked behind her ear. 

“It’s alright. Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yes, just looking at our fuel today and trying to make the Tulpar cooperate with me.” She furrowed her brows. 

“Need a hand with anything?” He offered, crouching down to look at the paper in her hands. 

“O-Oh, only if you aren’t busy, then yes, I would love some help, actually. But I don’t want to be a burden.”

He shook his head. “Nonsense. The ship’s on autopilot right now and Jimmy will take over for me in fifteen minutes anyway so I’m all yours.”

“Okay,” she flushed. “Thank you, come with me please.” She led him a few paces away. “See this? If you could read me some of the values over here that would be great. This here is the manometer, it measures pressure and over here is the oxidizer. There are a few things I need you to read aloud to me.”

After getting all the information she needed, she bid Curly goodbye and looked around for a place for her to do her calculations. Settling for the couch in the lounge, she got to work when Daisuke plopped down right next to her. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” he started.

“ ‘Sup?” She asked, distracted.

“Fuck, marry, kill: anyone on this ship.” His lips spread into a shit-eating grin. 

“Fuck Curly, marry Anya, kill Jim– wait a minute, what??” She looked up from her notebook. 

Daisuke’s eyes lit up before his face twisted into an expression of evil delight. “Ohohohoo yooo (Y/N) you wanna fuck the captain?”

“No!! Stop that!! You asked me that while I was distracted and not really paying attention. That’s not true.” She swatted at him.

“Sure, but that doesn’t change your answer now, does it? Damn, you answered that shit with no hesitation too!” He shrugged his eyebrows. “Since when did you have the hots for the captain?” 

“Sure, I find him really attractive, okay? I admit it. It’s not that big of a deal. Okay then, what about you?” She crossed her arms, face flushed and flustered. 

Daisuke’s face contorted to one of disgust. “Eww nah I can’t do this! Swansea and Jimmy are just-” he made dry heaving sounds. “You and Anya are like my older sisters, so that’s absolutely not happening. And Curly – okay I agree with you on that one but like, he’s so much older.” he shrugged. 

She let out a ‘harrumph’ before going back to her work. “Doesn’t Swansea have something for you to do, huh?” 

Daisuke shook his head. “I’m just waiting ‘til dinner.” He kept her company on the couch as she worked, playing on his gameboy and trying his best to stay quiet so she could concentrate. Supper was a quiet affair today, with not everyone showing up to eat at the same time. People came and went, in and out of the lounge, eventually going to bed. (Y/N) was still up, now in loose pajama pants and a sweatshirt, criss-crossed on the couch and reading a book in the light of the night time screen. Anya had already gone to bed and so she sat in the lounge so as to not disturb her sleep.

“Hey,” said the captain. “Mind if I join you there?” She smiled up at him before patting a spot next to her on the sofa, inviting him to sit with her. She noticed that he was still in uniform as he sat down, draping an arm over the couch and facing her. 

“You weren’t there at dinner today, did you have a chance to eat?” She asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Anya brought Jimmy and me dinner. We’re heading straight for a belt of asteroids so we had to do a bit of charting and manual steering to make sure we don’t crash. We should be fine and taken care of now,” he massaged his temples with a hand.

“You look pretty tired, Captain. If you were busy today, you know you didn’t need to help me out, right? Take care of your obligations first.” She looked up at him and the blue glow of the large screen somehow seemed to soften the look in his blue eyes. Dammit, Daisuke, she thought. Admitting the captain was handsome out loud only made her more aware of it. Even with bags under his eyes and the rugged state of his beard, she couldn’t help but blush under his gaze, so she turned to look at the fake moon on the screen. 

“No, I enjoyed helping out today. Ever since you opened up to me, I want to make sure that you have the support that you need. It’s my responsibility, after all.” He followed her gaze to look at the display screen as well.

“Don’t you ever get burnt out juggling all of this? It’s a lot to pile onto just one person, and the company makes it even worse by making things accessible only through you. And in the end, you’re the one who’s responsible for our performance on this trip.” She turned back to him now, concerned. 

“Sometimes, I guess. I started here on a pretty low rung of the ladder, but I always dreamed of doing something greater. The higher and higher I climbed, the more complicated things got, more liabilities were piled on, but I couldn’t help but keep climbing. There’s still something missing from my life, and even if I get to the top, I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever be satisfied.”

(Y/N) paused for a moment to think. “Would you ever leave this line of work to pursue something completely new, even if it meant having to start over from the beginning?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’ve done it once before, so it isn’t that intimidating to have to do it again.”

She nodded. “That’s very admirable. In a sense, it seems like you know what direction you know you want to go in, even if what you want isn’t clear. I respect you a lot for that, Captain.”

Curly shook his head. “Please, I think we all in one way or another are trying our best out here. We all have responsibilities we have to take care of by being on this ship.” He glanced at her again. “And honestly, you know you can call me Curly, right? Jimmy does it, my friends back on Earth called me that too. At this point we’ve gotten pretty vulnerable with each other over the past few days.”

“Okay, C-urly. Maybe not on duty, but right now it doesn’t sound too bad.” (Y/N) was praying that the glow from the screen concealed her hot and flushed face. After these past few days of getting to know the captain a bit better, it was so easy for feelings to snowball. Brushing the fluttery feeling she had aside, she stood up. “I think I’m going to head to bed now. I hope you’ll do the same, Curly. Thank you for being vulnerable with me.”

After he heard the door shut quietly, he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, giving the display screen one last look before getting up and going to bed himself.

------------------

Thanks for reading! Give me a few days and I'll be back. Cheers!

[ghcstao3]

Im currently watching brave and it’s given me brain worms hehe

It’s to do with the will o’ the wisp!

Either soaps been seeing them his whole life guiding him to the task force or after a rough mission, totally lost/injured and with no way to contact anyone they guide his way back to ghost :D

Thanks for everything you write it genuinely makes my day to read all your works!!

ooh i really like this. also- apparently will o' the wisps are actually Not good in folklore so i wrote a little twist to fix that ;)

-

Throughout his life, Soap's nan had always liked to tell him stories about the many malevolent creatures he should hope to never have the misfortune of encountering—kelpies, redcaps, sluaghs; just about everything that existed in his homeland's folklore.

A little cruel in retrospect, Soap thinks, but for a while he'd just understood it as his nan's way of ensuring her grandson was to behave. They were myths, old tales and explanations for the unexplainable, and he can appreciate the determination to share tradition.

But now, as Soap is stranded in thick woods after an operation gone awry, blood sticky on his temple and a bullet stuck in his leg, he's not so sure they were just stories. Not as he's currently staring down an unnatural wisp of light in the darkness, hovering just a few feet away from where he'd collapsed against the thick, gnarled trunk of a tree.

Will o' the wisp, his mind supplies. Omens of death, his nan had told him, like many other creatures and spirits. They appear to the weary and lost like himself, flickers of glowing blue light almost hopeful as they guide one along a seemingly nonsensical path—but instead of leading someone to safety, they lure people to their doom.

The wisp just floats, unmoving, as Soap sits frozen. He tries his radio to no avail, and realizes with a great dread that he only has two options: attempt to find his own way back to his team, to anyone, anywhere, with the great risk of only getting more lost—or follow the wisp in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, it may actually lead him somewhere useful, no matter how bad the destination. Soap could only hope that doom is something he can fend off with a gun.

His decision is made rather easily because... he supposes it doesn't really make a difference, does it?

So he pushes himself away from the tree and toward the light—it vanishes as soon as he steps toward it, but with another step forward, another wisp appears.

Soap limps along, following the wisps. They weave him through trees and take sharp, sudden turns, disappearing and reappearing endlessly as Soap pursues the trail they leave. His head is on a swivel with every sound that isn't the crunch of branches beneath his own boots, with every flash of movement in his periphery.

He feels like he’d been walking forever by the time the forest has grown less dense and the wisps fade away for good—and that's when Soap sees it.

The large, imposing silhouette. The hulking figure cloaked in black. The glimpse of a skull in the sliver of moonlight that had managed to break through the forest's canopy.

Soap swallows a laugh. The will o' the wisps must have led him to Ghost, not realizing doom would have only been certain for Soap had he been the enemy.

Funny.

Ghost spots him and raises his gun, pauses, then after a moment lowers the barrel.

"Johnny?" Ghost grunts. "Where the fuck've you been?"

Soap shrugs a shoulder, wincing as he steps closer. "Lost my way running from the facility. Comms were dead." He flashes a crooked grin. "Worked out though, aye?"

Ghost snorts. "Aye," he echoes. "C'mon, then. Exfil's waiting. Save your explanations 'til then."

Soap gladly follows, relief nearly exalting.

But as they walk shoulder-to-shoulder, Soap can’t help but cast one last glance back at the trees from where he had emerged.

He wonders if the wisps had really made a mistake. He wonders if maybe they hadn't been done leading him, but Ghost had gotten in the way.

Questions he'll likely never find the answers for.

But regardless, now in safe hands—Soap thinks he had better refresh himself on his nan's stories as soon as he gets the chance.

He doesn't know now, whenever they might come in handy.

[dayas]

@saudade-life requested 41 and/or 43 for Fiyeraba so here you go!

43. “YOU DID WHAT?!”

Drabble Prompts

Bodyguard AU! Cause I can 🥰

—

Elphaba Thropp knew her sister was supposed to be protected. Whether or not she actually agreed with her father’s overprotectiveness was another story (though her thoughts and any individualism whatsoever was decidedly unwelcome among the hyper crust circles she frequented). However, she had not expected her own personal security detail, nor the fact that her bodyguard, Fiyero Tigelaar, was prone to flirting with anything that walked during his shifts. Including her. She found it easy to brush him off, dodging his advances as easily as she dodged inquirers questions about why she and her sister did not look as alike as they ought to. Still, it wasn’t until she was at a party one night and Fiyero’s hand was against the small of her back as he rushed her from a room that she realized he might actually be half decent at his job. It was horrific, watching him push her forward and turn to face her assailant. Watching his body jerk from the bullet that pierced his shoulder, another into his leg. Both meant for her. She felt herself scream, heard it as though it had come from someone else’s body. His gun was in her hands, three shots fired off into her masked assailants chest. It clattered to the ground, replaced by Fiyero’s body. Thankfully, she could carry more weight than many supposed. That being said, it was still quite difficult to drag him outside, down the stairs, and into the car that was waiting for them.

“Fuck,” Elphaba whispered, her fingers stained with Fiyero’s blood. “Take me to the hospital. Now!”

She turned her attention to her bodyguard, fighting off the knots in her stomach.

“Come on, Fiyero,” she murmured to him, “You can’t die before I get to thank you for saving my life. That’s not fair.”

Her arrival was a whirlwind of camera flashes and further screaming, but she stayed with him as they loaded him onto a gurney, rushing through clean white walls, pristine coats and blue scrubs.

“I’m sorry, Miss, you can’t be in here,” an orderly attempted to tell her.

“I’m family,” was what came out of Elphaba’s mouth, equal parts whispered and snapped. It wasn’t true, she knew that, but she also knew they wouldn’t question her, not while she was still covered in his blood.

No one came to join her during his surgery, nor afterwards. Her phone, however, rang so much she turned it completely off. Eventually, they allowed her to see him. Elphaba walked into the hospital room and cautiously sat at the side of Fiyero’s bed.

He was awake, though his eyes appeared slightly glassy.

“What happened?”

His question was heavier than she liked.

“I shot them.”

Clarity snapped into Fiyero’s irises. He tried to draw himself up, “You did what?” Elphaba was confused to see anger marking his partially hazed features.

“You were supposed to run, Elphaba. That’s what I told you to do.”

“You’ve guarded me long enough to know that I won’t just blindly do what you tell me!”

She hissed her answer at him, narrowing her eyes.

“What was I supposed to do, Fiyero? Leave you there to die?”

“Yes! That’s the job!”

“It’s not right!”

Fiyero took a deep breath, his eyes closing. Through clenched teeth, he told her, “I am supposed to protect you. Not the other way around. And that’s not some stupid pride thing, Elphaba. It’s my job. To keep you safe from harm.”

“I will never be the sort of person to abandon those who need help. You needed my help, Fiyero. You could have said thank you instead of berating me the moment you woke up.”

He sighed, his eyes open and looking at her.

“Thank you.”

She ducked her head in a brusque nod.

“You’re welcome.”

“Next time, though,” he said, “you leave me. Do not engage with your assailant.”

“You know I can’t promise that.”

“That’s why I didn’t ask you to.”

A few minutes slipped by before Elphaba whispered, “Thank you.”

Fiyero said nothing, so she clarified, “For saving my life.”

His good shoulder lifted and fell in an approximation of a shrug.

“You saved mine. Now we’re even.”

“Let’s not make a habit of it, alright?”

A small smile rose up to Fiyero’s lips.

“I’ll try my best.”

[petew21-blog]

Charmed: Leo's jealousy

Could you believe her? I know we split up, but it didn't even take her that long and she found herself a new guy. Her neighbor, Dan. Oh piss off Dan. Me and Piper were amazing together, just the nature of me being a whitelighter and her a Charmed one got in the way sometimes. I was still their whitelighter so there was no way we would end up seeing each other. Which was even worse for me to see her with a new guy in his arms

Dan moved in few months ago. He was always observing Piper and the girls, just trying to seem like a sexy non chalant neighbor, who doesn't know that the three girl nextdoor are gonna observe him washing a car. Just get a life Dan

Deep in my mind, I knew that me and Piper were gone. Not to be a couple ever again. That's why I was so jealous of them. I made their life a bit of hell to be honest, not really fullfilling the duties of a friendly guardian whitelighter, but a bit of a crazy ex boyfriend. The elders wanted to take the girls away from me and ban me the entrance to their house. But I was faster. I knew what I had to do.

I arrived at the Halliwell house. Watching Piper in the window doing what she loved the most. Cooking. I always loved to observe her making her way in the kitchen. But Leo won't be going there tonight, no. My location is nextdoor actually.

I hid in his bedroom. I heard a car pull up and then the door. I was ready. The memory dust in my right palm, ready for Dan.

As he entered the room in shock, he couldn't even react. I blew the dust into his face. He coughed for a bit and then just stared blankly.

"You will forget everything about who you are. You have never lived in San Fransisco. You stole the car from someone in the city and you are on the run. The one you stole his wallet and money is me. I am Dan. You felt bad so you returned me my wallet, ID and everything you wanted to steal from me that is in your pockets right now. You will leave the shirt here too. You are just a thief, as you have always been. You will take only the car and you will leave to Mexico. There you will find a job as Mike, the surfer. You won't come back to the States. You love Mexico. You will never come back. Now go and leave."

His eyes blinked rapidly. Then he took everything out of his pockets as I told him so. He took of his sweather, that he got from Piper, and revealed his manly torso. "Damn, that's gonna be me soon." Then he just turned around and I saw him through the window driving away.

"Great. Now there is only one thing left."

I said as I put glamour on me to pass off easily.

Long hair appeared over my head, muscular torso underneath my shirt. His thighs were more mascular than mine. His dick looks nice, but I still think mine was bigger. Nevermind, if it pleases Piper, that's all good for me.

Now all I need is the girls to invite me to the house in case that they enchanted the house. If they invite me in I am allowed to. So there is one move I know from Dan that I'm gonna use

Just as I expected. Piper didn't even let me finish watering the lawn.

"Hey, Dan. Where is your car? Thought you were gonna wash it."

"I had to borrow it to a friend. But something tells me he might now give it back."

Piper laughed even tho it wasn't mean as a joke. This woman is so into him

"Hey, wanna come inside? I baked fresh cookies."

Haha. This was easier than I thought

The next morning:

"Wow, you prepared this all for me? Dan that's so lovely. Thank you."

"Well, I thought that maybe after last night you might be hungry. Or are you hungry for more of something else?" I crawled over to her over the bed.

I could se that she was really in love with him. She liked Dan. She likes me. Hahha. I am Dan now and I have Piper all for me. We are gonna be forever together.

"Hey, I was thinking we could go for vacation to Mexico. I always wanted to try surfing. Haha"

Fuck. Maybe I should get more of that memory powder

Anonymous story request in inbox:

Charmed: Leo is extremely jealous of the relationship developing between Piper and Dan and decides to take Dan‘s place by using memory dust (seemed somewhat like hypnosis from what I remember) on Dan to make him leave, never come back and leave everything he owns behind, including ID, wallet, etc. Leo then glamours into Dan, taking his place.

[imjustdreamingig]

Run Away

Part 2, Part 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: You were never a shy person, until it came to talking to the boy you liked.

A/N: Well, this is my first time writing something like this so... please be nice. I was kinda tired of only seeing shy!reader stuff so I decided to base this on my personality. So yeah, kind of based on a true story. What reader does in this story I've actually done in real life which is mortifying. Anyways!!! This is just edited by me so lmk how I can improve and if I should write a part 2??? Maybe?? Idk. Enjoy!

PS: Robin and Steve work together, nothing monstery has happened, they're all in the same grade. It's a bunch of dumb teenagers together battling high school.

Warnings: sfw, cursing, fluff? people being dumb?? idk what else tbh

You've never considered yourself to be a shy person. In fact, you were very much so extroverted, never finding qualms in chatting to your classmates or asking you're teacher questions in class that some may think are stupid. You didn't care.

Aside from being a little nervous back in elementary school, that trait had dissolved as you got older, and it definitely wasn't present at the moment during your senior year at Hawkins High.

However. As much as you liked to claim to be unbothered with public speaking and your ability to make friends easily, there was one thing that you couldn't just quite get over, no matter how hard you tried. And quite frankly, it was getting old and ridiculous.

"Fuck, Robin he's coming down the hall," you exclaimed, "move, move, move, move!"

You didn't bother checking if she was behind you, already knowing she would be as you practically ran to your second period class. It was the first day of the new semester anyways, you could use the excuse of wanting to get good seats to justify your cowardice to yourself later tonight.

"Jesus Christ," you heard Robin mutter as she finally caught up to you, "You know I have asthma, I cannot keep doing this every time you so much catch a glimpse of Steve."

You slowed down your pace, your heart not feeling as though it would burst out of your chest anymore. You still sported a slight flush on your face from the thought of the almost encounter you had with the jock.

"I know, I know, this is getting so stupid. I promise next time I'll talk to him, I swear," you said as you sighed forlornly.

Robin turned to you with an unimpressed stare. "That's what you said last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and yet here we are," she waved her hands dramatically.

Here's your problem. An issue that is a complete juxtaposition of your usual personality. The moment you've ever realized you have a crush on someone, you would run away from them anytime you saw them. Literally. You would full on sprint away in the opposite direction.

You've never really understood why this happens, only knowing that the second you saw your current crush, you're usual non existent nerves would make a prevalent appearance. You'd freeze and your eyes would widen as your brain chose the flight response when confronted with a potential dangerous situation.

"Look dingus, I love you and I think you're awesome and all that, blah blah blah, but this has got to stop," Robin stated as you both took your seats in your English class. "You're embarrassing me just as much as you're embarrassing yourself and our social status cannot take that much more of a beating."

You knew she was joking but just grunted in response, having buried your face in the crook of your elbow, not even bothering to open up your notebook. You heard Robin sigh and could tell she was rolling her eyes at you.

"You know..." Robin started, "I could always just...talk to him for you? Give him you're number or something during our shift at-"

Your raised your head immediately, almost giving yourself whiplash. "Robs, no way. We've talked about this before! I just - this situation is already awkward as it is, that would just make it worse."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help, but if you wanna suffer some more that's totally your choice." Robin says as she shrugs her shoulders. "Besides, with all that running your doing, at least you're getting some cardio in."

You let out as surprised squawk. "Robin come on! Not funny!" She doesn't reply, merely continuing to laugh at you. All you did was just groan in response again, settling your head in your arms once more.

A few weeks ago, you had been walking to your locker whilst attempting to shove a bunch of textbooks into your bag at the same time. Obviously, everything fell and it just so happened that Steve was nearby and helped you out.

"Oh my God, you don't have to, it's totally fine," you'd stammered, just the tiniest bit embarrassed of dropping your books in the middle of the crowded hallway.

"Don't sweat it, it happens to the best of us." Steve chuckled as he handed you your notebook.

And then it happened. The event that you frequently replay over and over in your mind, the event that kickstarted the affections you had for the boy.

Once everything was stored safely in your bag, Steve stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. He then turned his attention to you and simply offered you his hand to help you up.

You stared into his big, brown eyes, completely dumbfounded. Here he was, an average man doing the absolute bare minimum and yet you still found yourself practically falling at his feet, your heart feeling as thought it was going to beat out of your chest.

"I- uh, I mean, thanks for the hand Steve," you stammered as you tentatively took his hand and pulled yourself off the floor. You cringed when you felt that it was sort of shaking and kind of clammy, hoping Steve wouldn't notice. "Both literally and figuratively."

You wanted nothing more than the ground to swallow you up after you blurted out those words. To your surprise, Steve let out a laugh, a genuine laugh. His eyes sort of crinkled and you could see the slight indent of a dimple. As if the man needed to get any more attractive in your eyes.

"It's no problem at all," he reassured you. "I'll be seeing you." He gave a quick wave and then turned in the direction of the cafeteria. Your hands tightened on the straps of your backpack as you watched him walk away, admiring the view.

Oh ew, you suddenly thought to yourself, now that was just pathetic.

Ever since that moment, you couldn't give yourself that last push you needed to talk to him. Even after the multitude of pep talks you give yourself in the mirror, including the ones from Robin, you still always ran away whenever you saw him.

You'd be a fool to think he didn't notice it and prayed he didn't mistake it for you hating him or something.

The sound of the bell signaling the start of class pulled you from your misery, forcing you to pay attention to your teacher so you didn't face the consequences of falling behind so early in the term.

Amidst your groveling, you'd failed to notice a particular brunet enter the class and take a seat at a desk a few rows behind you. Who knows what your reaction would have been if you did. Robin just kept her mouth shut, simply winking in Steve's direction when she caught his eye.

"Alright class, settle down and listen up," your teacher began. "I know it's the first day of the semester, but I wanted to introduce an assignment before anything else to make sure you have enough time to complete it and do an excellent job."

The entire class let out a collective groan, yourself included. How could she already be giving out assignments when she hasn't even properly introduced herself?

You turned to Robin, brows furrowed in annoyance. "I think she's got her agenda mixed up, she's introducing things in the wrong order."

"Fuck this, I should've taken Eddie's warning more seriously. Now I understand why everyone hates her," Robin gripped, running a hand through her cropped hair, already looking a little stressed.

You nodded in agreement and added, "I think I get why people hate English so much too."

Robin laughed. "But you'll still love it anyways, won't you?" she chided. Before you had a chance to reply, your teacher began speaking again.

"Settle down, please! If you listen, you'd hear that this not due until the last month of the semester and you'll be working in partners," she stated, "so not only will you have plenty of time to work on it, but you'll also have some help." You and Robin glanced at each other, hopefully smiles tugging at both of your faces.

"Your partners will be assigned by me," the whole class collectively groaned again, "which is what I'll be doing as we get through attendance. I'll explain the criteria before moving on."

"Yep, I think I hate this class at least a little bit now," you complained to Robin, already making a mental checklist of what school stuff you should at least start on later in the afternoon.

"-ohn Gilmore, Phoebe Burton, partners. Steve Harrington, Y/N Y/L/N, partners. Billy Holden, Rob-"

You froze for a second, as if you were glitching. Steve was in... this class? There was no way, you would have absolutely noticed him. But as you snuck a glance behind you, sure enough there he was, sitting in his chair, mindlessly twirling a pencil through his fingers. To your surprise, he was actually looking back at you too and- wait hold up, was he smirking?

You immediately spun back around, hand lurching to grip onto the sides of your desk. You then blinked a couple of time, praying your face wasn't as red as you felt like it was.

"Nope, nope, absolutely not. No thank you," you said as you shook your head from side to side. "Miss, this is a joke right?" you inquired out loud.

You were eventually going to talk to Steve, you were sure of it. The day was coming where you could have some sort of a conversation with him without running away, you could feel it. The moment was almost here.

Today, however, was absolutely not that day.

Just when you were about to complain to you teacher out loud again, you feel a presence behind you.

"Oh come on, you're already dismissing me as a terrible English partner? I'm wounded, seriously." The voice was laced in amusement. You did not need to turn around to know who it belonged to.

Before you could even think of a response, Robin turns to you, clearly finding your horror to the situation hilarious, and says, "Well, I think you're going to hate this class a little bit too."

Well fuck.

[indecenthoney]

To Bite The Hand That Feeds You

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Our story revolves around Adam and Zoey, childhood friends, currently facing some unprecedented difficulties in their relationship. With 3rd party influences, any sort of progress has come to a complete stop as Zoey is urged to move on from her childhood crush. With time, she finds herself gradually drawn to another guy, much to the dismay of her longtime friend Adam, who has been silently repelled by the unfolding situation. Despite weathering life's ups and downs together and appearing perfectly suited for each other, they have never taken their relationship beyond friendship, surprising everyone around them. Adam, overwhelmed by his deep feelings for Zoey, realizes that he has no other choice than to make his move or risk losing her forever.

--------------------------------------------------------

It was quite unlike me to run late, especially when it came to picking up Zoey, who often had the tendency to walk off to god knows where. She had always been an empty-headed idiot who would go out of her way just to make someone happy. An easily influential child like her caused me to worry about her well-being. It’s honestly quite a surprise how she made it to college. Even if she did have trouble understanding concepts or even reading the atmosphere, she would always put on that damn smile that I loved so much. Zoey was an entity of unwavering perseverance and unconditional love. To put it in simple terms, she was a puppy. Nonetheless, Zoey was my puppy. Even if she doesn’t quite know it yet.

“There you are… Good… You actually listened this time… And here I thought you’d wander off again… Ready? I’ll drop you home…”

“Adam! What? No! I was just… looking around last time! Oh! Before we go! I would like you to meet my new friend, Tyler! He’s been super nice to me and always buys me snacks to eat during our lectures! We even planned to have a little study session at his house on Saturday! Isn’t that cool? It’ll be my first college hang-out!” 

“Right… Nice to meet you… I guess… Anyway… Zoey, let’s go…”

“Boyfriend? Adam? Uhm no h-he’s just… my childhood friend… A-anyway I’ll see you on Saturday, alright! Yeah, I’m looking forward to it! Byeeee! Adam… That was really rude… You could’ve at least made a new friend…” 

“Excuse me...? Zoey... You are not going to that boy’s dorm…”

“WHAT! Why not? I finally made a friend in college! Why can’t I see him?”

“Zoey… Just trust me… Alright? Maybe you’re still a little too naive to understand… but just trust me…”

“You’re not my dad… I can do whatever I want! I’m in college! What do you care?!?” 

“And you’re just a little GIRL… Who can’t think for herself?! So I’m doing it for you! Just LISTEN… You are not allowed to go to his dorm… and I prohibit you from ever talking to him ever again… Is that understood?” 

“I hate you!”

I know what I said could be interpreted as controlling, but all I wanted was to look out for her. After our little argument, she ran off on her own. Luckily enough, I had her location on my phone and had been trailing her for the past hour while she made several pit stops at her favorite cafes. In all honesty, Zoey has never been tech-savvy making it easier for me to tamper with her phone, but it was for the greater good. Who knows what would happen to her? You can judge me all you want, but she ended up calling me a few moments later to pick her up after getting lost. 

“Calm down… Just tell me where you are… and I’ll pick you up… So there’s a tree… Uhuh… and a building? Could you be any clearer… Alright… I’m coming… Just stay put…”

Not that I needed to ask for her location, but it was better than her asking how I found her in the first place. The car ride home was awfully quiet and we’ve never really had this much tension between us. It hurt me to see this side of her. But I much preferred it over some guy taking advantage of her. Once we arrived, there was a long pause before Zoey headed out. No words were exchanged during that moment despite us both wanting to say something. It was an easy tell, telling from her quivering lips. Something I’ve grown fond of. She had the habit of holding back when trying to say something. I would always figure it out whether it be some pastry she wanted to try or to tell me some ridiculous fact. This time, however, was something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I felt my chest cave in as she walked away and closed the door. In the following days, my mind was filled with unlikely scenarios. It drove me mad. I wanted to protect her more than anything in the world even if she hated me. I later took a couple of days of knowing she’d come and check on me. Zoey would always drop by without fail even if she was sick herself. I guess in her mind, taking care of someone else weighed heavier than her own. I knew without a doubt if I took some days off, she would surely show up. And she did.

“Oh… It’s you… Come in…”

“T-thank you… Uhm… I just wanted to check up on you… You haven’t picked me up from any of my classes like you usually do… and I haven’t seen you around campus… So I got really worried… Is everything okay?

“...”

“I-I know we sort of had a little fight the last time we saw each other and… I’m sorry… But I’m still putting my foot down… I want to hang out with my new friend… but I also want for us to make up… You have to trust me… I can handle myself! I’m a big girl now! I can tie my shoes and everything! Heheh… Please, Adam?”

“Fine. I trust you. I just want you to know that I care about you. I just didn’t anything bad to happen to you. And I don’t want to risk it. Forgive me.”

“Adam… You’re so silly… I forgive you! Mm! You’re the sweetest! I’ll be meeting him later by his dorm! And if anything, I’ll text you right away! I promise! Sooooooo what have you been up to? You didn’t answer my question! I didn’t see you all week!”

“Took some time off to work on a project… On the bright side, I’m just about done… All that’s left is to record and test my thesis…”

“Oh! I don’t quite get it… but is there… anything I can do?”

“You really don’t have to…”

“I want to! We haven’t spent any time together in a while, so this’ll make up for it! Yeah? I’ll do anything! ”

“Alright… If you insist… Thank you… Go on and head down to my room… I’m just going to get a few things before we start… You can sit by my desk since I gotta record the whole thing…”

“Heheh! Yes sir!”

After sending her off to my room, I packed a few necessities for this experiment.  Truth be told, I was a little too focused to answer her questions. To keep her preoccupied, I had prepared her some snacks and hot chocolate while she waited. Making sure that every angle was just right. A smile crept up on my face as I watched her happily eat her snacks. Taking a sip and then another. Completely downing the sedative that I had placed into her drink. Watching her fight off the drowsiness before going completely limp. Giving me the chance to finish my preparation for my little experiment.

“Oh? Hey there, sleepy head… Did you have a good nap? I hope so… You were snoring pretty loudly…” 

“Mmph… What time is it? AM I LATE? H-hey… What the… What is this?”

“Hey hey… Don’t worry… It’s still four hours until your little play date… You’ll still make it in time… As for the cuffs… Well… You did say you were going to help me out with my thesis, right?” 

“I… I guess but… Are the cuffs really necessary?”

“Mhm… We wouldn’t want to mess up my data, would we? Exactly… Now all I need you to do is to be pretty and sit still for me… Can you do that, hun? Yeah? You look really pretty by the way… I always loved this skirt… That’s it… Smile for the camera… Good girl…” 

“Hehe… uhm… what exactly is your project about? A-adam? Hahahah… W-what’s with the knife? Wait wait… Please…We can talk about this right? Please don’t hurt me…”

“I’m not going to hurt you, silly… Look at me… I would never hurt you… I love you too much to hurt you…”

“Y- you l-love me? A-adam… I…” 

“Of course… And yes, as embarrassing as it is to say… I do love you… I love you enough to teach you a lesson… After all, you’re just a dumb… little… girl who doesn’t know any better… but that’s okay! I’m here now… Aw… Sweetie… There’s no need to be afraid… It’s me… I’ve always taken care of you, haven’t I? I know what’s best for you… and that filthy fuck boy isn’t it…”

“N-no he’s not like that… He just wants to study…”

“Study? Hahaha… That idiot? Study? I’m sure he’ll have a lot of fun studying you… Holding you down… Playing with you… Fucking you silly… What then? How will you call me then? Hm? Exactly… You’re just a naive little girl… Don’t believe me? Why don’t I show you firsthand how he’ll toy with you, yeah?”

Irregular breaths arose from silence; the edge of my knife flaw at her skin leaving but a trace of crimson. Her eyes fixated on the blade, struggling to comprehend such a surreal situation. Was this nightmare truly reality? Her best friend, whom she loved since the beginning, tearing away at her innocence with the same smile he had given her all her life. That same smile bore a twisted form of affection, transforming what was once warm and nurturing into something sickening and perverse. 

“Will you relax? When did you become such a drama queen? That little boy toy of yours was going to take these off anyway… so what does it matter if I cut your panties off? It’s not like you were going to need them later… Zoey? Sweetie? Hey… Are you even listening? Fuck… What will I ever do with you? If you can’t even pay attention to me… how could you ever pay attention in class..? And Tyler or whatever his name was, isn’t helping… “

“Adam… We’re just friends… You have to believe me… Ow… You’re hurting me…”

“Oh? Hahahah… Was I gripping too hard? You poor thing, you’re shaking… Shhhh… It’s okay… I’m sorry for cutting you…  I’ll kiss it better… Fuck, what soft thighs you have… I’m honestly getting a little jealous… You say that you’re friends but… Tell me… do you like him…? I see the way you look at him… The way you laugh at his jokes… The way you fidget after keeping eye contact for a second too long…” 

“Adam! Stop it! This is crazy… Let me go! I’m bleeding… ”

“Silly Zoey… It’s just a few nicks… Your big girl, you can handle a few cuts… Now… Answer me… Do… you… like… him..? I want to hear you say it… cause I mean come on… It’s so fucking obvious… Being so eager and insistent on seeing him… I bet you were looking forward to having your little play date… Having his hands explore every inch of your slutty body… Having him bend you over his desk? I mean it’s fucking laughable…  You? Study? Hahahah… I’ll ask you again… Do… you… like… him..?” 

“I…”

“You’ve changed… So so stubborn… Whatever happened to my Zoey… My sweet, sweet Zoey…  Oh? Do you have something to say? Did you get turned on by the thought? Having him fill your pretty little holes to the brim… C’mon, use your words…”

“F-fuck… S-stop… t-touching my c-clit… Mmph… Please… I can’t- I can’t-... Aaa…” 

“What? You can’t what? Form a proper thought? Hahahah…. Fuck… I’m starting to think the problem is this right here… I don’t blame you… It gets the best of us… The feeling… The need to get off… Not being able to think straight without cumming first… Why don’t we fix that? Just say the word… You can tell me to go faster… slower… Whatever you want, hun… I’m here to help you… You don’t need some boy toy to do it for you… You have me…”

“Aaa-... I-I don’t… Mmph… wan-... i-it…”

“And now you’re a liar? It really is a fall from grace… It’s like you’re someone else entirely… My Zoey wouldn’t lie… Even if you say you don’t want it… It’s clear to me that you need this… C’mon… Be honest… Doesn’t it feel good? Having my thumb run along your needy little cunt… Rubbing circles around your desperate little cunt… Hahaha… God, you’re fucking filthy… I mean look at you… Leaking… Like a bitch in heat… What? Aren’t you at all embarrassed? I’m barely even touching you and you sound so fucking pathetic…”

“Mm… A-aaa… I-I… Mmm! N-not… f-filthy…”

“Awww sweetie… Of course not… You? Filthy? This is only temporary… Just a little bump on the road… After all, my Zoey isn’t filthy, right? It’s all just a minor setback… That’s what it is… And after I’m done with you… you’ll be as good as new… You’re just a bit rebellious… A phase if you will… But Adam it’s not a phase… Ah shhhhh… shhhh… Don’t you worry your little head… Adam will put on back on the right track… Why don’t we get you cleaned up, yeah? ”

In hand, were the two means of cleansing the ache between her deprived thighs. Her look twisted and perplexed at my intentions. Toothpaste and toothbrush. An odd pairing to such a surreal situation. Placing them aside, I knelt to the ground finding my way to her. Licking along her cunt, heavy with desire, before familiarizing myself once again with her aching clit. A dreadfully slow pace of what could take hours upon hours to finally reach culmination. Her face flushed to an even brighter shade of red after witnessing her best friend buried between her. An intoxicating wave of pleasure begins to overwhelm her with each flick of my tongue. Happily eating her out without regard for her constant disapproval. Prying her legs open with such force that it would be no surprise if it were to leave marks. My lips pressed against her opening; dipping my tongue deep as it would let me. Her hips buck and retreat only for me to pull her back in place for another taste. Another bite. Another feast. A gentle, yet eager throb envelopes me; a warmth soon after responds to my sensual touch leaving her a whimpering, disheveled mess. To my surprise, Zoey was closer than I had anticipated. Was it her lack of experience? Or possibly the excitement that came along with such a depraved act. Honestly, I was unsure. Not that it mattered at the moment nor did I care. There were no words of protest left, only the sounds of pleasure that reverberated in my ears. Even then, it would have been better to be safe than ruin our little experience.

“A-adam…? A-are you done? Can I please leave? I-I don’t want to do this anym-more… Please… I’m begging you…”

“Done? Oh, sweetheart… You don’t mean that, do you? I mean… we’re just getting to the good part… Tell me… Are you close? Tell Adam how badly you want it…”

“I-I’ve been telling you… I don’t… want this…! If anything, you’re the one that’s acting crazy! I… I just want my Adam back…” 

“Zoey… Fuck… I never… meant to hurt you… I just… I didn’t want to lose you… You must’ve been so scared… I’m sorry…”

“Adam…”

“Okay… This is what we’ll do… I’ll clean you up… Get you a snack… and I promise we’ll go back to being our happy old selves, alright? Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Mm! I-It’s okay… You’ve always been a bit sort of a worry wart… and always did your best to look out for me… So I’ll forgive you! Oh! And if we make it on time… I can still get to his house… Do you mind dropping me there? Heheh… A-adam? Why’d you stop?”

“And here I thought you learned your lesson… Got my hopes up for nothing…” 

“W-what’re you doing?”

“I’m cleaning you up, of course… The toothpaste might tingle a bit… But I’m sure after the pain subsides… or hopefully, it does… you’ll be able to enjoy it! Seeing as how you didn’t learn your lesson… I guess I’ll have to go through with this… Now… smile for the camera, hun… We wouldn’t wanna disappoint our viewers now, would we?” 

“Viewers? Y-you’re streaming this?!?”

“Hahaha… Hey now… I wouldn’t fuss around too much if I were you…  But don’t you worry… I made sure that each and every angle doesn’t capture your face… and if you somehow move out of those boundaries… Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about your safety… Who knows? Maybe someone from college could be watching… Stroking themselves off… Fucking into their hand as they scan every inch of that indecent body of yours… I wouldn’t bother asking for help either… Each one of these men are here for you, hun… But in all seriousness… One more outburst and I’ll be sure to send a recording to your friend, Tyler… Hahahah… God, you’re so fucking… obedient when I mention Tyler, huh…? It kinda pisses me off… Fuck it… Let’s just get started…”

Believe it or not, I was hoping to avoid this. Despite the constant throb in my pants, it brought me no satisfaction to see Zoey trembling in fear. If only things turned out differently for the both of us. Then again, there was no point in having such thoughts. Having been idle for too long, I began toying with her. Gently biting and licking along her clit bringing about a swollen and needy version of her. Having known the new circumstances of our little project, she continued to stifle her moans in an attempt to keep some form of innocence. Faint whimpers escaping her lips as I rubbed her senseless, sending shockwaves all throughout her body. Vigorously shaking in her seat; gasping for air. Her hips unconsciously pushing against my tongue, nearing her climax. Only to pull away and be met with a toothbrush coated with toothpaste. An unfamiliar feeling bringing her back from her lustful daze. The coarse bristles grinding against her as she writhes within her restraints. All while the menthol slowly takes its effect, causing an irritable tingling sensation. 

“F-fuck… Mmm… A-adam…? W-what are you doing? Aaaa… S-stop… Fuck… Fuck… Fuck… It… hurts… You can’t… do that… I’m too s-sensitive…”

“I’ll stop when you’ve learned your lesson… and what is this… You can’t business? Of course, I can… Watch me…” 

“It… burns… Please stop… I can’t… I can’t… I feel w-weird… I’m going to cum… Fuck me… I’m gonna cum… I’m gonna cum… I’m gonna cum… A-aah… S-shit… A-aaa… Mmmph…”

“There we go… That’s one… A couple more time and maybe you’ll start thinking straight… Zoey… Look at the mess you made… Leaking all over my seat… In front of the audience… Bad Zoey… As punishment, I’ll have to flick your dumb needy clit a few times… This’ll hurt me more than it’ll hurt you…”

“A-adam… O-ow Please… No more… No more… It hurts…”

“Now now… You have to behave… One more time you close those legs… I’ll have no choice but to give the audience something else to look at… And as much as they would love to see you cry… I’m sure you don’t want them to see your pretty little face, do we? Just a few more flicks… and we’ll go back to making you feel good, yeah?”

“Ow… Fuck… A-adam… I’m sorry… Please… Ow…. Sh-shit…”

“Well that’s no good… Such a potty mouth… Let’s add a few more flicks… and this time… instead of cussing I want to hear a thank you… Understood? Zoey… I said… Is that understood?

“Y-yes… Okay… Mm… Okay… O-ow… T-thank you… Mmm… A-aaa… T-thank you… I-it hurts… A-adam… It hurts… Mmmph… T-thank… you… ” 

“Hahaha… Good girl… You catch on quick… Are you sure you aren’t a genius? Playing dumb so you can get what you want… One more…” 

“N-no… I’m not… A-aaa… O-ow…  Ow… Ow… T-thank you… A-adammmm…”

“Shhhhh… It’s okay… I know it hurts… You did good… I’m so proud of you, hun… Let’s get back to cleaning you up, yeah? Doesn’t it feel good? The burn on your swollen clit as I rub you stupid… Such a leaky fucking mess you are… Hahaha… Gonna cum, sweetheart? Go right ahead… Cum for me… God, you look so fucking desperate bucking your hips like that…”

“F-uck…. I-I’m c-cominggg…. Hnng… F-fffuck…. I’m sorry… A-adam… Thank you… T-thank you… Feelsh sho goood…”

“Mhm… It’s okay… That’s it… Such a good girl… Cum your brains out, hun… You’re overflowing… You must’ve been so pent up, huh…? No wonder you were acting out so much… You poor thing… You just needed some attention… It’s alright… Adam’s here now…” 

“A-adam? Mmph… You can stop now… I’m finished… I’m really sensitive there now… I need a break…”

“A break? Who said anything about stopping, sweetheart? After we’re done then what? You go off to see your little friend? I mean… I still haven’t confirmed if you learned your lesson or not… Plus I can’t let you leave until you get your fill… What kind of host would I be? Now don’t you worry you’re little head… You can stay here and cum to your heart’s content… to cum until you’re absolutely sick of it… to the point only I can get you off…”

“Hnnngg… F-fu..ck… I can’t think… I–It h-hurts… I don’t… wanna cum anymore… Ad-am…. A-aaa… Please…. Please… please… I’ll behave… Just stop….”

“You’ll what? You’re going to have to speak up, hun…”

“S-stop… going s-so… fa-ast… Yes… F-fuck… I’ll behave please… I’ll behave… I’ll be good… I promise… Just please stop…” 

“There you go again… You… keep… forgetting… your… thank… yous!” 

“Ow! Fu- Mmm… T-thank you… Th-ank you… I won’t… So please… I-I don’t wanna cum again… I’m too s-sensitive… I can’t take another one…”

“You won’t… What? You have to be more specific than that…” 

“I-I said… I’ll behave… I’ll stop seeing T-Tyler… Are you happy?” 

“That’s what I wanted to hear…  Good girl… I knew you’d come to your senses… But you know… since you’re already so close…  why don’t we finish you off? Think of it as a reward… or even a reminder… To never… ever… bite the hand that feeds you… Understood? Now buck those hips, princess… Fuck into my hand… That’s it…”

“A-adam… A..dam… I’m c-cumming… Mmmph… A-aaaaaaa…” 

With the final orgasm, I turned the stream off and proceeded to clean her up. Wiping away her tears before carrying her off to my bed. Placing kiss after kiss on her trembling lips distracting her before slowly slipping myself into her. Her wet drippy cunt greets me with an insatiable heat. Fucking away as her incessant moans fill my mouth after each exchange. Whispers of “Thank you” resound in my ear motivating me to further fill her depths with an even eager disposition. 

“Zoey... Z-zoey… F-fuck… I’m really close… Just a little longer… I promise… Okay? You’re a good girl… Just take it…”

“A-adam… It feels… good… Mm…” 

“Yeah? T-that’s good… I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself… but I have to pull out… or we’ll both be in trouble… Hey… R-remove your legs…”

“Inside… Please… Adam…”

“Z-zoey? I-I know you’re mad at me for bullying you earlier but… seriously… This isn’t funny…”

“A-adammmmmm… Y-you don’t love me? I… I love you…”

“I- Ugh… Fuck… Of course I do…”

“Then breed me… please…”

“Fine… I don’t want to hear you whining about it later… But even then I’ll be sure to take care of you, alright…? Silly Zoey…”

I guess even after all that happened that night, Zoey was still able to put on that smile of hers. She pulled a fast one on me and completely won me over. Even after multiple loads, she still had the energy to move her hips; keeping me on my toes at every second of our love-making. I can say without a doubt that she paid me back in full that night. Completely drained she found her place atop me hearing my heartbeat.

“I never had a crush on Tyler, you know…”

“What? Then why did you want to go so badly?” 

“Well… Our friends told me that… If I wanted you… then I’d have to make you jealous… and that you’d come running to me like dog… Heheh… And I guess it was true… Although, you were bit scary back there… Uhm... Were people actually watching us...? Should we be worried...” 

“Those fuckers… And no... I was lying to get a rise out of you... I didn't want you kicking and screaming... If anything... It's just recording...”

"I see... That's a bit fucked up... Hahaha... You're obsessed with me... Want to fuck me so badly... You must really love me, huh?"

"Shut up..."

“Say it! Tell me you love me!” 

“Where’s the toothpaste…?”

“Adam!”

“Fine… I love you, Zoey… You’re mine and you better remember it…”

“Mm! Yes sir! Hehehe!” 

--------------------------------------------------------

With love,

Honey

[anonymousbeefriendfanfics]

My Thoughts on Touchstarved

So, I've finished the demo! Let me start off by saying that I love the story! The concept is awesome, I adore that you can choose your own background, I love how immersive the setting is, everything is just... amazing. I can't wait for the full game to come out! Especially with all the special treats we're getting from the Kickstarter goals, it's going to be fantastic! And now, my friends, I shall share with you my thoughts & Headcannons for each of our lovely love interests, in order of appearance. If you'd like to see more, my requests are open!! I haven't gotten any for Touchstarved yet but I'm itching to write for them, I just... need some inspiration, so the more the merrier!

Kuras

First of all: pretty. I love his design, it's wonderful. He looks so ethereal! And very doctor-y, which was the point.

Can we talk about the hair, though???? How cool is that?? I love it. It looks very soft and fluffy. And so long... Could you imagine sleeping next to him? You wake up and you're drowning in floof.

He's very kind and gentle, but is obviously holding back. He distances himself from people, and like everybody else on this list, he needs to find someone he can really trust to open up and be himself with.

And he stays so busy, like... when does he ever take the time to relax? I know the city needs him and his clinic, but he deserves some time off, too.

To be honest Kuras gives me kinda like.... asexual vibes? Maybe demisexual? Idk, maybe I'm reading too much into him being reserved, but. I just feel like he either wouldn't be interested or he'd want to fall in love with someone before taking them to bed.

Leander

I love him, he's incredible. So talented, so kind!! I love the respect the Bloodhounds have for him, and how willing he is to go out of his way to help a stranger.

Also he blushes very easily and I love it, he's absolutely adorable

I am very very curious how he got so much skill with magic, because that doesn't seem to be normal. I bet it has something to do with his secret.

He very clearly has some serious trauma in his past, too. I wonder how he got that scar, if it has anything to do with his magic, if it is indeed the same scar running from his face to his arm....

Seems like he drowns his trauma in alcohol, his gang, and keeping himself very busy. Poor thing clearly doesn't get as much sleep as he should.

I think he just wants to be loved, but he's afraid to let himself be too vulnerable.

Vere

Foxboy Foxboy Foxboy Foxboy Fox-

Can I just say that I'm a little bit in love with his design. I mean I am with all of them but. Especially Vere. I love foxes and it's just. *Chef's kiss*

He's a cocky lil son of a biscuit tho. That tongue of his is quite sharp... as are his teeth~

I feel like he'd flirt with a Soulless to get what he wanted. In actuality he'd just murder it, but... you get my point. You're never sure if he's gonna seduce you or slit your neck.

Literally if Sage and Rime from Last Legacy had a child.

He's absolutely not trustworthy but I wanna get to the bottom of things and form that trust with him.

Romancing him would be very interesting. He's always three seconds away from eating you, but the question is... will he eat your soul, or your [redacted]?

Ais

He reminds me far too much of my friend's OC, and for that, I am the sliiiightest bit obsessed with him. At least that gives me a headstart on his characterization.

Would sell you to Satan for one cornchip, but fortunately MC interests him enough to keep them around

And Princess???? Oh my god. My heart. I adore her, I adore him, yes please

And he calls the MC "Sparrow"!!! That's absolutely precious. I love how he has nicknames for people, it's wonderful

Ais seems like the person who will tell you he doesn't care what happens to you and you can go get yourself killed for all he cares, then move heaven and earth to save you once you're even slightly in danger.

Mhin

Baby needs a hug. Enough said.

l absolutely adore them. They have stolen my heart.

And yes, maybe I do have the slightest bit of a savior complex, shut up. I'm just addicted to the hurt/comfort angst of it all, okay?

Literally hates everyone and everyone hates them (Except for, y'know, Kuras) because they're such a grumpy little loner and dear god just let me love you, let me teach you what love is.

They definitely fit into the whole "stronger than they appear" archetype because they're specifically mentioned to be pretty scrawny, but they have an impressive amount of strength and holy hells they're good with that dagger. That's incredible skill

I just. I want to break down those walls and earn their trust and teach them they have someone they can rely on who won't betray them, no matter what happens or how dark things get.

I just want to cuddle them and reassure them that everything's gonna be alright, is that a crime?

[myimaginarywonderland]

I am certain that Roger ap Gwilliam will play a bigger role in season two and I am also fully convinced that he is related to Ruby in some way.

We learned that the name of Ruby's father is William Benjamin Garnet. I would assume seeing as he now is 34 he might have had another child, who could maybe be around 5-8 years old. I feel like Ruby finding out she has siblings is an obvious plotline and I think her mother wasn't show with children so they would have to be from her father.

Now, Roger ap Gwilliam in 2046 is in my opinion in his early 30s? I know the actor is older but to me it felt like the character was angled to be a younger politician from what we have seen. Ap is used to say son/describe someone's relation and I personally just don't think Gwilliam was his actual name (might be, not much idea on any sort of genuine Welsh last names.) I assumed it was William and some other name, maybe a first or last name. With just his whole image he has I assumed that it was his dad's first name and last name mixed together that he used to run his campaign instead of going by his actual name. I figured someone with that much dramatics would have maybe assumed a slightly different name to appeal more to the masses, to make himself more interesting. And seeing as this is set in the future, who is to say he even has to run with his actual name, he might as well just have made something up to hide his actual identity of he maybe had a fallout with his family etc.

William Garnet could easily shortened to Gwilliam.

To me the entire hints about him plus leading to his actual appearance in 73 yards never felt like a true resolve. I always thought that there was sure to be more to his story because the way he has been talked about made him seem like a genuine threat that could potentially endanger the entire planet. Remember that regardless of what Ruby did in that episode, it never actually carried over into the actual timeline so he will still happen and the Doctor will clearly be the one to stop him in the future.

Ruby's father almost felt like an afterthought and I just refuse to see that as not deliberate. The entire time we were so focused on her mother who turned out to just be a teen in a bad situation that the real possibility that Ruby's father could be trouble never really occurred to us. I feel like they are definitely lying some groundwork for Ruby to have a bad or rude awakening because so far her story has been so positive really. She grew up with an incredibly loving and caring family and now has potentially found another member for that family that wants to get to know her. There is a rude awakening coming and what could be worse than finding out that not only does your father not want you but he is also responsible for one of the most dangerous man of the planet? One of the worst people you can think off?

It would perfectly fit that gut punching feeling most companion stories have at some point and lay a true ground work for her and the Doctor to have a conflict. Maybe somehow Ruby starts to remember the events of 73 yards and can't do it again because now she has seen this sweet boy and she can't imagine that is the same person. The Doctor would have to make a decision that will hurt in one way or another.

I think Ruby and Roger have a deeper connection than we think and being siblings would absolutely make sense for me.

[carriagelamp]

Found some excellent horror-related and horror-adjacent books to read this month! Not a common genre for me, so this was fun. Really can't recommend Grady Hendrix as an author enough, Horrorstör was definitely my favourite novel from this month

Eric

I hate saying it because I love the Discworld and Terry Pratchett is easily my favourite author, but man Eric did not do it for me. You could see some good bones in it, but as far as I’m concerned all the interesting bits that appeared were done significantly better in later books. It had some humour moments, but the only bits that I really enjoyed were when the Luggage was around.

This story followed a young, teenaged, would-be demon summoner who, instead of summoning a demon, accidentally winds up with the incompetent and fearful wizzard Rincewind. Obligated to answer this kid’s wishes, they end up bouncing through time and space while attempting to survive what each wish had to throw at them. 

Fantastic Mr Fox / Esio Trot / George’s Marvellous Medicine / The Enormous Crocodile

I went on a Dahl kick this month, I wanted to work through some of his shorter works that I’ve never bothered to read before. All of them were honestly delightful, I had a blast. Esio Trot was probably the weakest of the lot, but the other three were so much fun. The Fantastic Mr Fox may be my favourite just by virtue of being the most fleshed out, but listening to The Enormous Crocodile be read by Stephen Fry is an unparalleled experience.

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy

A story I enjoyed more than I expected. I have a strange soft spot for hockey narratives, but that might just be the Canadian in me. Alix’s one true love is hockey, it’s the one place she feels competent and happy, but her team captain is making the space increasingly hostile until, unable to take the bullying, she strikes out and punches her captain. Shocked by her own violence and given an ultimatum by the coach to get her temper under control, she ends up going to popular and poised Ezra, hoping that he could show her how to deal with harassment without losing her cool in a way that scares her.

Horrorstör

Easily the best book I read this month, this book was amazing, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a “haunted house but in a knock-off Ikea” and I mostly picked it up as a joke because the premise sounded hilarious. But I was familiar with the author (I’d read The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires a couple years ago) and trusted him to do something interesting with the premise. And wow. Just wow. It is very much a classic, grisly, nauseating horror premise, but in a way that explores capitalism, exploitation, and treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill. It’s been  a long time since I read a book that actually gave me chills, but I had to put this book down and walk away from it occasionally, it was intense enough.

The Kaiju Preservation Society

As a Pacific Rim lover, this book was everything I’d ever wish for it to be. It’s such a love letter to the kaiju genre as well as environmental conservation, and it’s speculative biology is fascinating!

After being fire from his job at the beginning of the Covid pandemic lockdown in New York City, Jamie Gray is barely making ends meet by acting as a delivery driver. He doesn’t know how he can possibly continue on like this, until he runs into an old friend who offers him a strange and intensely secretive job offer. With nothing to lose, Jamie agrees and finds himself on an alternate Earth, helping to study creatures that he only knows from campy monster movies, now very much real.

The Last Wish

Felt an urge to reread a Witcher book, so I’ve been picking my way through the short stories. They continue to be a lot of fun, and it felt good to reconnect with the original narrative voice again after reading a lot of fanfiction over the years. For anyone who has someone existed post-Netflix version without picking up the general premise: Geralt of Rivia is a "witcher", a person who was specifically trained to wield weapons and magics to hunt dangerous monsters that threaten humans. This is a collection of short stories that show Geralt on some of the various hunts he's had during the decades of his over-long life. (It's significantly better than the Netflix version, very much worth the read if you like classic high fantasy and/or fairy tale retellings.)

Mortimer: Rat Race to Space

A very dull youth novel. Mortimer is a lab rat at Houston who has aspirations to go on the space program and prove that rats are better suited for colonizing Mars than humans. If you’re a seven year old who wants to consume space facts, this is the book for you. For everyone else, it’s a bit of a slog.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism

Another Grady Hendrix book. This book was undeniably well-written, just as masterful as his others, but I didn’t enjoy it as much. A bit too much high school narrative and not enough all out horror. The conclusion was pretty decent, but the rest was… fine. A fun love letter to the 1980s though as you learn about two best friends and how they grow up together. ...A bit of a debate whether or not it warrants a queer marker or not, I'm not even going to make that attempt.

The One and Only Ruby

The newest book from the One and Only Ivan series. Much like The One and Only Bob this book was… fine. The original of the series was really wonderful and felt quite inspired, inspired by the real life story of a gorilla that’s kept in a small cage in a mall complex. The next two books take place after that one and each follows one of Ivan’s friends (Bob the dog and Ruby the baby elephant). A fun enough addition to the series, the art is still cute, and it has decent things to say about the hunting of endangered animals, but it was nothing amazing. 

Paperbacks from Hell

Look, I really just felt the desperate need to read a bunch of Hendrix novels after being so violently consumed by Horrorstör. This is a nonfiction book in which Hendrix dives into the evolution and popular tropes of horror novels throughout the 1980s, with the cover art being the driving thesis throughout. You can tell how much he loves these weird, pulpy horrors and it makes you want to go and find a bunch of these and read them yourself. It really is an interesting book, even if you aren’t a great horror lover (which I wouldn’t consider myself).

The Salt Grows Heavy

Now this is a fucking novella. An absolutely unhinged, body-horror rich retelling of both The Little Mermaid and Frankenstein. Yeah. After the complete destruction of her husband’s kingdom at the hands (and jaws) of her own children, the Mermaid finds herself travelling with a mysterious Plague Doctor. I won’t go further into this except to say that the way it portrays morality, life, death, and the mutability of flesh is just… something else. Would recommend. But not if you have a weak stomach.

Scott Pilgrim

A classic. I watched the new animated series with my brother and felt the need to go back and reread the entire original series. Absolutely perfect, no notes, continues to be one of my all time favourite graphic novel series. The magical realism is just *chef’s kiss*.

[reigningqueenofwords]

You Won't Guess

Part 2 of Dropping In

So, something that you hadn’t thought of right off the bat? You didn’t even exist in this universe. Well, a version of you might. Which was a very weird thought. 

It had been one week since you appeared behind Clint, and you were currently in a room with Tony and his lawyer. He was trying to make it so you actually existed, and since you were a minor…he also was making it so he was your guardian (wrapping your head around him making you a Stark was hard). “I don’t get what’s so hard about this. Thor is from another planet and we were able to get him legal here. What’s so hard about getting a 17 year old girl some paperwork?” Tony was clearly annoyed. 

“She’s a human, Mr. Stark. Clearly there’s some worry about how you came to have her in your care.” His lawyer explained. Again. “Miss, are you here of your own will?” He asked you. 

You nodded. “I am.” Where else would you go? And why wouldn’t you want to live in Stark Tower? 

“And how did you come to be here?” That was something he had been avoiding asking. It was like he didn’t want to know too many details when it came to Tony.

“Magic.” You said bluntly, making him stare at you. “Are you telling me with everything that’s happened, you’re having trouble believing I’m here because of magic ? Aliens attacked New York, Thor is a literal God, and Steve is from the 1940s.” 

Sighing, he made a face that said ‘you’re right’. “I’ll see what I can do.” He caved. “I’ll call you when I get an update, Mr. Stark.” 

“My mom once told me I should be a lawyer. I’m glad that was never a goal of mine. He looked so done with life.” You mused as the pair of you made your way to his lab. “Or like he needs a vacation.” 

He nodded. “He’s my lawyer, so you’re not wrong.” He mused. “And you’re about to be my daughter according to the government, so I’m sure you’ll want a vacation, too.” 

You laughed at that. “Maybe I’ll be fine because I’ve seen the movies so many times.” 

“I am curious about those. You’ll have to tell us about them, because I’m sure the others are curious, too.” Did the movies actually have what happened in their universe? Or were they just completely made up stories? It was fascinating to him. “Maybe we can all go out to dinner tonight and you can fill us in.” 

“That could be fun!” You agreed easily, but then wondered: was Bucky alive in this universe? You hadn’t seen him, nor had anyone mentioned him. “What if there are people in the movies I haven’t seen here?” You asked, looking over at him.

Tony thought for a moment. “That’s a tough one. Would it affect us in any way?” 

“Maybe?” You honestly had no way of knowing. “How about I tell you what I can, only involving the people I’ve met. If things line up, then I can go on…because maybe it’ll help in the long run. If not, I won’t say, because I don’t want things to be weird.” 

He stopped, raising an eyebrow at you. “Weird how?” He wondered. 

You chewed on your lip. “Bucky is alive in the movies.” You blurted out. “No one here has mentioned him.” 

“Why does that name sound familiar?”

“James Buchanan Barnes. Steve’s best friend. In the movies he became the Winter Soldier, and it takes seeing Steve to start breaking through the mind control. That’s like the really dumbed down version.” You rambled. “Steve didn’t know until Bucky tried to kill him.” 

“Oh wow. That’s…big.” What else would you call that information? 

You nodded. “It is. That’s why I don’t want to bring him up if things went differently in this universe? They were best friends. Well, going off the movies it was more than that. One of the biggest ships ever.” It was very clear what you meant by your tone. 

He looked a tad amused. “That’s interesting. Capsicle had a boyfriend?” He motioned for the pair of you to keep walking. 

On the way, you told him all the little tidbits that hinted at Steve and Bucky being more. Tony was hanging on your every word, like a teenage girl with the juiciest gossip. You just knew that you were going to have a much better life here than you did back in your universe. 

“You ship them, don’t you?” He smirked, amused at how into that explanation you got. 

Laughing, you shrugged. “They’re one of my ships, yeah.” You admitted. “That’s all you’re getting from me right now.” You teased, not wanting to be like ‘I also ship you and Steve!’, because that would be weird.. 

“Oh, you wound me.” He teased right back. “What’s the weirdest ship?” 

You thought for a moment. “Nat and Bruce. It was so weird. They were totally setting up a Clint and Nat thing, but then boom. They were together. Out of nowhere, it was them ? So many people, myself included, were confused and annoyed.” You made a face. 

“Yeah, that is weird.” He agreed. “I don’t think I’d get behind that one, either.” It was an odd pairing in his mind, too. “Is that also the most hated ship? Or no?” 

“Not even close, but I think to mention that one would also need to play into things I’m not sure I should let you guys in on yet. I will tell you that it divides people. Like, full on twitter wars have been waged over it.” You snorted. “I kept my opinions to myself. People can be vicious online!” 

“You’re not wrong.” He agreed, opening the lab door. “I look forward to hearing what ship this is eventually. If I guess it, will you tell me?” 

Laughing, you nodded. “Sure, but I know you won’t guess!” 

[shadowscrybe]

Rayven's Revenge- Chapter 4

Summary: Rayven is the younger sister of Rhysand in the Night Court. She was banished 64 years ago for the murder of her sister. This is the story of Rayven earning her place in Prythian and finding out what it means to be family. We all know how her story ends...but how did she get there? I don't want to forget the demon princess with bat wings. Do you?

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: none- canon typical content

A/N: WE LOVE THE VANSERRA BOYS OVER HERE. Also I edited these first six chapters about a billion times at this point, so if there's still typos I will unalive I'm not kidding. But also if you see any please let me know so I can fix them bc if my stuff stays published and incorrect I may never recover

Eris Vanserra was a brutish male, with terrible selfish instincts. He was a frustrating teacher with cruel methods and an even worse temper. Always trying to confuse her. Just when she thought she had something, he’d change the rules. He would have fit in well in Windhaven. 

But as she scanned the words he scribbled for her, she could see the efforts of a fearful subject. He didn’t want Beron as a highlord more than anyone else. Maybe she and him weren't so different after all. Somewhat loving their fathers but still undermining them for the sake of their people. 

She grew to love him and saw some of the reasons he taught her the way he did, but some secrets would always seem to remain solely his. 

He described an area of land to investigate where there were whispers of a powerful fae trapped in the Spring Court. Beron wanted her for her supposed ties to the King of Hybern. The meeting had gone according to plan, besides the conflict of her potentially angering the spring court highlord. 

Over the years she began to understand his cryptic words more, but sometimes he stumped her. Only half of what he had written made sense. 

“What in Hel does ‘siphon’ mean?” She asked Rahne. She had no clue either.

He was always reminding her to destroy any evidence of their partnership with empty Eris threats. She couldn't leave any trace of his notes and if she jeopardized his position in the autumn court then he’d flame her. 

She told him if he was so easily caught by scribbles then he deserved it. 

As if anyone would know what he actually meant. Was the female suspected to be Illyrian? He knows she doesn’t have a siphon. No Illyrians fought on Hybern’s side either. If he was suggesting she needed the bastards for this, she was going to wring his neck. 

She read his words one more time, ensuring she had the coordinates right, and let her flame eat the parchment. She could at least scout a few areas Eris described before she had to be back at Velaris. 

Rahne raced back to her over the brush yelling, Shifter! Shifter! Shifter! 

Rayven felt him in the treeline over her left shoulder. The winds of the spring court hung still, like they were stalling to watch. She unsheathed her dagger at her thigh and spun the handle in her grip. She did not notice Lucien to her right when he appeared around a tall shrub. Rahne guttered in the folds of her wings, embarrassed she hadn't sensed him first. 

The Vanserra’s were invisible to her. What does Beron do to them under that rock?

His russet skin glowed under the red hair he and Eris shared. He was always darker than Eris, regardless of the sun they claimed to get in Autumn. His brown eyes were rich like ale, not the light amber of the bastards. 

He was breathtaking every time she saw him. He knew it too and used his stunning beauty to his advantage. 

“What a pleasure it is to see you again, Rayven.” He gave an emphasized bow at the waist. “A strange place to run into each other.” A sly smile. 

She kept her eyes scanning for Tamlin, who was no doubt in his shifter form somewhere. “I could say the same to you, Lucien.” She did not bow back. 

“I am a guest at the Spring Court,” he said. “Your business here has concluded. You are now trespassing these lands. What would your highlord say about that?”

“Quit scaring her,” the spring court heir’s voice came from behind. 

She pivoted to keep them both in her eyesight. Lucien laughed. 

“I thought I made myself clear earlier,” she said to the idiots blocking her way back to the open sky. 

They had penned her here. She didn't risk looking up to confirm, but the canopy here would tear her wings up. She thought about risking it and asking Azriel to help her later, but Lucien pulled her attention. He placed himself on a rock a few paces closer to Tamlin. 

Tamlin sighed at his friend. “We’re not looking for trouble.” He held his palms up. 

“Good. Then stay out of my way.” She could maybe make a run, hoping to break into open air, but these were his lands. Probably even more so than Tarin’s at this point.  

Rahne gravitated closer towards Lucien. His eyes never strayed from Rayven, but he was keeping her shadow in mind. She did not like when something was sneakier than her. And Lucien was a fox among wolves. 

Tamlin tracked her escape attempts and sighed. “We just want to talk.” 

The heir and her best friend’s brother had only a handful of years on her, but she was the one with the reputation. 

Lucien was from the flame, like Eris. She doubted her fire would be able to burn him even if she could manage to reach him. It barely ever reached Eris, and that was when he went easy on her. 

Lucien must have known where her thoughts led. He said, “You have shadowfire, but it’s two against one. Can we skip the dance and talk?” 

“I like those odds.” 

Some scary demon princess. They knew exactly who she was. Not the dark demon, but the outcast daughter. She hated them for it. 

Rayven leaned down and snatched up a few short bulbed weeds. Yellow and bright against the tan of her skin. 

“I apologize for my fathers behavior earlier.” Tamlin said. He searched her face, but she kept it neutral. “You will be safe here. I promise.” 

She could easily take any seasonal court male, so he was probably right. It was the Illyrian males she needed protection from. 

Rahne kept her silent focus on Lucien in the folds of her wings. 

“You followed me here to say sorry?” 

Lucien answered, “We tracked you here because you are a sloppy scout. You are lucky it was our beautiful faces that found you instead of the less favorable.” 

Flames licked up her throat. Did Lucien know his words mirrored hers earlier. Knowing the fox, she would have guessed it likely. 

“You're looking for her too?” Tamlin redirected. His eyes didn't search the woods, the way they did in the manor house. He knew how to monitor the forest with more than his sight.

“She must be special, to have so many lords placing bounties on one single soldier.” She hoped her opening was broad enough to get them to reveal themselves. 

“Is your highlord aware of her yet?” Lucien asked this time. 

“The Highlord’s will is mine.” Acid rose in her throat. 

“That doesn't answer my question.” He wasn't eager to ask where she received this information. 

“Why does Tarin want her?”  

Tamlin answered. “I think he used to know her.” 

Lucien casually laid atop his rock, but his eyes cut to his friend. A true statement from the heir, then. 

She owed him a truth. “I recently came into this intel, and as we already know, the Highlord does not appreciate his time being wasted. There's no point in relaying an unreliable tip.”

“You don't plan on telling your highlord?” Tamlin pressed. 

“I didn't realize this was an interrogation.” 

Lucien smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “Cute. The princess of the Night Court has a sense of humor.” 

“Oh, I can be hilarious.” Her fire ignited, the shifter yielded a step, but Lucien lounged on his boulder. 

“Easy, we aren't looking for a fight. We want to help.” Tamlin said. 

“I am not asking for it,” she said. 

“And yet you need it,” Lucien snarled. “You're lost in the Oaks, she would never be here. Besides, most of Spring has been searched at this point.” 

“She's not here,” Tamlin said. 

“Then where is she?” 

“We don't know,” Tamlin admitted. “We’re searching Summer and Winter when we can, but half the time I’m busy running my father in circles. He never gave a name, but he asks about her like he knows who it is.” 

Lucien barely shook his head at Tamlin. He was telling her more than he was supposed to. She would’ve done anything to have Rhys there to read Lucien’s thoughts. 

“If I can get her back to Night then I can hide her.”

“Or give her over to your highlord,” said the fox. 

“The other highlords want her alive. He is the only one who will accept her death. I get to her, find what she knows, and dispose of her.” 

“That simple then?” He uncrossed his long legs and rose gracefully.  “I’m done here.” 

Tamlin kept his distance, but he offered one more comment in parting. “Don't tell him.” Then he was gone.

Lucien paused in his step. Her ears strained to hear his soft voice. “Do not meet him there again.” 

His brown eyes desperately met hers, and she knew it was not a threat. 

[monocle-teacup]

I feel like Mandroid is in desperate need of a good shower cry so I wrote a little side story that takes place early in my Lotus AU. This is Final Form Mandroid BTW.

Stephen let out a sigh as the water hit his body. Since the shower head was actually just a garden hose with a special nozzle, he couldn’t change the temperature. That suited him perfectly since his armor generated so much heat. In the past, he was meticulous about his appearance, but the simple act of showering became lost to him as a result of being ill and Croft taking away the Arachnamechs that helped him undress.

He was immediately suspicious when Tara’s demeanor changed when she mentioned asking him something. Even though he was insulted, he begrudgingly gave her credit for actually going through with her inquiry about his ability to bathe. In truth, he was thrilled when she offered to build him a shower. The thought of showing that happiness was out of the question. She already saw him being a pathetic wretch too many times for his liking. He was still waiting for her to throw that fact back in his face.

Tara made the shower so that he could remove the hose to easily spray himself off. Dirty brown water fell to the ground as he angled the stream all over. His organic arms were able to feel the cold water in all its glory. If it were possible he would’ve stood in the shower all day. However, if he took too long his host would no doubt come to check on him. With the limited time he had, it was now or never. 

Lowering his window, he stuck his head out. The inside of his body was infused with oxygen, but inhaling fresh air made him remember when he was fully human. That wasn’t his aim at the moment though.

Adjusting the nozzle to a light drizzle, he closed his eyes and basked in the sensation of his human skin being doused with water. The chill that assailed his senses was welcome. Almost anything was better than feeling the rage and despair almost all of his days now consisted of. 

He couldn’t stop the tears from running down his face while he used the cloth Tara gave him. It was the same kind she had on hand to wipe his head months ago at GHOST. The softness of the fabric was something he craved. He knew but didn’t care that he was being pathetic right now. With how deadly his claws were, many would be shocked to see how gently he rubbed his scalp with the rag. It was as close as he was going to get to sliding his hand through his hair. 

Regretfully finishing his face, he moved to his arms. His muscles glistened in the sun, highlighting the bulges and lines. Due to how the musculature was designed, he was essentially flexing his arms most of the time. He couldn’t deny enjoying such an automatic display of the power he possessed. The ability to stretch as well as handle Cybertronians like they were toys was immensely satisfying.

The cloth felt wonderful on his synthetic skin. Being able to experience actual touch was something he was truly grateful for. The air blowing around him, texture, temperature. Each one was a wondrous occasion for him despite not feeling the same as when he was a human. The technology he now consisted of was able to interpret stimuli in a much different way than what a person was used to. His mind almost fractured from being overwhelmed upon first waking up from the transition. Yet, he persevered. 

And now it had all been for nothing.

Frowning, he shifted his head to a rear window to concentrate on his back. The metal wasn’t as sensitive as his organic parts, but it was more responsive than when he had Transformer arms. He used the other cloth provided to quickly clean his robotic half. His red arms effortlessly reached every inch of him so that it didn’t take long to focus on his front. If he had a sponge with a handle he would have been able to get the job done faster. The only thing his tail needed was a few passes with the rag. By the time he was done, his entire body was shining. 

“Let’s see her say I’m filthy now.” he muttered with a smile.