#also left this open for whatever muse you're feeling!

[kaciidubs]

Curious Cat

❣ Summary: Perhaps being curious wasn't all that bad. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 1.48k ❣ Warnings: Slight Sub! Chris, fluff, smut, comfort, use of safeword, sex toys [vibrators], slight overstimulation, aftercare ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: Chan is referred to as Chris, Channie, Baby, and My Love, Reader is referred to as Baby, unedited ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back - and boy, was this cat satisfied.

Chris didn't intend on snooping around your room when you left to get snacks for your impending movie date, nor did he intend to find a few hidden objects in your sock drawer.

Who knew him wanting to coo over your cute Sanrio themed socks would've turned into him holding not one, but two of your sex toys?

"Alright, I think I have every- Why are you holding those?"

His head snapped in the direction of your voice, your hands holding two convenience store bags filled with the snacks you'd promised.

"I-I, um, I didn't mean to-"

"Are you trying to skip the movie and get to the good part of the night?"

The suggestiveness in your tone made his heart skip a beat - sure, he was ready for you no matter what, but he genuinely wasn't trying to come off as entirely horny, he was just curious.

"I wanna watch the movie, really, but..."

Looking down at the toys in his hands, he couldn't help the thoughts brewing in his head; how do you use them? Do you use them by themselves or do you watch the private videos you two have made while touching yourself? Do you use one or multiple in one night? Do they make you come just as hard as he does?

"I... I think I wanna know how these work."

"On me?" You mused, a sly smirk growing on your lips, "Or on you?"

Oh.

Was that even possible? Could your toys work the same on him as they do for you? Could they make him come just as hard as you do?

Chris was curious, some may say too curious for his own good, but he wouldn't let that deter him.

Which is how he found himself now; naked and writhing on your bed as you held a small blue vibrating toy to the leaky head of his cock, the two bunny shaped ears vibrating in a pattern that left him breathless.

The rabbit vibrator, you'd told him - it was your go to for nights where you just wanted to get off and go to bed.

It made his head spin just simply knowing that the toy currently on the flared tip of his dick was also used on your clit.

"How's it feel, baby?" You cooed, the only piece of clothing still on your body being a basic pair of cotton panties. "Feels good, right? I didn't even have to use too much lube with the way you're dripping right now."

He whined out a sound of agreement, too focused on the pulsing of the toy to pay you any mind.

"This next one is new, I haven't even used it on myself yet but that's okay - you can be my little test bunny, yeah?"

"Y-Yes, fuck yes, please." If one toy was able to make him feel this good, then whatever you had planned for him next was more than welcome.

The small, targeted vibrations of the rabbit left his cock, prompting him to open his eyes and look down at you in question before his gaze locked onto the next toy in your hand.

It was bigger, sort of shaped like a microphone, and was slightly intimidating based on the simpler, theme-less design.

"It's a Hitachi wand," you explained, turning it to give him a full view, "it's supposed to have more power than the rabbit, but since I haven't used it yet, I don't know how it's supposed to feel on me - so, make sure you tell me everything you feel, okay?"

Chris nodded, his dick throbbing in anticipation, "Okay, yeah, I will."

You took a moment to coat the soft bulbous tip with lube before turning it toward him; rubbing it along his shaft to give him a general idea of what it feels like while it's not running.

"Ready?"

"R-Ready."

The click of a button was all he could register before a strong wave of vibration forced a choked gasp from his plump lips.

He could feel it everywhere; from the tip of his cock to his abdomen - he could even feel the vibrations in the taughtness of his balls, it was insane.

If it weren't for the fact that you were sitting between his legs, he probably would've been folded like a chair from the pleasure.

"Channie? How's it feel, baby? What is it like?"

His hands fisted the sheets, chest heaving in uneven breaths as he tried his best to collect the brain cells to form words.

"I-It- oh fuck, fuck, it's so- it's everywhere, baby- oh my god don't stop, please don't stop!"

His stomach was coated in precum, his cock leaking in ways you haven't seen before - you were almost jealous it was being wasted on him instead of in you, but that would be fixed later on.

Pressing the vibration button, you kicked up the speed and pressed the toy against the underside of his cock, right against a vein you were graciously familiar with.

The sound he let out was crossed between a grunt and a gasp of air, eyes rolling to the back of his head, and before you knew it, thick ropes of white streaked across his chest and stomach.

It was like he was frozen in time, stuck between breaths and stomach contracting with each wave of cum leaving him, numb to everything but the constant vibrations now spreading throughout his body.

At the same time, you weren't fairing any better; watching in shocked amazement as your usually loud finishing boyfriend was resorted to nothing but choked breaths and twitching limbs. It wasn't until a certain gasped word forced it's way past his lips that you were brought back to reality.

"R-Red- Red-"

You turned the toy off immediately, tossing it behind you as your hands moved to hold his shaking ones, knuckles white from his grip on your sheets.

"Okay, Channie, it's okay - we're all done, yeah?" You could see the faint streak of tears shining down the sides of his face, watching as he tried nodding his head. "You're okay, baby, just take a deep breath with me - slowly, just breathe with me."

He took a shivering inhale, broken between soft hiccups, before sighing it out slowly, his body relaxing just a bit.

"Good boy, just a few more times for me, alright?"

With each breath taken, his body finally relaxed and the tension in his hands released enough for you to slip your hands into his palms, thumbs caressing his undoubtedly sore knuckles.

"You did great, Channie, such a great job - will you be okay if I leave to get a washcloth to clean you up? Do you want me to run a bath?"

Chris shook his head softly, squeezing your hands, "Just... Just a washcloth... A-And some water, please."

Nodding, you leaned down to press a kiss to his right hand, "Alright, baby, I'll be right back."

It only took a few minutes for you to return with the warm washcloth and a bottle of water, gently wiping up the mess of cum from his skin and lube from his softening dick, before helping him sit up to drink.

He finished the water bottle in record time, chugging it as if he just finished a set on stage before letting out a deep sigh, leaning his head against your headrest.

"That was..."

"Intense?"

"Amazing." He laughed lightly, "And intense too, yeah, but it was... I never felt anything like that before, but I feel like if I didn't tap out then, I would've passed out."

Small giggles bubbles from your mouth, shaking your head at his honesty, "Well thank you for letting me know - do you need me to do anything for you? More water? Food? Wanna talk it out some more? Where's your head at, my love?"

A small hum left him as he opened his eyes to gaze at you through a soft haze, "Food sounds great, and we can definitely talk about it more but not before you tell me how you're doing. I'm alright, really, just a little overstimulated - but what about you? I didn't mean to scare you with the safeword."

"You didn't scare me at all! I was just worried about you, trust me - I'm just glad you're okay." Scooting closer to him, you pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, smiling as he press himself into you. "I'll order the food, you just focus on cooling down, yeah?"

He nodded before looking at you with puppy eyes, "Can we order a pizza?"

Rolling your eyes, you laughed, "Yes, we can order a pizza - find something to watch then we can talk about the toys some more."

With a hum of agreement, you set off to put your date night back on track.

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @goblinracha, @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @j-onedrabbles, @happilydeepestwonderland, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @sometimesleeknows, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @maximumkillshot, @y-ur--i, @acker-night, @dreamescapeswriting, @specialstay, @broken-glowsticks, @s00buwu, @dancerachaslut, @junglyric, @tinyelfperson, @jj-stay, @katsukis1wife, @inlovewithmusician, @keen-li, @armystay89, @main-character0, @vampcharxter

✧. ┊If your username is in bold italics that means tumblr won't let me tag you. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, fill out this form!

[iheartjohnlennon]

The Beatles NSFW Alphabet - Ringo

@heiterhund >> #1 writer & Ringo Starr lover/expert.

A is for Aftercare (How he treats you after sex, what happens after sex, etc...) 

• You can count on him cleaning you up after. 

• A gentle wash cloth rubs up your leg, cleans your stomach, and gently wipes down your sore cunt. After doing all the cleaning, he tends to pepper your face in kisses and praises you for how well you did and how lucky he is to love and have you.

• If the sex was particularly rough, he will hold you to him until you get so sweaty you have to push him off! He can't help it, you're his girl, he wants you to feel loved! 

• He is known for his quick jokes and smartass quips, so expect some of that thrown in during the aftermath of sex. 

 

“Looks like you’ve just seen a ghost, love! I didn’t fuck you that hard, did I?”

     

B is for Body part (His favourite body part of yours) 

• Ringo is an ass man. 

• He loves your ass, he can’t keep his hands off of it. Grabbing, smacking, spreading - whatever.

• He'll smack it and grab it randomly, you'll giggle and tell him to stop.

• Usually if you both are alone, and you’re laying over his lap as you lounge - he’ll play a silly, little beat on it.

• He also loves the way it looks when you’re wearing one of his shirts and nothing else to lounge in. 

 

“Y’know, I think your arse makes better beats than my drums do.” He mused, slapping your butt with two fingers, before going back to playing the beat to one of the many songs stuck in his head.

     

C is for Cum (Everything to do with cum!) 

• Ringo loves a good cream pie. 

• He loves to feel the warmth of your cunt flutter around his length as he spills his seed deep into you.

• He sometimes massages your lower stomach with his thumbs as he pumps you full of cum, usually comes off as sweet - but it’s more possessive in his mind, he owns you and your womb. You’re being held in place while he takes what’s his.

• After he cums in you, he loves watching it drip out of you. 

 

“Say, birdie, do you usually take it like some filthy whore?” He was between your legs, watching as the pearly liquid oozed slowly out of your used hole.

His thumb and forefinger spreading open your folds, nose brushing against your flushed labia as his tongue poked out to lap up his seed.

     

D is for Dirty secret (Something utterly filthy that he did and/or does/and or wants to do behind your back.)

• He used to sniff your panties. Before you two were together and were only friends.

• He took you home when you got drunk. You insisted you were perfectly capable of getting to your bed.

• Your pubes looked nice, he liked that. But it was highly inappropriate for him to gawk and drool over his drunk friend. 

• And yeah, he still does when you’re gone or asleep. When he’s away, he usually pockets a pair and jerks himself off with them after he sniffs them.

• Filthy, filthy man.

 

“Nuh uh, Richie, I-I can…can do it! Seeee?”

You stumbled up the stairs, knees knocked together as you nearly toppled over each step.

“Love, you’re about to fall. Let’s get inside, yeah?” He sighed, ushering you into your room.

“If I was soooo drunk, could I do this?”

And before he had time to get you to lay down, you were taking your clothes off. And there you were, lounging on your bed naked.

“Oi! Hey! Get your clothes back on!”

He turned around, hands covering his eyes as he tried to lose the boner he was sporting.

He eventually got you tucked in, you only agreed to sleep if he stayed until you slept. and so he did.

You were knocked out cold, and he went to clean up the mess that you made before you rested.

All that was left was your cute panties.

They were frilly and dawned with a cute bow at the top. He didn’t want to grab them, not with his hands. But he had already put all your clothes away in the hamper.

He eyed them for a moment, before his baby blues locked onto a slick spot in the middle of your knickers.

He sniffed them. 

     

E is for Experience (How experienced is he?) 

• Ringo was sick most of his young life, and never properly lost his virginity until he met his first girlfriend when he was in his 20s. 

• The most he did before was kissing and fumbled touching, perhaps a bit of fingering. He’s always been good with his hands.

• Now, with that being said, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to fuck.

     

F is for Favourite position (How he loves to fuck you.)

• Ringo is a romantic guy. He adores missionary.

• Sure it’s a bit boring to some, a classic, but he can see your tits bounce each time he rams himself into you. 

• He can also see your lips quiver as you try not to moan, your eyes rolling and your lashes fluttering as you whine and cry.

• It's also his preferred position because he can see the outline of his dick poking in and out of you - filling you up balls deep.

• He thinks you look like a beautiful angel splayed out beneath him. His beautiful angel.

• 10/10 position.

• He also likes doggystyle, but that’s usually reserved for his days when he needs to relieve stress. Or when he simply wants to fuck the shit out of you.

     

G is for Goofy (How silly is he during sex?) 

• Ringo tends to crack jokes at the worst times. His humour is just like that, so he will totally be joking during sex.

• Your cunt made a slick sound that sounded funny…you bet he already has a comment to make about it, something silly. 

• When he eats you out, he does the little head shake his bandmates are known for. And after he’s done, he looks up at you with a dopey grin.

“She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Followed by the head shake.

 • After being a bit goofy, he'll go right back to being serious…and serious means making you orgasm. 

     

G is also for Goal (What's his goal and/or dream in relation to sex.) 

• His goal is to make you walk with a limp, his goal is to fuck you way past orgasm. 

• With how big his dick is (8 inches!!!), he definitely leaves you sore. But oh no, that’s not good enough, not at all.

• He wants you limping and waddling the next days, hell, if you’re not whining that you’re sore in the morning he’ll pin you down and fuck you until you do.

• He absolutely adores over stimulating you with his cock - until your eyes roll into the back of your head, until you can't breathe, until the sheets are drenched with bodily fluids.

     

H is for Hair (How well groomed he is, does the carpet match the drapes, etc..)

• He barely has leg hair, let alone chest hair. so his pubes are well kept.

• They’re not curly and unruly, they’re straight and aren’t too long.

• Also, don’t worry if you have pubic hair. Ringo doesn’t mind.

 

“Well, I don’t mind…y’know, I always fancied having a moustache!” 

     

I is for Intimacy (How romantic he is during sex, etc..)

• He is a hopeless romantic. He wants it soft and slow, and usually that’s how it goes.

• He never calls it fucking. It's always referred to as ‘making love.’

• His hands are always on your body, whether that be holding your hands above your head while he rocks into you - or his hands being placed on your hips as he thrusts.

• Will play some old vinyls of his during it, too. Usually some old Elvis records. The music really compliments it all. He'll sing the lyrics to you - whisper it in your ear as he does. a bit cheesy, but it makes you both smile.

• He won’t cum unless you guys are kissing, or unless he's looking you dead in your eyes - or both…

     

J is for Jack off (Masturbation headcanon.) 

• He barely masturbates. Will only do it as a last resort of sorts.

• He spent his teenage years jerking off, so it’s just not as stimulating anymore. It's almost boring. 

• But if you guys are away from each other for too long, he’ll call you up on the phone and do it. Not really phone sex, but just hearing your voice will soothe his ache for you.

     

K is for Kink (One or more of their kinks in relation to you.) 

• Ringo has a humiliation kink. He loves embarrassing you. Even if it’s something as little as making you beg for more. 

 • But most of the time it’s him making you masturbate in front of him and letting him watch. He loves to see your flushed face look to the side, as you bite your lip and nervously touch yourself.

• He has some weird pet play kink too, but not in the way you think. He’s not into collars or cages, none of that. He just loves calling you his pet. Depending on the partner, they’re either called his puppy or his kitten. He loves treating and spoiling you like some fancy poodle.

     

L is for Location (Favourite place to do the deed.) 

• Prefers the bedroom. He gets embarrassed doing it anywhere else. 

• You once tried doing it in the back of the car during a long ride to the hotel, and he kept getting nervous and mumbling about how the press would go absolutely wild if they saw.

• Of course he’s fine with doing it with you anywhere where there are four walls and a door. So, a broom closet would work as well. But his favourite has to be the bed, any bed.

     

M is for Motivation (What turns them on about you, gets him hard, makes him cum, etc..) 

• Your hands. Your hands get him going.

• They’re so soft and small compared to his dry and calloused hands. He loves how smooth they feel against his skin, and how they radiate such warmth. 

• If you brush his hands with yours and give him a look full of love, he’s ready to pounce. 

• Your smile also gets him going. You’re just so beautiful that he can’t help but feel lucky - and feeling lucky gets him going.

• Honestly, the easy answer could've been you.

     

N is for No (Turn offs, what pisses him off, etc..) 

• If you make a remark about his nose. 

• He knows everyone does, but it hurts coming more from you. If you make a joke involving it - he will not even think about touching you until he does. 

• He’s an insecure guy… 

     

O is for Oral sex (Does he prefer giving or receiving? How does he give, how does he receive?) 

• Ringo loves eating your pussy. 

• He loves slotting his tongue against your core and licking up in harsh stripes. Also enjoys biting your clit once or twice, just to keep you on your toes.

• He doesn't favour oral sex on him too much. He got a lot during his prime, and it was boring to him. But that doesn’t mean he won’t enjoy it every now and then.

• He’s big, he knows his dick isn’t fitting in your mouth comfortably. 

 • You wouldn't be able to deep throat him without literally choking. He wants to go balls deep into your mouth, but he knows you wouldn't be able to handle it. You always swallow him a little less than half way.

 • When you suck him off, it's nicely dragged out. You trail your tongue up and down his shaft, you suck his tip, massage his balls.

     

P is for Pace (Fast or slow? Rough or sensual? Ect.) 

• Ringo is usually a slow lover - at the start at least. His thrusts are gentle and soft starting out, they only get rougher the longer you fuck and the closer he is to cumming.

• The clapping noises fill the room. 

• He likes it to feel romantic and full of love. Like stated before, his rough and fast pace are reserved for his stressed days - which is almost everyday.

     

Q is for Quickie (His opinion on quickies, how often they happen, etc..)

• He doesn’t like quickies. Nuh uh.

• He wants you all to himself with all the time in the world, with all the space in the world.

• Buuut, if you are desperate enough, he’ll cave in and fuck you.

     

R is for Risk (What kind of risks will they take.)

• The most he’s willing to do is fucking you in a shared hotel room with either John, George, or Paul.

• He still is hesitant to do it, but he’d rather fuck you around people he knows as opposed to any prying eyes and ears he doesn’t.

• You're both probably a bit drunk as well. 

 

His hand was covering your mouth, as your knees dug into the bed below you both.

George was asleep in the other bed, not too far from yours. His face was turned the other way, he seemed to be snoozing - you hoped he was. 

That made Ringo feel a bit better about fucking you in the same room as him.

Your eyes were shut tightly as he slowly slotted himself into you, a finger pulling your panties to the side. 

He began his light thrusts, desperately trying to avoid the creak of bed springs as he did so.

“Mmph!” You softly moaned against his hand.

You were unable to shake off the feeling of his cock stroking your walls. It was an instant pleasure, his tip rubbed against your g spot nicely and consistently. 

“Fuck…” You breathed, feeling it clenching around him.

He tightened his hand against your mouth and leaned into your ear. “Keep it quiet, birdie, Hazza might wake, you don't want that do you?”

Ringo sped up a bit, your wetness started sounding as he did so. His free arm pulled your hips up so you could better meet his thrusts. 

“Do you? Do you want George to hear you getting fucked?” He asked again, wanting an answer.

He slowed down, going from tip to balls at a moderate pace. 

“N- no.” You whispered back, strained. 

You fucked him back, he'd only thrust back harder - the soft, clapping noises ensued. 

Your toes curled, Ringo continued his forward movement. 

It got louder and louder with each thrust, now it sounded like you were both full on fucking. 

“Baby…” You mockingly warned, mindful of the younger man not too far from you. Though it sounded more like you were just moaning.

“Mmhm…shh…shh…I'll make you cum, don't worry.” He groaned, sounding cocky.

Shit. 

Did George just cough?

S is for Stamina (How many rounds he can last, how quickly can they cum, etc..)

• It feels like an Olympic sport keeping up with him. He lasts way longer than you, by the end of most of your sessions you're breathless, sweaty, dazed, confused. 

• He can do two rounds, at least. 

• He lasts around 20-50 minutes each round.

• But his foreplay can go on for hours if he’s in the mood and has the time for it. 

• He cums around two times. Usually once in the first round (between the 15-25 minute mark. Then the second time he cums is around the 45 minute mark.) As for the second round? That's usually when you’re about to orgasm.

• He’s a generous guy, really.

• He rarely ever cums quickly. That's just impossible for him. This is why he hates quickies, he always leaves rock hard.

T is for Toys (Does he own toys, use them, what kind of toys, etc?) 

• Oh, he owns toys. 

• He has a cock ring that he bought personally, it helps keep him harder, like rock hard. He loves the ache of being hard, he loves his stiffness. The ring makes his cock all red and veiny, and makes his balls heavy. And it's all for you (and your holes).

• He also has encouraged you to buy some for yourself. He doesn’t think it makes him less of a man - even a dildo bigger than him. Whatever makes you feel good, makes him feel good.

• He’s once tried your vibrator. He was curious…it didn’t feel too good against his dick so he never spoke of it. 

• He likes using your toys on you. Fucking you with your own dildo, using your vibrator on you as he fucks you.

 

You were out shopping with him, your arm linked tightly around his.

You stumbled upon a small, curious shop on the high street. He seemed to know exactly what it was because he didn't even let you think before he dragged you into it! 

You looked around, realising, the innocent looking shop was a filthy one, a haven for pleasure.

“Buy something.” Ringo said, taking your hand.

“What?” 

You laughed, almost stunned.

“We aren't leaving this shop till you buy something for yourself, sweetheart.”

“Something? Like what...” you teased.

     

U is for Unfair (How much does he like to tease you, how does he tease you, etc..) 

• He’s super fair. He hates teasing you. 

• If you’re not having fun, he’s not having fun. 

• He teases in some kind of way, but it’s never for long or never torturous… it’s usually a quick touch, or a sly remark. He falters as soon as you give him that look that says stop.

• So he’s a bit whipped in that sense, definitely.

     

V is for Volume (How loud is he, what noises does he make, what does he say, etc..) 

• He’s not too noisy, but he groans and huffs, like a bear almost.

• He does those long, deep sighs when he finally gets himself settled in your walls. You feel so warm and snug around his length, he can’t help but let out a sound.

• But it’s never loud enough for anyone but you two to hear unless they're in the room or something.

• Grunting and praising you through it all.

• “Such a pretty girl, taking me so well.”

     

W is for Wildcard (Random sexual headcanon.) 

• He's really into humping just as much as he is into being inside of you. He likes the sloppy pace and how desperate it is.

• He once had you sat in his lap, and you both got handsy. It ended up with you grinding yourself against his thigh and his stiff cock like a dog in heat. He'd bounce you up and down, practically fucking you with his clothes still on.

• He was into it. Definitely into it. Definitely creamed his pants.

     

X is for X-ray (His cock.) 

• Let's be straightforward here. 8 inches, thick, uncut. 

• Yeah, he is very hung. 

• It definitely slaps his stomach when he pulls it out.

• It’s awfully obvious when he has an erection too. Even when he's flaccid his bulge is still obvious. 

• Ringo Starr is not a grower, it’s usually 5-6 when soft.

I want it in me so bad 

Y is for Yearning (His sex drive, how much do they want you?) 

• His sex drive isn’t too high, but if you’re not by his side when he’s asleep he finds himself missing you.

• He tries to have sex with you three days a week, he doesn’t think sex is a need. He’s more into soft intimacy and gifts.

• But this doesn’t mean he doesn’t want you. He just loves you too much to not only crave you sexually. 

• He craves you in a way a man craves water. It’s a necessity to have you, whether that be sexually or not.

     

Z is for Zzz (Sleep afterwards?)

• After sex and cleaning you up, he wants to rest with you. Not in a sleepy way. He just loves basking in the afterglow.

• It usually takes him a while to fall asleep anyway. He doesn’t mind it though.

• He gets to watch you sleep peacefully and that’s the best way to end his night. You, curled into his side, and him, smiling like an idiot.

@legendaryskeletonpicklewolf

@zeppelin-groupie

🩷

Aaaaand that's the end of this alphabet, but of course, more to come.

Check out the masterlist for more works!

[zigrethsnotebook]

HBU a Bill Cipher x reader about a reader who really likes being possessed by Bill Cipher so frequently is possessed by him

Inside you

Bill x Reader

words: 1,381

tags: sfw, whatever Bill has going on

a/n: didn’t know if you wanted this to be cute or not, might make a nsfw version one day if i feel like it

You were Ford's assistant, working with him and Fiddleford on the interdimensional portal. Even after the incident occurred and Fiddleford left the project, you and Ford pressed on.

Although, you weren't really in it for the portal or the science or whatever. You were way more interested in this muse of his. Bill Cipher. A triangle shaped entity, who had the ability to enter someone's mind if they agreed to it. Who could also haunt your dreams if you didn’t.

He didn’t have to haunt your dreams though, he was already a part of them. Even though seeing Ford with yellow eyes and no self-preservation instincts was a little scary, you couldn't help but imagine how nice it must feel to have Bill in your mind.

Just for once you wanted to lean back and let someone else do the work for you. The work being moving your body from room to room and so on.

One day, when he was in control of Ford's body, you breached the subject to him. "Ford doesn't like you running around in his body, you know that, right?" Bill just laughed in a garbled version of Ford's voice.

"Of course I know! That's part of the fun." You hummed. "But wouldn't it be more fun to actually share a body? With someone who won't resist? And if it's tormenting Ford you're after, think of what it would do to him to see someone else under your control."

Bill narrowed Ford's eyes at you, stepping closer. He was intrigued. "What are you suggesting?" You smirked at him. "A deal. You get to take my body for a spin... whenever. The only condition is that I don't want you to break my bones or leave me with an open wound or something."

He turned Ford's head, suspicion on their face. "And what exactly are you getting out of this?" You smiled and sighed dramatically. "To relax! I get to take some time off from having to work this meat prison." Bill laughed loudly.

"You're either crazy or the sanest human I've ever met. Either way, you got yourself a deal." Bill held Ford's hand out to you, a small blue flame surrounding it. You gladly took it and suddenly felt like you were falling, even though you didn’t move from your spot on the ground at all.

You were still holding Ford's hand as he sank in on himself, raising his other hand to his head. Meanwhile, you felt something change. A new presence in your own mind. "Let's see if I can make you regret this."

Ford's eyes raised up to your hands and then up to your face, terror spreading on his face. "Bill. What have you-" You interrupted him. "He hasn't done anything yet. So don't worry about it. Let's get back to work."

Ford eyed you suspiciously. It was your voice, your eyes weren't yellow... there was no sign of Bill being in control of your body. But he was gone from his own mind and that unsettled Ford greatly.

While Ford and you continued to work away at the portal, Bill was making himself comfortable in your mind, snooping around your memories and getting a picture of who you are as a person.

When he came across the section of your mind that held your dreams and he found himself in there, making you laugh or holding your hand gently... well, if he was human then he surely would have blushed at that. But he wasn't. And he certainly didn’t care about human emotions. Gross.

Eventually, you and Ford decided that you were done for the day (it was long past midnight) and started to pack up. Bill pulled you from the steering wheel, taking over your body. "Sixer." Ford looked up at him in horror.

"So you are inside them!" Bill waved him off. "Yeahyeahyeah, big surprise. Whatever. Where did you find this person? Their mind is... so clean and orderly. But their dreams..." His/Your voice trailed off, not actually wanting to tell Ford about your dreams. "We went to university together. Same as with Fiddleford." Bill nodded absentmindedly.

While Bill was hanging out with Ford, you laid back, enjoying your break. You quickly tuned their conversation out and instead took a stroll through your mind. It was a funny way of perceiving your own thoughts. Basically being able to walk in on them like they were little rooms scattered around your mind.

You got lost in your own mind but eventually were pulled back into reality as Bill took a step back. You found yourself in your bed, in your pyjamas. You didn’t even feel hungry.

The only thing that was a little off was the dull pain in your shoulder and knee. It felt like you had fallen down a flight of stairs. Bill had probably decided it was faster than to walk them. You ignored the pain and went to sleep.

The following days were much of the same: Working on the portal with Ford, occasionally letting Bill take charge to correct Ford on some equations or whatever. On your way out of the lab Bill would usually take over, taking your body for a spin.

Usually, you watched him do it, just see what he was up to. You saw him fling your body off of whatever ledge he could find that wouldn't harm your body too seriously. The deal you made clearly stated that he wasn't allowed to break your bones.

But it didn’t forbid him to get you a tattoo. It was simple enough. A heart with an arrow through it that just read "Bill", effectively claiming you as his. You didn’t mind though. Something about this triangle made you want his attention.

The fact that he went out of his way to brand you as his made you feel kind of special. Who else could say that about themselves? Well, Ford could, but you didn’t know that and Ford had no intention of telling you about it.

After a couple weeks of this, Bill got a little irritated with you. Inside your head, he sparked up a conversation. "Why doesn't this bother you? I actively harm you, your relationship with Ford and everyone around you. I branded you. What more will it take to get you upset?"

You laughed at him. "Shouldn’t you know? I thought you could read minds - what's stopping you?" Bill frowned, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Nothing! I looked! As far as I can tell you have never thought one single bad thing about me. That's nuts!"

You waved at him dismissively. "It's not. If you truly knew what it was like to be human you'd get it." Bill shook his head and floated closer to you, locking eyes. "Nuh-uh. Ford doesn't get it either. He's human, too!" You clicked your tongue. "Yeah, but he's also a giant baby."

Bill stared at you, not believing what he's hearing. He sighed and rubbed his eyebrow. Or his equivalent to an eyebrow anyway.

"There is something interesting I did find in your mind though." You just raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you dreaming about you and me doing... coupley things together? From what Ford explained to me about human relationships, that's just gross."

You blushed at being called out like that but stood your ground. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it." A beat of silence passed. Then Bill floated closer to you, his stare intense. "Kiss me then." You stared at him, shock written all over your face.

The problem was, you hadn't quite figured that part out yet. What, with him having no mouth and all. However, as he said that, something happened. Without your doing, a few doors to different thoughts flew open and things that looked like pieces of film tape floated out of them, surrounding you both.

They showed different ways you had fantasized about kissing that stupid triangle. As you realized what you saw you blushed even more, hiding your face in your hands.

Bill looked around you both and then back to you. Now this was something. This was amusing. Finally, he had found something to torment you with. Your own attraction to the triangle. Now the fun could begin.

[mysticmellowlove]

Rediscovered the magic of shotgunning smoke, holy shit it's so hot. I wanna try it with my boy so bad 😮‍💨😮‍💨

note; tell me why my lecture sent me to the shadow realm, that shit is better than melatonin. also, you're so right anon because why is it that hot for no reason? got me acting up

warnings; sub male, soft dom reader, gn reader, 'puppy',

The weight of his thigh against your own prompted you to look over, the joint hanging loosely in your fingers. He was reclined, head tilted back as his breathing evened out. Still, he looked in your direction, eyes dilated with the cutest blush over his cheeks. He was new at smoking, so pilant and ready for you to teach him everything there was to know. At least that's what he made it out to be.

After all, you had seen that look on his face a few times before, that look of abandon. It wasn't so much about the sensation of the drug than it was about the feeling of handing over control to you. He had mumbled about the attractiveness of your experience more often than not, it had spread to other facets of his life.

Of course you were going to indulge him, you'd do about anything for him if he asked with those adorable eyes of his. You were weak when it came to him.

"Want more puppy?" You hummed as you rolled the joint in your fingers for a moment, pressing it against your lips and drawing the smoke in before letting it billow back out. He seemed to trail the haze, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. A smirk rose to your face. He nodded, his hand going to rest on your thigh as he held out his hand to take it from you.

"Open up then." His eyes widened as you drew in once more, your free hand going to grasp his chin so you could direct his head where you wanted. A strained moan left his mouth as he let his lips part, allowing you to lean in and gently blow the smoke into his mouth. You watched as his eyes fluttered shut. The leftover smoke drifted between the two of you as his chest pushed into your shoulder.

"So fuckin' pretty for me huh?" You mused as your thumb stroked over his lips, slick with his drool. He looked up at you, eyelashes obscuring his pretty eyes as he breathed against your finger.

"Look at you puppy, can see your cock straining against your jeans. Turned on from a little smoke?" You grinned as you let your hand trail to his zipper, slowly sliding it down so you could pull him from his boxers. He seemed to jerk at the feeling, sensitive in more ways than one. The high only made you more intent on getting his cock to leak, finger swiping the tip before your hand coiled around him gently.

"Gotta treat you nice and good yeah? Wouldn't want my pretty little boy to cry." A whine left his mouth as his hips rolled into your hand, sharp and jagged breaths left his mouth as he massaged your thigh. Your heart jumped at the sight, he was always so pretty under you. His pleasure was in your hands, not only that but he trusted you with himself. He let you do whatever you wanted to him.

"Gonna cum for you..." He sighed, his forehead going to rest on your shoulder as he breathed out slowly. He was losing himself in the feeling and honestly what more could you ask of him? You leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of his head as his breathing stuttered once and then twice. You could feel the heat of his dick as he thrust upwards into your hand, letting himself go as the smoke and his pleasure took him into the clouds.

A thankful and relieved whine left his mouth, he knew you'd look after him as he revelled in the feeling and he knew you'd be there when he came back down... ready to do it all over again.

[breadbrioche]

acts of service

so mun x reader

➳summary: one of the many ways mun shows his love

➳warnings: -

➳word count: 925

➳a/n: the first part of a series of short mun fics I hopefully am able to write :) maybe if there’s enough interest?? also a reminder that requests are open!!

You hated this.

The room which was usually your sanctuary, where you could wind down after a long day, had become your own personal jail cell that you wanted nothing more than to just escape. You could theoretically; no one had forbidden you from leaving but just hours before, (maybe it was less than that, you felt way too delirious to think straight so you’re perception of time was completely broken) the one and only So Mun swaddled you in blankets like a baby so you couldn’t even move if you wanted to - if your room was a prison, then these blankets were a straight jacket.

“So you can sweat it out.” You remember him saying before leaving for the nearest convenience store to get you some supplies. So now here you were incapacitated, feverish yet shivering and limbs feeling like they were made of stone.

You blamed So Mun for this.

Looking back, there was no real reason to (especially how he was the one taking care of you) but him leaving you in that state was enough for you to want to plot your revenge. Was this some kind of sick, twisted joke to him? Did Mun think you didn’t love him enough so he left you to die?

After what seemed like an eternity, your door finally slammed open to reveal Mun who was carrying a plastic bag on his wrist.

“Took you long enough.” you rasped out, shooting him a glare as he approached you. He laughed at your quip while placing his palm on your forehead to check your temperature. Instinctively you leaned into his touch, cooling your hot skin.

“How are you feeling?”

“Oh I’m just peachy” you exclaimed sarcastically as you sat up, though that proved a bad decision as you were hit with a wave of nausea as soon as you lifted your head off your pillow. Mun was quick to support you by putting his hand on your back.

“Here, have these.” he said, offering some pills and a bottle of water. Taking the medicine from him, you gulped it down quickly (you didn’t realise how thirsty you were until you’d already chugged more than half the bottle) then flopped back down with a sigh.

“I hate this.” You vocalised to Mun. “I wanna move and eat without feeling like I’m gonna throw up everywhere.”

“You will be able to once you get better. But that can’t happen unless you stay still and rest.” Mun nagged which made you groan frustratedly.

“I’m so over it though!” You complained. “I feel useless just laying here while you do everything for me. Like- you’re my boyfriend, not my mother!”

At that, Mun laughed while squatting down next to your bed so his face is eye level to yours. He tangled his hand in your hair, playing with it gently.

“Have you considered that maybe I like doing this for you?” You gave him an unimpressed stare.

“It’s true! Is it that hard to believe I want to take care of you?”

“But don’t I annoy you when you have to do all these things for me?”

Mun shook his head, smiling at you brightly. “You’ll never be annoying to me. And it feels nice to have you rely on me for once.”

“I still feel bad though…” you mumbled into your covers. He pried away the blankets from your grip, uncovering your face to peck your cheek quickly. You made a confused, unintelligible noise and looked at Mun, who was smirking slightly.

“You can just pay me back when you're recovered.” He suggested it in a way that made you roll your eyes. And here you thought he was doing this out of the kindness of his own heart.

“What if we have a picnic in the park? Then we can eat after we have a walk, like what you wanted.” He continued to muse. You groaned and turned on your side so your back faced him. You thought he was stupid. Stupid So Mun who never had a selfish thought in his brain.

“But you’re still just doing whatever I want!” You whined, cheeks getting hotter than they already were. You couldn’t see him but you already knew Mun was probably laughing at you - he always seemed to find joy in your suffering.

“What I want is to see you have fun and be happy.” Mun explained as he grabbed your shoulder and rolled you onto your back to face him. “And you’ll be happy if you do the things you want to. It's a win-win situation!”

“You’re so cheesy.”

You scrunched your face into an irritated look at his words, baffled at his perfect answer. He just smoothed out the creases between your eyebrows with his thumb but you swat him away.

“We can discuss the details later, just focus on getting better. Are you hungry?”

You shook your head definitely but your stomach gurgles violently, defying you. Mun laughs at you before getting up (presumably to get you food).

Before he could leave, you grabbed his hand stopping him in his tracks. You sat up, ignoring the way your muscles ached in the process.

“Let me come with; I’m sick of being in this room.” Your legs wobbled as you tried to stand, weak after not being in much use, but Mun acted fast and swept you off your feet, taking you by surprised

“Didn’t I say I’d do everything for you?” He teased you as he carried you in his arms to the kitchen.

[whorefordaemon]

Requests open?!! 😃

How about Daemon reacting to reader lover/wife/etc flirting with guys and girls in front of him on purpose 😈

Hey anon! My first ever request! Hope you like it! I added a few extra details to make it more smutty and well, more Targaryen lol

"Give me your babe."

Daemon watched, eyes glaring as he stared at his sister wife who was dancing with some Lord from some where.

Daemon and her had had a fight last night, about the one thing they always fought on. She wanted a babe. And Daemon didn't want to risk losing her.

He had been there. Watched as life slowly left his bold and fierce mother, the Princess Alyssa, day by day after the birth of his sister. He had watched his grandmother howl and scream in the night, mourning her dead babes. He watches every year or so, as his cousin Aemma is killed little by little with every dead babe she brings forth and no son.

Can't she see? How desperately he wishes to spare her of such a fate?

What would he do if she was gone?

But his wife, stubborn as she was, refused to listen.

He had been on top of her, inside her when she locked her legs around him and refused to let him pull out early. The hot and tightness of her cunt was too alluring and Daemon hadn't been able to successfully separate himself from her before he was shooting all of his seed deep into her.

He had stared at her, eyes wide and breathless as she giggled. "How long do you think you can stay away from me, brother? How long before you're back here, inside me, railing me to our bed? I promise, I will have your seed in me soon enough."

He had raged at her, tried to shake some sense into her but she had refused to listen. 

She had wanted a babe. And there was no stopping her. He had always given in to her demands before. He had spoiled her, he knew.

So he had taken to ignoring her. Refusing to fuck his beautiful little sister wife unless she promised to behave. It had only been a day and he was already going crazy.

She had only shown him her tongue before walking away, promising she'd have his cock back in her cunt by that very night.

And so far, she was doing a fantastic job riling him up. She had dressed all pretty, in a long black dress with sleeves designed to look like dragon scales and a back that was open for all to see. He imagined tearing down her dress and fucking her from behind, seeing way more than just her back.

Her hair was left open and he imagined pulling her by her hair whilst fucking and holding her in place as she ran her tongue down his cock.

He imagined giving a few smacks on her arse as she rightfully deserved for forcing his hand like this.

He was distracted the whole feast, unable to forget his raging hard on as he drank in the sight of her.

She turned to look at him once the dance was over, a smirk identical to his, as she laughed at whatever it was that the Lord had spoken.

It was a fake laugh and Daemon smirked, there was nobody who could've hoped to have had his wife's interest the way he had. But they could try, he mused.

He hoped for her sake she would put a stop to this charade though. Before he lost his cool. But alas, his sister was proving herself to be very foolish.

He watched, hands clenched into a fist as the Lord placed a kiss on her hand and she smiled. Did this sod have a death wish?!

He got up abruptly, the eyes of everyone as always on him, and made his way over to his wife.

He put his hand on the Lord's shoulder, a huge smile on his face as he greeted him. His grip tightened and his smile widened as he noticed how nervous the Lord became, moving away from his wife.

His. His. His.

"Lord, may I have my sister back? I haven't had the pleasure of her company all evening." He reminded the man and watched as he squirmed at the remainder that his wife was also his sister. Their queer customs never failed to make these Andal Lords uncomfortable. And he loved making them feel uncomfortable.

"Sure my prince." He stuttered before moving away.

Daemon watched him run, his tail tucked between his legs. He stared at everyone in the room, daring them to come between his wife and himself.

He turned to finally face her. His beautiful sister. A sinister smirk on his face which she replied with a soft, sweet smile on her face. "Brother." She whispered.

He pulled her into a dance, running his hands down her body. She stared up at him. For them, no one else existed in the great hall.

""I've missed you, brother." She confessed, looking him in the eye.

"It's barely been one whole day." He told her.

"So? Usually you would have filled me with your cock atleast twice by now, before the day was out." She told him in Valyrian, shameless with her words. Her eyes showed her desire for him. He knew his eyes held the same look.

"Usually, you'd be much more well behaved."

"I want your babe brother. A beautiful, pure Valyrian babe who may one day rule all of the seven kingdoms." She told him.

"Birthing is no easy task." He warned her, a pleading look came over him.

"I'm a dragon and a woman brother. I was born with the strength of a dragon and my body was made to bear children. Your children. I won't let you deprive me of my destiny." She told him, sounding more like him than ever before. So sure and so full of life.

Daemon smiled. "Children? How many do you plan to give me?"

She smiled, a soft laugh breaking their tension. Yes, their fight was over. He had lost before he could even begin to fight.

"A dozen. At the very least."

She grabbed his hands and began to pull him out of the hall and towards their chambers. "And me thinks the earlier we start, the better."

He laughed before pushing her against a wall in a dark corridor. He caged her inbetween his arms, their noses touching as her breathing got heavier. "The chambers are too far away. I say, let's make a babe right here." He whispered in her ears.

She stared up at him, eyes so full of lust and hope, Daemon felt his breeches tighten further. He turned her around, pushing her against the wall before his hands went under her dress. He let his fingers travel under her gown, tracing her legs up until he reached her cunt, which was wet and throbbing. "Hmm, no undergarments, my filthy whore!" He accused her. The vile words only making her more aroused.

"All yours brother." Her breathing hitched, a loud moan escaping her throat.

He rubbed at her wetness, brushing his fingers against her pearl and laughing as she squirmed and shook in his arms. Her head thrown back into his shoulders as she moaned.

He gathered her wetness before poking at her entrance. Sliding one finger in and pulling out slowly. Repeating this gesture a few more times and slowly adding more fingers until he had three stuffed inside of her.

He pulled them in and out of her furiously and the wet noises reverberated in the empty corridors. Daemon was sure anyone walking by would be able to guess what they were doing. He couldn't wait to hear the noises they made when it was his cock inside of her.

It wasn't long before she was tensing up, her cunt tightening around his fingers as she came.

"Fucccckkkk" she whined.

He pulled his hand out of her cunt, pulling at his breeches and freed his cock. It was aching painfully. He used her wetness to stroke his cock slowly before once again grabbing her dress, pulling it up so he had free access to her cunt.

He lined up, rubbing his cock at her little pearl and watched as she shook lightly.

He chuckled. "So eager, dear sister."

"I am! I want your seed. I want your babe! I want your cock! Please brother, give it to me please." She whined, moving her ass backward, trying to push his cock into her cunt.

He laughed harder, "patience.." he whispered before suddenly, without warning, he rammed his entire length inside her.

She screamed, Daemon bringing his hand to her mouth to prevent her from screaming too loud as she came all over his cock, her cunt tightening so much Daemon hissed, unable to pull his cock back out.

"Shhh...sister. Do you wish to alert everyone else to our sinful behaviour?"

She didn't reply, too lost in her pleasure. Her whole body shook as wave after wave of pleasure passed over her.

Daemon stayed inside her as she calmed down before slowly pulling out. Then back in. And out. And in again. And out. In. Out. In. Out. Until he was thrusting balls deep inside her in quick, rough thrusts that made her breasts shake, even within the tight confines of her dress.

"Ah! Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me! Give it to me love. Harder, harder please harder." She whimpered, pulling him closer by turning her face and kissing him full on the mouth.

Daemon had to hold her tightly to the wall so as to maintain his jackhammer pace.

The two kissed, biting at each other's lips and promising to love each other always.

Daemon held onto her hips, eyes on her arse as it slapped against his thighs, making all the more obscene and wet noises. He loved it.

"AH!" She screamed as she came a third time within the span of an hour. Her legs felt dead and she was sure she'd have fallen if Daemon hadn't been holding her up, still chasing his pleasure from her body.

She tensed, anticipation building as she dreamt of a silver haired, purple eyed babe.

She wanted his seed so bad. So, so bad!

Daemon grunted and growled and his hands moved from her hips to her waist. He pulled her off the wall and flush against himself as he thrust in one last time.

Hot cream filled her up as he came inside her. It hit her inner walls and she felt it as it shot all the way up into her womb.

Both husband and wife. Brother and sister moaned as they together came down from their high. They held onto each other, refusing to be parted after having such a intimate coupling together.

She sighed happily, laying her head against his broad shoulder and he hid his face in her neck. She knew. Just knew that they had made a babe tonight. She had, as always, gotten what she wanted. She really was spoiled!

[1864reruns]

ㅤㅤㅤ on shuffleㅤ౨ৎ ㅤ2.5K

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ2023 ©1864RERUNS

synopsis. I put my miscellaneous playlist on shuffle and attempt to write drabbles for Seventeen members based on the song

tag(s)&warning(s). gn! reader for all, ALL OF THEM ARE UNEDITED (and could kinda be read as they're still idols but also not idk)!!!! s.coups⠀✦⠀lack of communication, established relationship, not really angst but discussion of breaking up, s.coups is pathetic and a fool in the face of love, it's sweet really ; jeonghan⠀✦⠀fluff, mentions of alcohol and drinking, domestic on objects (he beats up an oven 😔) ; joshua⠀✦⠀fluff, reader is sick, established relationship ; jun⠀✦⠀one sided love, unrequited love, weird ass couch metaphor (idk) ; hoshi⠀✦⠀real life "what are we?", fluff

from vyon. this is just a writing exercise because i have another angsty prose oneshot in the works; it's artist!xu minghao and muse!yn, idk why i always tend to write angst when it comes to prose oneshots but ohwell, also, my writing is heavily reliant on extended metaphors and the likes so take everything i write with a grain of a salt

،،̲ ﹕Choi "Dark Red" Seungcheol  ❟﹗ ❲416 words❳

Unfortunately for you both, Seungcheol was completely ready to abandon his pride and beg you to not leave him. Something about your relationship recently was filling him with dread━ how you were pulling away from him, how it felt like you had retreated back to the shore after leaving him unable to control the directions of his body against the sea. The sick feeling of anxiety continued filling him with everytime the sea crashed against his back, sending him upwards above the waterline and high enough to see your back on the shore, walking back towards the comfort of your towel and the shade your umbrella offered. Seeing your back facing him and the sea felt like you had left him in the mess that you two had made home for so long, the slimy seaweed wrapping around his feet and tugging, tugging until his head was underneath water and his last breath was wasted on calling your name even if you couldn't hear him.

Maybe he was overthinking, high chances were it was not about him or your relationship in any way possible. Maybe it was work related, family issues, an argument with friends, but whatever it was, it was affecting you two. Your withdrawal from the relationship mentally felt horrible, it felt like impending doom, like watching a lie you've told previously blow up in your face with no way out. Maybe Seungcheol should've had a mature discussion with you about whatever was bothering you, whether it be about your relationship or not but in hindsight, you couldn't make him think that you were going to break up with him and expect him not to fall to his knees, cradling your hands close to his chest like your fingers were the chambers of his heart.

Unfortunately for you both, Choi Seungcheol was not a man that let his pride get in the way of important things━ things like you. So when you're casually talking about how hard things have been lately, and how you want to stop doing everything and just get on a plane to anywhere, it's only natural that Seungcheol slides off the couch you're both lounging on. It's only natural that his face is contorted into one of extreme hurt and caution and when he says, "don't give me up, please don't give up," continuing on even when you're ushering him up, eyes blinking wide confused, "honey, I belong with you and only you," you should've seen it coming, he thinks.

،،̲ ﹕Yoon "Thinkin Bout You" Jeonghan  ❟﹗ ❲774 words❳

It should've been impossible for you to find Jeonghan more attractive than you already had been since you two met but somehow, it was happening. The living room had yet to be cleaned up, a lot of the snacks previously opened had been folded over and stacked on the low coffee table, empty soju and beer glasses had all been redirected to the kitchen, and there are a few miscellaneous arms and feet sticking out from underneath blankets, pillows in your peripherals. You shuffle around the shadows, trying your best not to step on anything that: a) might be a person, b) might be food, c) might be a wrapper, and thank the stars that Kim Mingyu had stuck himself with the group of boys that made teasing him their vocation. The house–warming party for whom you've forgotten through all the alcohol, unsurprisingly, turned into a drinking party when half of the boys had decided that nothing makes a good gift like meat and alcohol and so commenced the long night of bottomless samgyeopsal, kimchi, and beer mixed with soju.

The light of the kitchen is already on, sounds of smacking and grumbling becoming clearer as your vision does the same and you walk past the threshold and into the room. With his back turned towards you, Jeonghan is hovering over the oven with one hand leaning on the counter and the other pressing the buttons of the oven that you guessed wasn't working by the way he was repetitively pressing it. You silently find amusement in watching him struggle with working the thing until he curses, smacking his palm against the surface and you accidentally let out a loud 'ha!'. Yoon Jeonghan should look worse considering what time it is, how much alcohol he had earlier but he doesn't. Or maybe he does but you're too biased to notice or maybe the dream you've had previously wherein Jeonghan was stood amongst a field of flowers, the petals unable to rival the softness of his eyes made it impossible to think anything negative about him. Maybe it was hard to see Yoon Jeonghan in your dreams, watered with heaven's clouds and taking in nutrients from the same Earth that omce saw to the great Heracles with the sun dawning upon his features gracefully like he were the centre of the universe, and think that anything could make him unappealing to the eyes.

"Yn," he whined as you move to the oven, obviously stepping in to help him with it. You glance over the pot of water, the unopened ramen on the counter beside you, and when your thumb pressed down on the button, it turns on with a chirpy beep. "How'd you get it to work?" Jeonghan peeked over your shoulder, unconsciously pressing himself into your side with his fingers perched on your shoulder.

You mumble something hardly intelligible when you're met with Jeonghan's lightly flushed cheeks from the alcohol previously. He seemed to understand you well enough though because his eyebrows furrowed and he smacks the oven top again. "I've been clicking that thing forever."

Somewhere inbetween your delirious half asleep state and your alcohol induced zoning out, you managed an amused smile before you slip away to the corner of the kitchen where the kettle is to make yourself tea. A quiet humming of life begins in the kitchen, you slide over to open a few cupboards to look for cups and Jeonghan was where you once stood in search of chopsticks. He finds the metal utensils before you find anything that could even function as a cup, your eyes wander over to the bubbling kettle as you wonder if you even wanted tea that badly but a sound from Jeonghan makes you stop.

Infront of you, on the counter, there was a large mug. Painted in the colour of an eggshell, round with a strip of brown running around the bottom. You glance upwards to see Jeonghan grinning at you; it's a simple action, something you could do to a stranger in the street but your heart is suddenly seeping with love, the colour and flavour of Yoon Jeonghan flooding the liquid in your body until you were a murky existence tainted with your feelings for him. Between the alcohol and you still being half asleep, you hope the words are as unintelligible as you heard them to be. "I can't stop thinking about you."

But when you finally get the courage to glance at him in search of a reaction, the large grin on his face, green tea with sickening adoration, you know that he's heard you well enough.

،،̲ ﹕Hong "Heavenly" Jisoo  ❟﹗ ❲395 words❳

The door creaks softly, you hear the background noise of your friends slip into your bedroom before the door shuts again. Feet sounded gently across the floor, getting louder with each step and closer; the intrusion of someone makes you whine, not wanting to get out of bed. You make an attempt to burrow yourself deeper into the duvet, the scratchy pillow, rolling over to the middle of the bed where you believed yourself to be untouchable. A gentle hand feels over your reddened face, mouth open as you panted slowly; Joshua's pinky ring provides a little coolness that you find pleasure in. You still seemed a little out of it, eyes open deliriously before they taken in the blur of colours that is your boyfriend.

He's frowning, you think, as he mumbled something about your high temperature underneath his lips. "Hey you," he called out softly when he catches you with your eyes open. His hair is a little messy and he carries a faint smell of food with him. You shuffle over to where he's sat on the bed, leaning your head up to burrow your face into his stomach. "You feel any better?" He asks you as you shake your head.

The light from the morning hours catches in your curtains; the lullaby of the rain against your window calls you back to sleep; Joshua's hands wipe away the hair that's stuck to your forehead, resembling streaks of paint on a canvas. You clear your throat, "are you not going out today?" You managed to ask, your tongue odd and heavy in your mouth.

Joshua hummed a 'no'. Your head moves away from his stomach, looking at him with furrowed eyes. "If the boys knows I left you alone at home sick, they'll force me home anyways." He defended like it was the only thing keeping him from leaving.

You have no energy to try and force him to go, a smile on your face as you pushed yourself back into his stomach. Joshua asks you if you need anything, indulgent and caring as he hears your breathing slow down a little. You shake your head, parts of your hair stabbing through the fabric of his pyjamas bottoms and meeting the skin of his thigh in ticklish kisses. He smiles before bending down awkwardly and pressing a kiss onto your head.

،،̲ ﹕Wen "Strawberry Blond" Junhui ❟﹗❲508 words❳

There's a patch of bleach on the back of your couch— it's the size of Wen Junhui's head and takes the shape of your heart. It's ruined your couch but sometimes, you like to sit there methodically and lay your head against the mark. You don't know how long it sat there, burning through the colours of your furniture until it left its mark; you didn't even realise it had happened until Vernon had pointed it out when you were about to sit down.

"What the hell—" You looked up, annoyed at your couch being ruined but your eyes land on Jun and he doesn't seem guilty at all. His face is straightened, shrugging. Seungkwan is there to help you calm down (because you think you were also annoyed over something else that day) and Dino offers to help you look for a new couch but that's too time consuming and expensive so you decided to get comfortable with your ruined couch.

Living with a ruined couch isn't all that hard. It becomes the norm to see it there, you can't remember what your couch looked like untouched and pristine; it doesn't really affect your life until someone points it out or Jun's head is there, covering it up perfectly. He stands up and reveals the mark again and your heart aches in your chest. Sometimes, it's disbelief that takes you when you're forced to become witness to the lightened leather of your couch, how had he managed to sit there without you noticing, how you didn't even notice when he moved and you sat down to take his spot, how you had simply accepted that you weren't going to get a new couch.

Life continues on, even with the stained couch in your home. Your friends also become normalised to it— when Jun is not there, they laugh at you and the way he had pressed his head against the leather chamber of your heart and bleached through muscle. They make pictures out of it, create characters with whiteboard pen and draw over the varying colours of splotches and wipe it off so they can do it again. They create fantasical stories from it, smiling and laughing and they spoke a world where Jun was always there to cover up the mark as he lived beside you into existence.

You're greeted by the boys one day, outside your apartment with a girl. She's stood with Jun and moves in slowly, cautiously. She doesn't notice the bleach material of your couch as she sits down and leans the back of her head against it. Your friends look at her cautiously, at the glimpses of the ruined headrest they can see and then they look at you. Vernon tells you that Jun was somewhat interested in her, Seungkwan pats your back with a smile, and Dino asks you, once again, if you want a new couch.

You say no, once again. It's too expensive, too time consuming. You think it'll stay with you until the end of time.

،،̲ ﹕Kwon "Tren Tinh Ban Duoi Tinh Yeu" Soonyoung ❟﹗❲414 words❳

For Hoshi, some of the lines that restricted platonic love from romantic love blurs together. He hugs like he's making an attempt to crawl into your heart, he presses kisses on your skin like he's falling from the skies and it's the only thing tethering him from hitting the floor distastefully, he cuddles like you're an iv drip, keeping him alive and you're forced to breath out the reading of his heart beats.

It's something that used to be confusing to you, who held the two separate, sacred in their own ways but his friends are somewhat similar. Between the group of thirteen, there are unspoken rites that they keep to show live to each other in way that mixes the two together and so as you get closer to them all, you become more accustomed to it.

When Hoshi treats his friends like this, however, it's hard to try and scramble together an understanding of what he sees you as. Before you met his other friends, you thought— believed— that he held romantic feelings for you; he never brought them up however so you were left trying to stitch the pieces together into a shaky puzzle. The pieces are forced together into an ugly picture, the colours don't match and the lines are all erratic. You finally meet his friend group, so full of love for each other, and the puzzle falls straight through your hands.

"You okay?" A head lowered to your shoulder, Hoshi is stood behind you with your other shoulder held tight in his hands. You smiled, leaning your head onto his for a second before you're straightening up and he takes a seat next to you.

Your eyes glanced around the room— you won't deny that there's a part of you that wants him to push a little more towards romantic showings with you but. "I'm fine," you breathed a soft sigh as your eyes sparkled.

When you landed on the belief that Hoshi liked you, it led you down the path of slowly formulating a specific love that you held only for him. You thought Hoshi liked you so your mind pushed him past the lines of platonic love into the spotlight of romantic.

For Hoshi, you're stood somewhere between the stages of platonic and romantic love but that's enough for now. You're happy with it. (Plus, even Jihoon thinks that the love Hoshi keeps for you is a little different than the love he extends to them.)

[ikemenomegas]

in light of gojo's unsealing, ive thought about diff cute scenarios

gojo being the type of person to get his mate's phone and snap hundreds of pictures of his face

this would probably never happen given gojo's privacy when it comes to his marriage but in a different world i can see this happening Gojo naming his alpha as "mochi seller' on his phone and Itadori seeing the message pop out from the lock screen and accidentally somewhat outing gojo's rs when he asks him in front of the other students why the mochi seller sent an ily message

the tender moments where gojo lets his infinity down or lets his alpha inside his infinity and he gets to relish in the warmth of their skin

the sappy things gojo's alpha has to sometimes do whenever gojo gets too rowdy and they need to placate him for whatever reason (re: alpha reading a map together with nanami scenario)

gojo sending his alpha a picture of two rocks by the sidewalk with the caption: 'us'

gojo asking his alpha if they would still love him if he was a worm and the alpha saying: "no<33"

Awww! These were really cute anon! Very happy ending which I feel like we're going to need a lot of in the coming weeks...

(Also I ran with it but why is their name "mochi seller" haha)

[Ao3 link for those who prefer chapters]

⬖ Photomaton

"Device storage insufficient, please move or delete files to make room?" you read, nonplussed.

Nobara sighed. "Sensei, I showed you how to do that weeks ago."

"I did do it." You frowned, opening up your files. Why were there so many pictures...

Nobara rolled her eyes at you and beat a hasty retreat when your hand went to your mouth as your face went warm.

There were rows and rows of photos, none of which you had taken.

Most of them were selfies, but some of them were obviously the result of Satoru propping the phone up and attempting to pose for the camera.

He must have been swiping your phone every time you left it sitting out or went to sleep. He didn't rest much, but there were so many, more probably than you'd been able to take in the last five years.

There wasn't much thought for such things when you only saw one another a handful of days every month. The focus had gone to managing the present, not on taking pictures. You'd only really thought to regret it after that terrible Halloween, when you worried you'd never see him again.

Some of the photos framed Satoru inside one of your homes. Others were almost ugly shots, taken way too close, or blurred with motion artifact. There were pictures of him haloed in the night glow of streetlights or washed out in the halogen light of a konbini. There were those made grainy with low light and some that took your breath away because he was nice looking.

Furtively, you looked up but were alone and you silently thanked your student's exasperated impatience. A few of the photos showed just too much skin to be exactly proper.

You thumbed down. The pictures were a story all their own revealing some of what Satoru did when alone and you savored the honesty. You had to keep apart from one another for so long.

The last thing in the camera roll was a video.

It opened with the shuffling sounds and the wobbling display of someone walking. Satoru wound around furniture in the darkened interior of your apartment.

"I'm home. You're asleep right now," he said lowly, "probably won't be later. I don't know how most people can sleep so much." He spoke half to himself, the deep night laying over his words like velvet.

There was the sound of the door to the little balcony opening and then the faint tinkle of the glass bells hanging from the eaves.

"Must be nice," he mused, "you get to miss a lot."

The image on the screen steadied as he rested your phone on the rail. The familiar view of the city resolved as faint golden starbursts of light. The rustling of Satoru's clothing faded until all you could hear was the faint rush of night wind and his breathing.

The video went on for over a quarter of an hour. You scrolled your fingers across the screen. He didn't move, the picture stayed the same. You leaned against a wall and listened to the last few moments, your heartbeat low and slow, your breath in sync with his from some time both here and long ago.

Satoru spoke, amused over the night-sounds:

"Don't delete this. I'll know."

⬖ Daifuku

"Good job," Gojo congratulated his dust-stained students as the veil fell.

Maki and Toge glared while Yuuji gave him a tired thumbs up from where he was laying on the ground.

"Dinner is on me tonight." Gojo ignored their halfhearted grumbling. "Decide where you want to go."

He anticipated a larger than normal ding to his wallet, but they'd earned it (and it wasn't as though he couldn't afford it). Beating this curse was no minor feat and it had been a particularly crafty one, which was why Gojo had gone with them just in case.

The students made noises of acknowledgement with varying levels of anticipation, but to no one's surprise, Yuuji was the first to roll over and dig around for his phone.

He tapped the screen and groaned.

"Sensei, mine's dead. Can I use yours?"

Gojo unlocked it and passed it over without a thought. He wasn't particularly hungry, the kids could figure this out without his interference for once.

"Um, Gojo-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Why is a "mochi seller" reminding you to stop at the pharmacy and sending you heart emojis?"

With uncanny synchrony, Maki and Toge's heads turned to look at their teacher.

The phone in Yuuji's hand buzzed faintly.

"I love you?" he read, sounding alarmed.

Toge's eyes went a bit wide but a grin that curled a bit too much at the edges and showed teeth took over Maki's face.

"Text back," she said, scrambling to her feet.

With all her quickness, she swooped in and snatched the phone when Yuuji hesitated.

The phone buzzed once more.

"I'll be home by 8:30, probably," she read.

Gojo took advantage of Maki's triumphant look to slip the device from her grip.

"I knew it!" she pointed at him. "I knew you were hiding something."

"Grown ups hide lots of things," he replied blithely. He was confident none of the students could tell that moment had been more like someone walking over his grave.

It was not as though he intended to hide his relationship with you. Hide implied shame, concealment on the other hand had been security and was harder to let go of. There would come a moment when the kids prised the truth from him. He was not about to have that moment with his kids now, or hopefully ever, because they accidentally read his texts out loud.

Maki reached for his phone and he easily tipped out of her way, walking off and heading towards a neighborhood he knew (and the students did not) had a lot of very good restaurants.

He was silently very thankful when the implied threat of no food at all distracted the students. Or at least had Yuuji barreling past Maki and kindly dropping the matter in favor of promising to "only look at the map this time, was there a good katsudon place nearby?"

⬖ Goose Down

Satoru spotted you hunched over a rail with your umbrella open overhead, held in the crook of your elbow.

He could tell from the set of your shoulders that the summer sun was getting to you, despite the cursed tool taking a majority of the pressure off.

Your energy was butter yellow and burnt red and lithium pink, mixing slowly around your body as you slowly cycled power into the umbrella and the short sword held loosely in your hands.

Satoru ducked around a corner and took a peak at your face. Your eyes were closed.

Smirking quietly to himself, he crept around, Infinity a barrier between himself and the world. For just a little longer...

You jumped when he dropped it, nearly dropping your sword and automatically holding the umbrella high enough for him to fit under it.

"Hah-"

"Speechless?"

You gaped at him, mouth hanging open.

He nodded as if you'd just confirmed it. "This is what they don't tell you about marriage. Making someone's heart race is important even after the wedding. We'll probably be together forever at this rate."

You mouth closed and then went a little wobbly.

"It's hot," you finally said, miserably. "And it's too sunny."

He couldn't hold back his laughter as he stepped closer and folded himself around you. Your scent tingled pleasantly in his nose and your skin was warm from both heat and light, like a sun-warmed blanket.

"Oh," you said faintly, "you're cool," and you all but melted against him.

"You could just go inside," Satoru said. "I sent the students off on an adventure. We wouldn't be bothered."

"That sounds nice," you murmured, but didn't make any move away from him.

He didn't either. He didn't feel much like letting go yet.

⬖ Orange Kazoo

Sometimes, you reminded yourself through your already strained patience, Satoru just needed to be left alone to make noise.

For a moment, you considered begging him for just a little peace, but you knew he was doing this for your benefit. Shibata Kin was a difficult pill to swallow.

"I never expected anyone to send Six Eyes to join us."

It was the weakest and most recent of Shibata's barbs. The oily way he said it and the implication that anyone would dare to subordinate Satoru to this boot licker rankled.

Satoru crinkled the package extra loud on a bit of melon bread and smiled. "I was in the neighborhood."

He took a bite, chewed and swallowed while you flipped through the mission report on a clipboard.

You sighed, exhaling your worry, and handed it back. "Let's go then. It looks like all the victims disappeared from the same place so we should start there."

That place was a building that straddled a moderately busy subway station and stacked part of a shopping mall, a cluster of private clinics, and a cram school all on top of each other.

Satoru trailed behind through the store, stopping at kiosks and chatting with saleswomen, picking up and putting down objects.

You could feel Shibata's irritation transform into something far less internal as he turned to you.

"He's like a child," he remarked coolly. "Sure we shouldn't just ditch him? The curse doesn't sound that hard to deal with since I've got you."

When you ignored him, he kept talking.

"He shouldn't even be here," the man drawled.

You shrugged. "Well he is."

Shibata sourly appeared to swallow whatever else he wanted to say. You turned around to see where Satoru had gone to. The thought of being stuck with the bitter other sorcerer was worse than waiting for them to pick their bickering back up.

He waved a stuffed cat in sunglasses at you and nodded eager agreement when you pointed out a cute little sparrow holding an umbrella on a shelf behind him. Sometimes, it was best to just humor Satoru and play along.

When you turned back, Shibata Kin was gone.

Since you were all concealing your residuals from the curse you expected was in the building, you had no idea where he went.

You looked over your shoulder. Satoru was gone too.

Well.

You tapped your fingers over your pocket and then decided to let them go. Satoru always seemed to know where to find you and Shibata had called you here as backup. You should probably go kill what you were looking for before it nibbled on him.

Many fewer curses than you expected lingered in the shopping mall. They were bizarre places with as many secret passageways as an ancient castle. Away from the popular shops and crowds, it quickly grew quiet and the bright gleam of displays gave way to more neglected halls.

On your way, you passed a small bank of capsule machines. You crouched down, and smiled faintly to yourself. Abandoned in the furthest reach of the shopping mall, almost near to where a service entrance lead to another stretch of winding halls and tunnels, the items here were both ancient (by city standards) and ridiculous.

Packages of candy that still held their shine but were likely far past their expiration date sat beside tiny figurines of a frog-shaped toddler in a little red hat. You grimaced back at those and moved on.

Near the end of the row was a machine that sold tiny musical instruments, plastic and paper and probably terrible sounding, but it wasn't expired food or frog children. You stuck a few coins into the slot and turned the dial.

An acid green ball spat out from the slot.

You picked at the latches on its side while you found your way further and further into the little used corridors.

There was a flash of something, like a burst of camera illumination from behind a door on your right.

You slipped through it, pulling your blade free from its sheath at the small of your back, and emerged into a tunnel that looked to be connecting to the nearby subway station. Not far ahead, the darkened path split into two.

You flipped the sword around so its blunt edge rested against your forearm and sprinted, dashing across the intersection.

A blur of motion came at you. As it grazed by, you snatched at that movement and sprang into the air, high enough to crouch on the ceiling of the tunnel.

The curse was a near perfect twin of the one a little ways down the way the attack had come, which should have maybe been your first hint. The one that had come at you was grinning, its face a rictus mockery of a theater mask.

They both sat, crouched like toads. You feinted toward the one that had come towards you, and at the last minute flew down to the other, its mouth bent in a painted looking frown.

It backed up in surprise, but not far enough and your blade nicked through the face, which was hard like dense wood. The air around your other hand shimmered in heat, as you struck for the thing's cavernous eyes.

It emitted a furious, scolding gurgle that almost reminded you of some of the window teachers from high school, and swallowed the burst of heat before it could crackled around it into full flame.

You hardly had time to reinforce your body with cursed energy before you were blasted from two directions, letting the momentum carry you and trying to wrap the more opposing forces and the roaring sound of displaced air into your own cursed energy. But something about it resisted you, and you were unable to absorb as much of the attack as you usually would.

A racking shiver radiated through your body right before you were caught by a broad hand on your back.

"Hi," Satoru said sweetly.

"Hi," you panted, automatic, eyes still fixed on the curse.

"What's going on?"

You looked up at him with incredulity.

Hoisted in his other arm was the limp body of your other companion.

Satoru's head cocked to the side, curious as he looked at the curse.

"I don't know yet. I hit it and then--" the mask of the frowning curse was ash blasted and the notch from your first strike still there, but it was not as damaged as expected.

You regained your footing and stood upright.

"If I give it another go I think I can figure it out."

He tilted his head.

You sized up the two curses waiting outside the reach of Satoru's infinity.

"Oh." You reached into your pocket and handed him the green orb.

"What's this?"

"Dunno," you said with a faint smile. "I got it for you."

"Aww, you shouldn't have."

Maybe not. Satoru thinks gachapon are funny, you should show him the line of machines if you get out of here the same way you come in, then he can choose something himself. You still have a few coins on you.

You flew at the grinning curse, both hands on the hilt of your blade, cursed energy flashing into a point a good six inches out from where the metal itself ended.

You held, crystalizing your own movement for a moment and stared deep into the thing's empty eyes.

It twitched, and then its arm moved and you slashed downward, intending to cleave the limb away.

The blade hit, you knew it did. You were able to dodge the attack you anticipated from the smiling curse. The frowning curse in front of you struck back, almost at the same time.

You pulled on some of the reserved momentum you'd held back in your initial strike and barely twisted out of the way.

You lifted the gleeful cackles of the twinned curses from the air and tried to twist them into a crackling rope of flame to surround the grinning one again. As you had expected, the damage did not seem to completely take and you were forced to duck when a bolt of heat tried to sear your back, culminating in another blast that shook the tunnel and thew you once more.

"That's enough."

Satoru appeared at your side again, pulling you back behind the shield of his power when the curse's retaliation threatened to cut through you.

"This one's a bad match for your technique," he murmured thoughtfully.

"Is it reflecting through the faces?" you asked, catching your breath.

He hummed.

Absently, you realized you could scent the sharp, fresh smell of citrus on his breath - the smell of the biting orange flavored candy you'd shared with him on the train ride here.

"If it reflects yours too--" you trailed off. What you did was firmly in the realm of the "real" and Satoru's abilities were not. If this curse were to reflect back blue, or red, or heaven forbid purple... well you'd never seen or asked up until if Satoru could stop his own techniques. It seemed a tactical oversight in this moment.

Satoru stepped forward.

"Stabilize him," he instructed flatly. He'd tossed Shibata Kin's still body where he had been standing barely a minute before.

The curses had moved closer and pressed together, beginning to meld into one another before your eyes. The damage you had already done was fading further.

You knelt at Shibata's side, shaking back your sleeves. "You know this is going to poison him."

You carefully set two fingers underneath his right collarbone, and three a few ribs below his heart on the left and focused in on the flickers of electricity that powered a human body.

"Oh well." Satoru's grin was a baring of teeth. "He'll get over it better than being dead."

You could sense the arrhythmic flutter of Kin's heart, like the popping scatter of an overloaded lamp, like a fractured version of that flash you had sensed earlier.

"You know he was trying to set you up right?" Satoru asked as he batted away an experimental chunk of rubble the curse tossed his way with a flick of his wrist. The stone was aimed right for the face of the smiling curse and even as it hit, it seemed to bounce back, hitting Satoru's shield and falling to the ground.

You sparked a bit of your energy to pure electricity, sending it jumping from one side of Shibata Kin's chest to the other.

"It crossed my mind," you admitted, murmuring as you concentrated. "But I didn't pursue the thought."

Satoru snorted. Yes, alright it was more likely you'd decided thinking about it too hard was going to distract you from the mission but you were here anyway.

You counted the pulse of electricity between your fingers to your own heartbeat until Kin's matched, or at least matched better than before.

When you pulled your hands away, Satoru cracked his knuckles. It looked like he was going to go in for physical attacks.

"You might need to manage the tunnel," he said.

Yet another reason this was a bad match up, not just for you but for him. Satoru did best in wide open spaces where he had room to move and didn't need to worry too much about collateral damage. Dropping a ton of rock on your heads and collapsing the buildings above sounded like a thing that could happen.

You had barely pressed your hands to the ground when Satoru was off like a shot.

The curse wasn't that strong - a high end second grade or low level first grade at best given that it wasn't itself attacking to provoke a response - but it split into those two halves of itself and reformed again as needed to minimize the impacts Satoru rained upon it or flank him.

Limitless lay against his skin between each strike so he remained unmarked, but the cavernous space still rocked with noise and dust shook from the gaps between tiles. You steadied it best you could, absorbing the oscillations and dampening the noise.

It did not take long for the frowning curse to realize what you were doing and send the smiling one racing for you. With one hand on the ground and one on your sword, brimming with unspent potential, you raised the point.

"Nah ah." This seemed at once to you and the monster charging your way. Satoru appeared in its path and bodily kicked it away.

It did not take long after for the twinned curses to be dispatched. Although the only reason you weren't holding your breath is because you were gritting your teeth with the effort of holding the ground together and trying not to shake apart yourself.

Satoru in motion, in a fight, particularly when physical constraint demanded more of his ingenuity, was always a sight to behold.

He came back to you looking unfairly dewy post exertion, with his hair in a sort of windswept disarray, the fabric around his shoulders bunched up. He shrugged out the wrinkles and dusted off his hands.

Your briefly pressed a hand to his knee after you steadied the last tremor from the ground.

"Thank you."

Satoru tapped his forefinger twice against your temple as he walked by. "A feedback loop between you and that thing would have been very messy."

You stood up, swaying slightly.

Even though Satoru would have happily dragged Shibata to the exit point, you insisted on tugging him upright and at least moving him through the air to a place where the three of you could safely rest and call a car.

You had settled him against a wall and were calling Akari when he finally stirred.

"What happened?" Shibata asked weakly.

You turned around to look at him and from Shibata Kin's tepid expression and the sound of shifting cloth behind you, you assumed Satoru must have copied your movement.

Still, you gave him a faint smile and couched down beside him. He didn't have the strength to move away as you grabbed his wrist and felt his pulse. It was thready, but he'd be good enough to get the rest of the way above ground until an actual doctor could take a look at hime.

"We're all alive," you explained unnecessarily.

Shibata Kin's eyes moved from your face to over your shoulder. Sweat beaded his brow and upper lip.

From behind you came a buzzing hum, somewhat approximating a sad tuba. Waa wa wa waaaaaaaa, it trailed off.

Satoru had a the wide end of a grape purple kazoo held between his teeth, his sunglasses already exchanged for the bandages he'd had wrapped around his eyes.

Only just in time, you ducked your face into your shoulder and hid a smile.

⬖ Pet rock

You were walking down some quiet residential street, trying to match the map to the trail of the curse you were tracking. It was not very intelligent, but it had a pernicious little ability to draw other curses to it under the banner of a powerful command. You'd been swatting third and fourth grades out of the air as you chased it, trying to wear down its arsenal.

It wasn't a terribly good strategy however and the thing had been winding its way through side streets to buy time. If you could get in closer, you could chop away at more of its train of screaming fears, maybe get a head start on the main peril. Thus the attempt at navigating and figuring out its destination so you could cut it off.

At least Hirano-san would be happy. Maybe. Culling curses required balance; they were their own little ecosystem. As long as the things aren't eating anyone, a certain amount of apex predators in an area could be a deterrent, like the old practice of putting powerful relics out like roach traps. Have the inevitable critters fight and eat one another rather than their human hosts.

A notification popped up over the map, and then another after it.

You felt your shoulders drop as you recentered yourself with a faint smile.

At your hotel later that night, you recalled that Satoru had sent you a message. You fell onto the bed, wrapped up in the hotel bathrobe.

It was... nice, knowing that someone was waiting at home for you. Or if not at home, he was still busy as ever, out there in the world somewhere, thinking of you. Weirdly normal.

The message was a picture. You blinked up at it. Two little rocks and a flower growing out of a crack in the pavement to shade over them.

>> ?

Almost immediately you saw three dots appear.

<< it's us!

Is it? you thought skeptically, looking at the picture again.

The dots again.

<< You don't think so :(?

Your phone was buzzing in your hand before you had even a moment to answer.

It startled you enough to drop the phone.

Owww

"You took so long to answer. This is photography, are you discouraging my new passion? It could go on a greeting card."

The word salad was meaningless and silly, weightless.

"I dropped you on my nose," you said, eyes closed as you rubbed the spot the corner of your case had hit.

"Were you that surprised by it?"

A pause.

"It's cute." The notion of it and the fact that he'd sent it to you was cute.

"It is cute right?" His voice was bright but not overly loud through the phone, for which you were grateful, already settling into warmth. "The flower is poisonous too."

You curled up on your side and held the phone close. Maybe he'd get lucky and you would find something cute to send back to him.

⬖ Puddle jumping

a/n: You have no idea how much googling I had to do to figure out what the prompt meant. I am not on the tick-tock app lol or, I've found, a fan of this meme... the implication that girlfriends ask useless questions as a rule seems sort of meh. So I mostly kept to my original response to this which was "i don't know what that is and honestly probably neither does alpha"

Satoru was herding you down the sidewalk, occasionally listing one way or the other to get you out of the way of other pedestrians. Sometimes he did it for the simple fascination of how you swayed along by him like you were on a tether. Even while you eyes were all but fixed skyward, you stayed roughly the same distance from him.

It was the first day of sun after days of rain and also one of the first days he had off with you in so many apart. He had been too restless the day before, back off a bad mission that had more to do with the desperate unpredictability of people than the intrinsic darkness of curses. You had not resisted him when he drew you out, stifled by the low clouds and humidity and longing for openness. Even with Infinity blocking the rain, it had felt like being closed in again.

Relieved of their burden, the clouds had gone from iron grey to diaphanous white and pealed up and away in swaths like billowing curtains. This is what you were watching - their retreat from the earth. They had come so low they wrapped around skyscrapers and telephone poles on their back to their usual place.

Satoru watched the drowned earth. You had cut through a tree lined walk. The rich soil was churned and muddy and the long bodies of worms that had been washed out or crawled up were strewn about.

Your and Satoru's steps made no mark as he stretched Infinity over and around the two of you. Neither of you tread upon those blind, waterlogged creatures.

Satoru stepped behind you to allow a cluster of high schoolers to pass and hid a faint wrinkle of his nose as they squealed and ran by, realizing they were stepping on some of the remains.

Your umbrella was folded and carried at your side, and you tilted your head back at him, looking a little sun-drunk. He smiled at you. He could see the reflection of the sky in your gaze.

He adopted a pout, snickering internally as you immediately seemed to regain some awareness and a wary anticipation entered your expression.

"Would you still like me if I was a worm?" he asked.

You blinked at him. "Is this one of those things you learned from the kids?"

He slouched a bit, crowding into your space. "Would you still love me if I was a worm," he wheedled.

"Are you turning into a worm?" you asked, slightly panicked, hand going to his arm as though to check if he was going as wet and floppy as the poor things on the ground.

"I'm going to turn into one if you don't answer my question."

The last of the distracted fog lifted from your eyes as you shook yourself. You took his hand and pulled him close to let another couple pass you on the walk. They inclined their head in thanks.

There was no rush to get where you were going and you tugged him along a smaller path that cut under a row of thick-branched trees so you could walk side by side unimpeded.

"I still liked you when you were a semi-sentient six sided die," you pointed out, smiling slightly.

"It's not the same," he whined a bit, drawing out the words in a sing-song fashion.

"Isn't it? I'm not sure a die eight kilometers under the ocean is more useful than a worm."

"Hmph."

"Although I really hope the worm thing is hypothetical."

"Why?"

"Because with our luck that would mean I'm a worm too."

Satoru huffed a faint sound of amusement. "Nooo. You'd still be some kind of bird." He patted your back. "Don't worry I'll make sure to crawl out late so you can still be in time to eat me all up."

"... Are you propositioning me or telling me to hurry up?"

"Walk faster or I'll step on the backs of your shoes."

You did. The two of you walked faster and faster until you were all but chasing one another out of the park, laughing lightly as you dodged the spots of wet on the ground.

[mini-jiminie]

Just some thoughts:

Daeun - I'm on the fence. Look I know she seems crazy as hell, but crazy as hell doesn't deny the possibility of dating. To me there are three possible scenarios

She doesn't know jimin and was never involved with him in anyway and is just doing it for clout

they were friends, so she was actually in his apartment, but she's now trying to make it seem like it was more for clout

they dated but it ended bitterly and she's now releasing all this stuff while he's away from the public eye to be petty

I think its interesting that any of the stuff she posts that tries to tie to jimin is from 2019/2020. To me, there is a possible timeline that they dated, it ended badly and that would correlate with negative feelings jimin was having at the time plus the music he was making (like face-off, MUSE being about the idea of thinking you're in love and realizing its not real, etc.). She could very well just be a clout chaser, but I just also don't think its impossible that she's just a nasty ex who is being petty to rile up his fans now that he is away in the military. Kind of indifferent either way, because whatever it was or wasn't is very in the past, even from the stuff she tries to hint at.

Jungkook video - I've seen a couple theories on this

most common is that the girl in the video is a model friend of j*nnie's. I can't confirm this and some people say it was just started by chinese netizens

recently I saw an anon on a jikook blog say that the girl was actually an englsih translator working for bighit who jungkook had been friends with for a long time and she was helping before releasing Golden/doing schedules abroad and that she had supposedly come and left in a couple hours. Liek I said, I only recently saw this theory, so I can't confirm anything details to that.

I could actually see #1 because we actually see an uptick in tkk hanging out during that time. No offense to their bond, they just don't normally hang out much outside of work, so if they both happened to be involved with girls who were friends, it'd make sense why they randomly starting hanging out more. A tumblr jikooker actually found photos very similar between what tae posted in hawaii (where jungkook was present) and photos j*nnie had posted. If true, do we really think jungkook was just thirdwheeling his bandmate? Or was he maybe there because her friend, a girl he was chatting up, was also there?

Not sure about the translator, but definitely not impossible. Does that mean it wasn't romantic? Of course not, but it would beg the question about jungkook and female friends. Like if we think about mijoo (the tattoo artist), he also did the backhug thing. If we believe them, that there was nothing romantic there (which I will give them benefit of the doubt since it was denied by all sides and she supposedly even had a rather public relationship at the time anyway, so it would've been kind of insane for jungkook to be acting like that in public in front of a whole group of friends if it was meant romantically), then this is a thing he feels comfortable doing with female friends and they feel comfortable doing with him. Which for me, would naturally lead to the question of why? Most straight women aren't letting their straight male friends go around back-hugging them. I think you see where I'm going here.

But then that also rolls up into a whole other can of worms when analyzing jikook, which is how many people would even know if they were in a relationship or even just if they were non-straight individually? I think for jungkook, the number of people he would open up to (obviously within reason, he's a celebrity in a homophobic country) would be higher then jimin would, just based on personality. I mean if you saw jungkook's messy insta posts today, you know he's not really afraid of laying it out there, whereas jimin is very private and holds private details very close to his chest. Tying it all back, I don't really think it would be crazy for longtime translator friend who works in-house for BH (assuming that's who the girl was for the sake of the argument) and for a tattooist (which is still a very alternative, counterculter in korea and was probably the first time as an adult jungkook got to experience a more open nonconforming culture friend group) might be in the know IF he was non-straight/dating a man. I will say I don't think jungkook was lying when he he didn't have a gf, just because with his personality I think he's the type who would rather not speak on it or lie by omission than straight up be dishonest about something (not saying there is a right or wrong way for a celeb to handle keeping stuff private, just the vibe I get from jungkook). Either way, it doesn't really give a clear answer because that could mean he just had something casual going on with a girl that wasn't labeled or it could mean he had nothing going on romantically with a woman during that time at all.

Whew, hopefully I didn't lose you with all that speculation upon speculation. That's just the different considerations I've had about the whole thing, none of it really denies or confirms anything related to jikook tbh, just thoughts I've had about the recent possible dating(?) stuff surrounding the two of them. At the end of the day, daeun could be a clout chaser, the jungkook video could be fake or he's secretly hosting gal-pal sleepover parties with all the girlies, and him and jimin are secretly married. Who the hell know with them LOL

Anon, I don’t agree with some of these speculations but, I can see where you’re coming from with some of these.

Let’s hope you don’t piss my anon girlies off too much with this one. They can get quite catty when everyone doesn’t adhere to their borderline cult mentality :)

[pupfrin]

(Today had been. . . Rough.)

(Every day had been rough, actually. It had been, what, a week? No, not even that, just four days, right? No, five. Five days. It had been five days since you escaped that hell. Since you nearly ended the world. Since, you, you. . .)

(Five days.)

(You're sitting on a bed, it was the only bed in a room for two. Probably some cosmic joke, first inn on the road and this was what was avalible. You still agreed to it, naturally. It's not like you and Isabeau hadn't shared a bed before, buuuuut. . .)

(You reach up and bap your non-human, very dog-like ears. It would be the first time without a nightcap to hide your ears or something to hide your tail under.)

(A human with non-human parts as a result of powerful Body Craft. You didn't remember when you got this, you always did. Maybe it was something from home that you had long since forgotten. This was you now. A chimera.)

(You'd been really good at hiding your chimera-ness over the year. Years, even. You could count how many people had found out on one hand, although, Odile had long been one of them. She had known days after you joined the party, but after a brief conversation, she never brought it up again.)

(You'd been terrified of her ever since.)

(What if she had told everyone? That you were a freak of nature? And then they left you, shunned you. Stupid. Looking back on it now, that was stupid. Then again, being a chimera had been the least surprising thing they had learned about you lately. Still, it made you worry.)

(Now it was just another thing on the long, long, loooooooong list of "stuff about the rouge to deal with." Dog ears, tail, and a nose like no other. And whatever aftermath came temporarily being several stories tall.)

(You shuffle in place, it was late at night, and you said you needed to head to bed early. Partially true, yes, but it was also because of another thing that should probably be on that list. You check to make sure Isabeau hadn't snuck in while you were musing.)

(Alright, alright. You slip a hand under your cloak, and underneath those lightless traveler pants you wore. You let out a huff, feeling yourself up. You needed this, you really, really needed this.)

(Because the Universe loves a good show and a funny joke, those two days you had been stuck in time had been during The Weird Zone; as you had so lovingly nicknamed it. Every month, or two, or, well, you didn't really know, you'd get really, really, really aroused by things. You never really knew why or anything. After you figured out that Isabeau was into you, and that you were into him back, it had gotten a hundred times worse! Honestly, it took every ounce of self controll to not bend over and bark for Isa.)

(STARS what a thought that was?!? It was true but you didn't need to have SUCH an active imagination!!! You shake your head. You could never do that! You, you both still needed to figure out what you WERE. B-but, even then, just thinking about him made you, more needy. Stars, even if they weren't here, you could still hear Loops roaring laughter.)

(They had taken this information very, very well. They had made fun of you for it.)

(Your breathing got faster, stars, you were getting close. Touching yourself like this still felt kinda gross, but, also nice? It was so hard to think about or explain or anything. It's, it's alright, just a little bit more. . .)

(There's a knock on the door, you could smell it was Isabeau.) "Sif! Can I come in?"

"S-sure!!" (You say, quickly removing your hand, you just sit and hide your blush. Great.)

(Isabeau opens the door and closest it behind him. He's smiling at you.) "Are you feeling alright? You look a bit, uh, off-shade?"

"O-oh!" (Your ears twitch, you look away.) "I-I'm fine, I think."

"Siffyyyyy." (Isa teases a bit, sitting down next to you.) "You think? You know you can talk to me right?"

"Y-yeah. . ." (You mumble, stars, please don't ask, about, anything.)

". . ." (There's a moment fo silence. Isabeau glances up at your ears, and hesitantly holds up a hand.) ". . . . Can I touch?"

(You sink more into your cloak. Ok, that was something he could ask.) "G-go ahead. ."

(He very gently reaches up and touches one of your ears. Then he moves to scritch behind your ears. Instantly you could feel your shoulders visibly relax.)

". . . Woah. . ." (Isabeau says, awed.) "This alright? It looks like it's alright but. . ."

"Mmhm. . ." (You squeak out.) "I-instinct, or, o-or something, I think. . ."

"Ooooh, like, dog instinct? Does that mean like, there's other-"

"N-no! Maybe! I dunno what you're gonna ask but I've been trying not to think about it!" (You say, pulling your cloak up around your face untill it's just your head of hair and ears exposed.)

"Aww, Sif. Hug?" (You nod gently. He hugs you.) "You know none of us would judge ya for any 'dog things' right?" (You nod.) "So, if there's stuff like that going on, let us know, okay?"

". . . You guys are really nice. . ." (You take your face out of your cloak.)

"Hah! It's the least we can do after all of that! I just- o-oh!" (He's looking behind you, huh- OH!)

"S-stopthat!!" (You grab your tail to stop it wagging like crazy. You could hear Isabeau trying desperatly not to laugh.)

"S-sorry, Sif." (Isabeau was blushing lightly.)

"I-it'sok. . ." (You took a breath.) "I-I uh. . . I'm just, uh-"

"Tired?"

"YEAH, y-yeah I'm just tired." (You smile at him.)

(He tilts his head.) "T-there isn't, uh, any other additions you got?"

"Nonono!! N-no just, no that's all, the ears, tail. . ." (Stars, it was still surprising you were able to talk about it so openly.) "N-nooooo surprises for you, hehe."

"Haha! Alright that's good to know! U-uh, I'll, I'll get dressed then?"

"I wont peek if you wont~" (You stick your tongue out.)

(You both start getting changed. It felt, really weird. You knew logicaly not much changed between you two but. . . Was it, was it the touch? Was it that you two are a THING? Was it that you were still feeling this really weird feeling?)

(. . . . . You decide to take a peek at Isabeau, it could be tha. . .)

(You had felt a lot of new feelings over the past five days, and over a hundred loops. This, was a new one. Isabeaus back was to you. You could see his back muscles, you could see each line crossing his back. And, and you could smell him, you, could. . .)

(He noticed you staring at him and you very quickly look away. Stars oh stupid oh stuid stupid stupid Siffrin! Looking away didn't even help! You could still smell him and it was driving you crazy! C'mon, Sif, keep it together.)

(You finished getting dressed, your tail uncomfortbly sticking out from your pants made for non-chimera humans. Thankfully, it seemed like Isabeau decided to keep quiet about your staring. You go to get into bed.)

"Is that comfortable?" (Isabeau asks, deffinatly talking about your tail.) "I-I mean it doesn't look like it, so."

"Haha, no, not really." (You say, your face still feels hot.)

"Theeeen I know what my first tailor project will be!" (Isabeau is beaming at you, getting into his side of the bed.)

(You could feel your face getting hotter. Stars. . . You snuggle into the blankets) "T-that'd be nice. . ."

"Heh." (He was looking at you. . . Like. . .)

(You inhale sharply, glancing away, it was like the clocktower, every night, he gave you that look. That same look, and would try and- no, no, stop thinking, stop it! You're ok! You're out! You're ok!! O-okay?!?)

"Sif are. . . You alright?" (He asks so tenderly.)

"Canwepleasecuddlemaybe. . ." (You mumble before your brain can catch up with your mouth. Wait, what?!? WHAT?!? YOU, YOU JUST ASKED?!?)

"O-oh! Oh! Of courseyeahwecancuddleifyouwantto-" (Isabeau responds, stars. . .)

(. . . . You gently snuggle up to Isabeau. Chest to chest. You could feel your tail wagging like crazy but it's not like you could stop it. After a moment, you could feel Isabeaus big strong arms gently wrap around you. Stars, he was so. . . So. . . .)

". . . Y-you alright? Sif?" (He asks. You nuzzle up and into his arms.)

"Comfy. . ." (You say, the sleep starting to settle in.) "You're comfy, Isa. . ."

"O-oh!" (He was warm, comfy, gentle, strong. . . He smelled nice. . . Stars, you were so sleepy, Isabeau was saying something but it didn't take long for you to pass out.)

>>>

(You're feeling so, cloudy. Sleepy. Oh so sleepy. You could, faintly, hear someone. You could faintly see someone. Maybe they were, no he was. . . You uh. . .)

"Siffrin. . ?"

(Someone was. . . Calling your name? Oh who. . . Who was. . . You reach out, and stumble and. . .)

"Sif. . . Siffy. . ?

"Ghhmhgh. . ." (Oh uh, oh. Oh you were asleep and, well, you couldn't remember what you were dreaming about. You could feel yourself holding tight to another body.) "Bmwuh. . ?"

"You awake, Sif?" (That was, uh, Isabeau? Oh yeah! Right! You fell asleep cuddling him.)

"Aaaam now. . ." (You mumble, nuzzling a bit close. You were clinging pretty tightly to Isa, actually.) "What'time is it. . ?"

"U-uh, it's around dawn, kinda early I think?" (You felt a hand rub behind your ears.) "I-I was just. . . W-worried you were having a nightmare or. . ."

"Hhhhuh. . ?" (You finally open your eyes and look up at Isa. He's- Oh! He's blushing really deeply.) "Whatya'mean?"

"W-well. ." (He looked away.) "Y-you're really holding tight, a-and, andyouweremumblingmyname-"

"Huh. . ?" (You were, mumbling his name? Oh c'mon, Sif, what were you thinking about in that noggin o'yours to- wait.)

(Oh.)

(OH. O-OH. OH OH NO. OOOOOH OH NO NO.)

(Some squeak of a sound made it out of your mouth before you hide your face in Isabeaus chest. Oh stars, STARS! You could remember PART of what you were dreaming but it was too embaressing to even think about!!! Oooooh noooooo now that your mind was on it you could FEEL just how hot you were, and how much your privates BURNED, and a-and-)

(Stars, it's never, ever, EVER been this bad!! Was it being close to him?!? M-maybe since you two were sharing a bed and being open about liking eachother- b-but, how would that help now?!? How do you get out of this!!! He'll think you're a weirdo!! A creep!!!)

(You could hear Isabeau calling your name, and then a hand reach and pat your head gently. You flinch at that, so, he stops. But then you whine so he starts again. Stars, now you felt even more ashamed.)

". . . S-soooooo." (He asks, curious.)

". . . C-can you. . . Promise you wont be mad?" (You say, Stars, what, are you going to be HONEST? Great.)

"Uh. . ." (He thinks for a moment, then nods.) "W-well, I wont be mad. Okay?"

"Okay. . ." (You breathe in, and out. Stupid. . . C'mon, you can say it. It'll be dumb, but you can say it. You still feel that burning too.) "I-I uh, had, had a d-dream. About, y-you. . ."

"O-oh!!! U-uh, w-what kinda dream??" (He asks, excitedly.)

"W-well. . . I-it was, a uh-" (Ooooh boy.) "A uh, averyadultdream."

"Huh? A very-" (You can see his eyes go wide in realization before he looks away, flustered.) "A-adreamlikeinTHATadultway?!?"

"I-I'msorry." (You tuck your head down. Stupid. What a stupid thing to say!) "I-I'mreally really sorry-"

"N-nonono!! No it's i-it's--" (He stammered his words out, eventually.) "I-it'skindahotactually--"

"Wh-" (Your brain stopped responsing for a second. He. What?) "I-I- Y-you're not mad?!?"

(He shook his head.) "N-not in the slightest! Just, u-uh, figuring out w-what to, u-uh, well, uh. . . What'dwedo???"

"O-oh!" (You blush. Looking away.) "I. . Don't remember, s-sorry. . ."

"That's ok! Haha. . ." (He looks away too. There's a bit of an uncomfortable silence before he continues.) ". . . Y'know, if, if you ever, everwanttodosomethinglikethat-"

(You make a sound between a cough and a squeak. He. WHAT?!? OH!!! O-OH OKAY THEN HE COULD JUST SAY THAT. That TOTALLY didn't instantly make that burning feeling get a hundred times worse!!! You rub your legs together absent mindedly, holding tighter to Isabeau. Oh stars, what do you say! Do you say YES?!? You, you can't just say yes can you?!? B-but then again he did offer!! And if this burning is going to get worse than he could help with it?!?)

(It'll, it'll be fine! Right? Right?!?)

". . . . T-that'dbenice-" (You squeak out.)

"O-OH!" (Isa looks back down at you. Blushing even harder.) "Y-you'resure?!? I-I mean, I did ask but, I didn't know, if, uh-"

(You nod.)

"O-okayokayokay I can be normal a-about this-" (He laughs nervously. He holds you a bit tighter.) "U-uh, s-so. . . D-do. . . Do you need-"

(Yes, yes yes yes yes YES RIGHT NOW. PLEASE!! N-nono calm DOWN Siffrin! Stars! What were you a DOG?!? D-don't answer that, haha. You, you did need. That. Now. You needed it. He was offering and. And. And you- You nod a bit more enthusiaticaly than you mean.)

"O-oh-" (He pauses for another second.) "Okay, okay. Okay. J-just, tell me what you need, Sif. Okay?"

"Okay." (You say quietly. You breathe in, and out. Okay. This was going to be okay.) "T-touch me, please. J-just, just, p-please."

"Aaaalriiiiight. Just let me know if I should stop. Okay?" (You feel a large, strong hand trace down your back. You shiver, it felt nice.)

(Eventually you felt his hand reach the base of your back. He touches the base of your tail, which makes you feel, weird. Good weird. It ignited that burning even more.)

"This okay?" (He asks.)

"Y-yeahit'sokay." (You mumble back. Holding tight to him.)

"Just tell me if it's too much, okay?" (He continues, slowly moving his hand under your tail, caressing your butt just a little. That made you squeak just a little bit. His other hand pat your head reasuringly. The other eventually moved to between your thighs, you were so needy, you needed him. You needed him now please please please!)

(Restraint! Siffrin!)

"R-ready?" (He asks you. Stars, he must know how much you needed him and was teasing you!! Please, please just, you needed this!)

"P-please. . ." (You mumble out.)

(He gently scratches behind your ears. It felt like it took forever, but slowly you felt his fingers caress your enterance. You moan at his gentle touch. You felt like you were melting.)

"Good?" (He asks. Kissing the top of your head.)

"Mmmore. . ." (You moan out, Stars, your head was getting foggy. You wanted him like nothing else before.)

(You felt his fingers poke and prod around your folds, before eventually he slips a single finger in. You grip onto Isabeau tighter, letting out more little sounds. More, more more more please you needed more.)

(Your noises must have gotten the point across, because you could feel him exploring inside of you with those big, Defender fingers of his. You let out a gasp as you felt a thumb on your clit. Your leg twitching with all the sensations running through you. Your mouth was moving. Were you talking? O-oh you were just, babbling! Saying whatever came to mind. Pleading, begging, moaning.)

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"

(More, more, more more more more you needed it please!! You felt your body shake more and more untill you let out one last moan. Gripping tight to your wonderful fighter as you came hard, feeling every second of it.)

(Your breathing steadies. Stars. . . You're seeing stars actually, haha. You were lightheaded.)

"That feel alright, Sif?" (Asks Isa, taking his hand out and holding onto your hip.)

"Ggoood. . ." (You mumble out. It still burned, part of you wanted more, more and more. You wanted to go for hours. Days, even. It was. . .) "T-tired. . ."

"It's alright, Sif." (He talked to you so gently, patting your head.) "Still early, you can go back to sleep okay? Don't need to worry about a thing!"

"Mrrgh. . . Isa. . ." (You look up at him, sleepy.) "I love you. . ."

(He blushed harder, kissing your head.) "I-I love you too, Siffrin! If you need anything, anything, let me know, okay?"

(You nod, and reach up and kiss his cheek before snuggling up to his chest again. Stars. . . That took it outta you. . .)

(Back to sleep.)

[bitbrumal]

BLOG REOPENING

hewwo hewwo fellas & fuckos. winks with both eyes. i'm possibly going to slide in around here throughout the holiday season bc the writing itch be itching, so i'll provide an update on the muse list & the dynamics / threads i'd like to keep ( if y'all are also down ) from before my break.

if you would like this post if you're ( still / again / whatever ) interested in writing with me, i'd really appreciate it ! it'd let me know where to get started again ❤ i'm mainly looking for threads over meme replies, although the threads don't have to be lengthy or involved per se. inbox things just aren't doing it for me.

MUSES

UNDER RECONSIDERATION : KHIONIYA / TSARITSA ( open to all )

I wanna keep her, but I've gotta rewrite her. I've been going on pure wishfulfilment MommyTM vibes, but we need a bit more canon accuracy lmfao. Goddess/Archon of Love, yes, but I ought not ignore that she has become like a reversed tarot card :joy:

SCRAPPED : ALHAITHAM

I should be feeling this criminally autistic nerd, but I'm not. Maybe I will some day. I'm leaving him be for right now.

SCRAPPED : CAPITANO

't isn't happening. i'm not... doing what i wanna be doing with him & i also don't care so fwhoop that one's going.

ADDED : WRIOTHESLEY

No-one's surprised. Daddy came home with the milk the moment I called for him, & uh. As soon as I actually fucking play the Fontaine quests I'm sure I'll pick him up. ( I accidentally spoilered myself on his tragicTM backstory & on god this man is a king. ) ( If I fall sideways into neuvilette instead nobody laugh at me. )

KEPT : DOTTORE ( semi-selectively open to all - he's picky & that limits my options ) REGRATOR ( for select fatui threads unless smth Happens ) TARTAGLIA ( open to all ) KAEYA ( open to all ) DILUC ( open to all )

THREADS & DYNAMICS

Obviously I understand if we're not on the same page about carrying on where we left off, no hard feelings. We can start over, pick something new, slap new muses together, or do nothing it all. Issal GucciTM.

LIKE I NEVER LEFT LOL :

I'd love to pick back up where I left off with @galactia, on any & all muses, their dynamics, & also threads c:

The same goes for @bunnyshot, although I see you haven't been online in ages! Regardless, if we're ever on the timeline at the same time again you know I am down to clown. This includes your other muses.

@torrentide HOMIE. HOMIE. HOMIE. HOME BREWSKI. i am down for everything from before & more, idc what.

If @greedbent is still down to clown, I'd love to carry on with what we were brainstorming in the DMs.

Same to you, @howthesleeplesswander!! I see you writing in another fandom on the dash atm, so I get it if you're not in the vibes for what we were brainstorming in the DMs, but I'm still hype to write with you if the mood strikes you. Lmk if you're down :thumbsup: ❤

@xiielians You know idek wtf you're doing right now bc much as the dramatic chinese gaylords captivate me, I haven't indulged in the fandom + I'm waiting patiently on that novel of yours with eyes peeled—but if you wanna play with anything ( whether I know the fandom/char or not ), I'm sure I'll be game!!

@ncrthlandbank I'd love to continue what we were doing with vlad & alyos ❤ if you're down! The thread where regrator terrorizes vlad is one of my alltime faves & still lives rent-free in my head :weary: it's the only time i did him any type of justice & your no-longer-non-playable-characters are awesome.

REBOOT :

Here go all of my moots with who i never fully settled anything ( dynamic / muse / thread-wise ), but was vaguely interacting with on the dash here & there... I am down to clown with all of you, I'd love to start something be it serious or silly. Whether you wanna continue vaguely doing things here & there or you wanna plot something out, idgaf I am so down to clown i am . the whole circus. vamos lmao.

[rubiesintherough]

running on 4 hours of sleep atm so writing might not happen ( i swear i am trying to come back here bc i miss my threads ), but still up for sending memes. and this one's totally random. will just throw whatever muses at you that i'm feeling. if you're cool with that, poke the heart for a buncha memes in your askbox

if also a multi, you can lemme know which of your muses you want things for, if you have a preference, if not they'll be left open

[heystephen]

I went to a music festival in Greece to see Muse back in 2016. There weren't any seats, it was all standing room everywhere, and it was on concrete on the shore of the sea. The festival was happening late July, so it was also extremely hot. Drinks and food weren't allowed inside the venue, but there were many vendors all around where people could buy whatever they needed. The issue was that you had to bring cash or a card, buy festival tokens, and then use those to make purchases throughout the festival for everything except merch stands. Anyway, the vendors were giving the water bottles opened, they opened them in front of you and then handed them over, it was a security precaution in case someone threw one of the bottles toward the stage.

While it was really hot and crowded during the daytime, once the main headliners started performing in the evening/night, it got even hotter because even more people started arriving and crowding around the stage. The thing is, everyone was very friendly, because all the people there were gathered to see their favorite artists, so whenever someone needed a drink, they could hand some tokens or just cash to whoever was feeling up to it, who would go to the vendors and pick up something like half a dozen water bottles and bring them back for multiple people to have something to drink. I picked up water bottles for people at some point too. And this was at the very front too, where I was standing with complete strangers, as I decided to go see the show alone, traveling from a different country too. At one point I started feeling pretty light-headed due to the heat, so I left my spot and went all the way back to where the stage was still perfectly visible but there wasn't as big of a crowd, to get some relatively fresher air. Immediately, complete strangers gathered around me to check if I was okay, if I needed anything, or if I needed medical attention, the people were truly lovely and I felt better knowing I could get help if necessary.

So, whoever reads this and attends any sort of event where the weather is warmer, if you're feeling okay, check up on the people around you, see if they need anything, and if they're feeling okay. If you're not feeling okay, turn to literally anyone and ask them to come with you to a place where the crowds are smaller/to the medical tents/bathrooms, or whatever might be available at the venue. Don't worry too much about leaving your spot, it's more important for you to stay awake and alert to get through the show even if it's not from the perfect position on the ground, instead of feeling sick and not even remembering most of it because your body entered survival mode. You're there to have a good time, not to suffer. I know the venue and company are shitty when it comes to Rio, and it's been that way for a while from what I read, but if they're not looking out for you, you've got to look out for each other and yourselves at the very least. Please take care of yourselves because these capitalists obviously won't do it.

literally cannot stress the importance enough about looking after yourself and other concert goers around u!! really glad you had good people around you, anon. 💜

[howyoustudythestars]

I've sat on this for FAR too long... Here are my thoughts/review for "Coco Moon" by Owl City!

A while ago, I stated that I was planning to make a YouTube video discussing both the ARG and Coco Moon. However, life happened (as it always does), and while I haven't scrapped the idea per se, I do want to share my thoughts on the album sooner rather than later. So here are my thoughts on Coco Moon!

Warning: Long post ahead!

Shortly after the full album came out, Adam made a TikTok describing this album as perhaps his favorite one he has ever put out. And honestly, I can see why! On first listen, while I will admit the more religious elements threw me for a loop after the more secular-sounding singles (as well as the first time Adam said "hell" in any song), I can honestly say there wasn't a song that I disliked, which is a first for me. Even back to Ocean Eyes, there was at least one song that I didn't like, even if it wound up later growing on me. Dental Care, Kamikaze, Bombshell Blonde, Unbelievable, and of course, ALL MY FRIENDS were songs I didn't like for one reason or another upon first listen. Save for All My Friends, those songs have all grown on me. Thankfully, that hasn't happened on Coco Moon. I've liked all songs from the beginning, and my appreciation for the album has only grown with time.

If I have any criticism for the album, it would likely be the way the tracklist is arranged. I'm not sure if there is another way of reorganizing this album so it flows better (and I have tried several times), but my main gripe is that the album ends with My Muse. It's a bit like if Maybe I'm Dreaming ended on This is the Future. Without West Coast Friendship, you're just left yearning for the next song, and the album feels incomplete. That's how I feel with Coco Moon. I know the more likely complaint from critics regarding this album is the run time. While Cinematic suffers from the sheer number of songs on the album, Coco Moon's problem, according to some critics, is that nearly every song is too long. The average length of each song on Coco Moon is 5 minutes, but I think none of the songs overstay its welcome. And each song has something to offer.

The final thing I'll say before I dive into each song is that this seems to better capture the old-school Owl City magic and charm than Cinematic did. However, a lot of the songs are, in fact, story based. Cinematic is as well, but I think the main issue with Cinematic is that the songs are so literal that its hard to find entertaining, save for a few songs. HOWEVER, Coco Moon is much better at storytelling. Maybe it's because very few songs are autobiographical, or maybe Adam just improved as a songwriter. Whatever the case is, it's like he listened to some of the critiques on Cinematic and tweaked his process when creating the songs on Coco Moon. It's also easily one of the best produced albums from Adam. It's really a great listen.

The first song on the album is Adam, Check Please. I don't think it's strong as far as being the opening track on an album, but it's still a great song. I will say that as a single, I wasn't as fond of the song at first. It seemed to skirt too close to the Cinematic territory lyrically. However, the lyrics did grow on me the more I listened to it. You can see why in this Reddit post I made when the Studio Door opened for it: https://www.reddit.com/r/OWLCITY/comments/10m8ld1/my_take_on_the_lyrics_to_adam_check_please/

Adam, Check Please has a lot of tempo changes and is one of Adam's best produced tracks. All in all, it's a fun song and a great start to the album (even if it's not the best choice for that position in the tracklist).

That title should go to the next song, Under the Circus Lights. This is probably my favorite song from the album (but there are a lot more songs I really love). For starters, it feels like a Maybe I'm Dreaming track... between "the girl on the flying trapeze" sounding a bit like "a gymnast happily swinging on the uneven bars tucked in a somersault" (Super Honeymoon), the whimsical description of falling in love, and the slightly sad and heartbreaking twist at the end. Also, holy key changes, Batman! Adam once again shows his skills at producing songs. It's also one of the only songs who's Instagram post contains music similar to what's in the actual song its teasing. Upon first hearing ringmaster Adam saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most spectacular show on earth!", I immediately connected to Adam's tweet about this being the album it was meant to be. Plus, the scores influence is great. I dare you to find something bad about this song; it's epic and beautiful!

Then, there's Kelly Time, the other song who has music similar to its Instagram teaser. However, this was the first song where I noticed the mix is different from the single version. The harmonies are louder, and the final chorus has a synth choir playing chords, which is either not there or buried in the mix on the single version. But overall, it doesn't detract from the song. Only Adam could come up with the idea to retell the film Cast Away in song form from the perspective of Wilson the volleyball. Plus, the rap doesn't sound like a rap. I get a lot of All My Friends (Alt. Version) vibes from this track. It's like Adam listened to the criticism of All My Friends and created a track that's much better. Plus, it's the first time in a long time that I feel the lead single for the album fits. The last time I can think that happened is for Alligator Sky from All Things Bright and Beautiful. Other albums either had the better lead single as the second single instead (Vanilla Twilight and Shooting Star), or had songs that are forgettable (Verge) or downright irritating (All My Friends). Kelly Time nails it, and it best gives a representation of what the album is like and got people pumped for the then-upcoming album. Plus, the song was released 1504 days after his final tour appearance for the Cinematic tour. This makes the song sort of poetic. I don't know if that was the long-term plan or if it just happened, but I find it serendipitous.

Now, we get to Field Notes. If I'm being honest, after the three songs we've heard so far on the album (four if you count the final single Vitamin Sea), the religious message of the song threw me for a loop. All of those songs were secular, even if Kelly Time had some faith-based inspiration (if the commentary is anything to go by). As someone who has (mostly) stopped listening to Contemporary Christian music (with a few exceptions), I wasn't prepared for a more faith-based album. At least this song doesn't fall into the cliché worship song territory so many of today's Christian songs tend to fall in.

The other thing that I found... strange was Adam's use of the word "hell" in this song. I mean, it is a religious song, but the way it was used makes it sound less like it's referring to the literal place of hell and more so closer to using it as an expletive. Now, it's more innocent than other words, I will admit. It's not me becoming a Kidz Bop mom or anything like that. I just find it odd as someone who associates Adam and his music with innocence. I'm almost wondering if part of the reason Adam took so long to release the follow-up to Cinematic is because he was looking for a team to work with for Coco Moon. I can see many secular pop management teams turn him down for being too religious, and I can also see many religious agencies turn him down as well due to his use of the word "hell" here and in The Tornado. But at least Adam didn't start dropping F-bombs all over the place, so there's that. I also think Adam found the right team with Rise Up Artists. They have been very nice to me in my few times of brief correspondence with Adam's new manager. I hope he stays with them long-term.

But anyway, on the whole, Field Notes isn't that bad of a song. Adam really took one of Jesus's parables and told it with more space than it takes in the Gospel of Matthew:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

(Matthew 13:44 NRSVUE)

It's not as interesting of a song as others on the record, at least where the lyrics are concerned. However, right when you think the song is about to end, it instead transitions into what should be a brief instrumental interlude. And that interlude is impressive! It reminds me of some of the old-school instrumentals from Owl City's early discography. If there's any reason not to skip the song, it's this interlude!

But then we go from one of Adam's weakest Christian songs to his best one in Sons of Thunder. Yes, I didn't say "one of the best Christian songs from Adam"; I really mean that Sons of Thunder is Adam's BEST Christian song in his entire discography. There are many things I like about it. From its anthemic nature to some of the lyrics that really speak to me as an autistic Christian, it's probably my second favorite song from the entire album (but it's really close between this and Under the Circus Lights). Some of the lyrics I like include:

Oh, we are the odd music makers We are the dreamers of unusual dreams We all face the forces of nature But bravely, we'll take great leaps of faith

...and:

We are the heirs of adventure And we are explorers of wondrous, new worlds We are the gifted inventors And even though we are strange and exquisitely scarred We don't need to pretend to be anything we aren't

The latter is actually on my Facebook cover photo. That's how much this song speaks to me!

And before I continue on about this song, one thing I wish to address is the interpretation by some Christians that this song is referring to The Rapture. But I don't see it that way for a few reasons. For starters, in Adam's Instagram post about the song, he mentioned nothing about it. But perhaps the biggest reason is because I don't believe in The Rapture... At least as far as how some people interpret it. Yes, the world is going to end, and yes, Jesus is going to come again. There might even be a singular anti-Christ before the end comes. However, I describe my beliefs as amillennial. That means I don't believe in the traditional pre-millennial interpretation of the End Times (as in a pre-tribulation Rapture followed by the rein of the Anti-Christ for 7 years, then the return of Jesus, the Ressurection of all Believers, a literal 1000-year period of Jesus reigning on Earth, the defeat of Satan, the Resurrection of the Unbelievers, and the Final Judgment). Rather, I believe that the "1000-year reign" described in Revelation is symbolic of the current age, and when Jesus returns, the Resurrection of everyone (not just believers) will occur, and then the Final Judgment.

I actually find this more comforting and in line with what the Early Church believed. Consider the logic of Jefferson Bethke (the person behind the "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" video), as described in his book It's Not What You Think: If the "core claim" of Christianity is something like "Jesus died for your sins, and if you believe that, you go to Heaven when you die," Romans wouldn't be persecuting Christians to the point of death to the extent described in the Book of Acts. But if the core claim of Christianity is "Jesus is King right now," that would imply to ancient Romans that Caesar is not King. That would be a bit like saying "Joe Biden isn't the President of the United States right now; Jesus is." (And believe me: It was especially helpful to remember that Jesus is on the Throne and in control of this world when someone like Trump was President.) And because to Christians, to die is to gain, the fear of death (the main cudgel of oppressive regimes like the Roman Empire) loses its power to control people. That's why ancient Romans were so opposed to Christianity in the 1st Century.

But I digress. I do see a lot of Heavenly imagery in Sons of Thunder. Indeed, the song reminds me of how important my faith is as an autistic Christian. As someone who constantly feels like an outsider or misfit in the world, who regularly needs to mask who they really are in an attempt to fit in, Sons of Thunder is a reminder that God sees who we really are and loves us unconditionally. Additionally, through Jesus, we have hope that we will live forever with Him in Heaven. I know some of these themes also apply to LGBTQ+ people, and even queer non-Christians find solace in this song's message. And to queer Christians, they find solace much in the way many neurodivergent people like myself feel. Someone best described this song as "the Christian anthem to those that feel like outsiders". This is exactly how I feel whenever I listen to this song, and it's been an amazing comfort to me and my faith.

Now, I know some people have said that they were on board for how abstract the song feels at first as it relates to its religious theme, only to do a complete 180 and go full-blown religious towards the end with the lines, "So take heart wild one / For there is a God / Who loves you to death / No matter what you've done / So don't lose hope / For He will lead you home". Personally, I don't think this is as off-putting as the other religious songs, including Field Notes where the religious theme seems to come out of nowhere upon first listen. But here, Sons of Thunder is right on par with Galaxies, which doesn't seem religious at first until the bridge. If the only difference is that Galaxies says, "For He is the saving grace of the galaxies," instead of "For God is the saving grace of the galaxies," then I don't know what to tell you. This song is miles ahead better compared to something like "My Everything". While I could see it being used in Worship, I don't see it exclusively as a Worship song, and it's certainly not all "Hallelujah, God is good, praise Jesus, etc." that much modern CCM has turned into. That is a plus in my book.

But I've taken enough time on this song. Just know when I listened to this song for the first time, I was blown away by how great of a song it is. I kid you not, right as this song was finishing, I thought, "That song was such a highlight! The next song is going to have a hard time living up to this song..."

Yeah... Safe to say, I was not prepared for how hard The Tornado was going to go! This song makes the album skirt into Twenty One Pilots territory, especially with that screamo section! Also, the use of the word "hell" here doesn't seem as out of place as it did in Field Notes. There also is some religious imagery in this song, but while it seems to come out of nowhere, it also doesn't feel out of place. Someone on Reddit also pointed out how The Tornado could be symbolic of an autism meltdown, and I can totally see that. I don't know if that was Adam's intent, but I believe this interpretation has merit. It's a fantastic song (and not at all Adam's cringy attempt at a Bohemian Rhapsody moment... jk I love you Jon from ARTV!) and while I might say that it's a tad overrated within the fandom, I really do enjoy it!

Now, how would I describe the next song, Vitamin Sea? You know the Ocean Eyes-era single Vanilla Twilight? And how Up All Night would be that song had it appeared on The Midsummer Station? I'd describe Vitamin Sea as sort of the opposite... taking a single from The Midsummer Station, Good Time, and turning it into a song that would feel at home on Ocean Eyes. Plus, both songs are duets: Good Time with Carly Rae Jepsen, and Vitamin Sea with Abb-- wait, sorry, (checks liner notes) Colbi McCallister. (More on this later)

The one thing I will say is after the roller coaster of a song that is The Tornado, Vitamin Sea feels a bit out of place. We go from a dramatic, metaphorical storm to wishing to be on a vacation in Hawaii? But it's still a solid song... even if radio listeners in Northeast Wisconsin don't particularly like it. The song is definitely close to "Song of the Summer" territory lyrically. And musically, it sounds like a more rock-leaning version of The Yacht Club. This is the most dreamy song that would fit on Ocean Eyes. It's my favorite of the three pre-release singles (although Kelly Time is a close second). The only strange thing about it is that its Instagram teaser, Take Me Back, sounds nothing like Vitamin Sea to me. I did think it could work as an extended intro leading into the final song, but other than that, it just seems the most out of place compared to the actual song. Still, Vitamin Sea is definitely a highlight for me.

Now, what can I say about Dinosaur Park? Well, it's a good song, but it also was the song that took the longest for me to warm up to. I think that's in part due to the fact the first few verses sound closer to a Scores-influenced Sky Sailing track instead of a Scores-influenced Owl City track. It's like the lyrics are so dreamy and depict what should sound like a bombastic Owl City track, but instead, it's very stripped back. (Maybe there's an alternate version that isn't as stripped back? After all, this is the one that was teased through my favorite Instagram teaser, Signs of Life.)

However, I do love that breakdown after the second chorus. This sounds very Euro-dance-influenced. I almost like that section better than the other sections. Thankfully, it shows up again after the final chorus. To me, it sounds like Sky Sailing meets Euro-dance and not Owl City. This further blurs the lines between the two projects and it makes me wonder if Adam could even find a differentiating thing between the two if he released a follow-up to An Airplane Carried Me to Bed. But it's still an amazing song. Lyrically, it depicts a Toy Story-esque scenario about Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota. It's a real-life park with giant dinosaur statues, and the song imagines if they come to life, Night of the Museum-style, when no one's visiting the park at night. That sounds like the perfect topic for Adam to cover in a song, and he delivers on it! This is by far the longest song on the album, but it still doesn't overstay its welcome.

Then, we move on to Learn How to Surf. What's ironic to me is that this is the most radio-friendly song on the entire album, but it was never a single. Instead, they created butchered radio edits of Vitamin Sea and Kelly Time, and in the case of the latter, doesn't even flow together as a story compared to the original album version. (Both of these versions are available on YouTube if you want to check them out). But I digress. Learn How to Surf also sounds like it could be a song that appears during the end credits of a family-friendly movie where surfing somehow comes up.

Musically, I love that retro-sounding percussive record skip. It reminds me of Smash Mouth's All Star. It feels very 90s-esque, but not in a heavy-handed way like in Unbelievable. Lyrically, we actually heard much of the first chorus in a preview for the entire album. It sounded very metaphorical, comparing the troubles of life and getting through them to surfing. (If that one old blog reader who asked me anonymously years ago for a song about if Adam had a song with a similar theme... if you're still out there, then this is that song!) However, it's also strange that it seems to tell a story of Adam (or some other dude and Adam takes their point of view for this song) who sees a heavily tattooed lady and asks them what the tattoos mean. It just seemed to come out of nowhere given what we heard from the chorus in that preview. But at the same time, it did give me fodder for a meme on Discord's listening party for the album:

Still, I really do enjoy it. It sounds like typical motivational Adam, in the vein of songs like Shooting Star and Beautiful Times. This is probably my third favorite song from the album.

Now, as we approach the final two songs on the album, it seems to slow down too much. This is especially true considering I had the long-shot hope that the final song would be more upbeat following the next song, The Meadow Lark. Now, I don't dislike The Meadow Lark (But I do have a pet peeve whenever I see people type out this song's title as "The Meadowlark"). In fact, I do like the song's story and themes of forgiveness and grace. And I wouldn't speed up this song in any way.

Lyrically, the song is about someone at war who meets an enemy soldier. They both aim their guns at each other, each prepared to shoot the other. Then, a bird (presumably a meadow lark, given the song title) arrives on the scene and later is joined by more. They start singing as if nothing was happening. But my one critique is that much like Field Notes, the religious 180 comes out of nowhere. Suddenly, one of the soldiers hears from God to "love your enemy", echoing Jesus's words in Matthew 5:43-45 (NRSVUE):

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

This isn't as egregious as Field Notes. Perhaps it's because it tells a full-blown original story set in a war (presumably the Civil War, given how it borrows the melody from the Adam's score album Courdory Road), as opposed to Field Notes, which is just a dramatization of a one-verse parable from Jesus. And I do like the song's message, especially given how it ends: With the soldier lowering his gun, showing him "yield on bended knee". This moves the soldier to do the same and turn away. To me, the whole song sounds very similar to the plot in the Doctor Who Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", except that story is set during World War I. I won't go into detail as to how they're similar, as this post is already long enough, but if you're a Whovian, you'll know why I said this. All in all, it's a beautiful song and very emotional.

Finally, we reach the closing song on the album: My Muse. It's a sweet, slow love song. This song makes a stunning announcement (even though some people in the fandom, including myself, knew this already), which also explains why Abbey is credited under the names Colbi McCallister and Sissy Willow instead of her own (apart from her general desire for privacy after public backlash for her now-deleted YouTube videos on Cinematic). That announcement? Adam and Abbey got married! Many HootOwls could see this being used as the first dance song at a wedding.

With that said, I'm just going to come out and say it: Be Brave is a better song than My Muse. My Muse could be seen as Be Brave, Part 2, but it just doesn't have the same level of emotional and poetic storytelling that Be Brave shows. My Muse is more to the point and literal, but Be Brave feels like an Owl City song. In fact, I thought for sure Adam would have sung Be Brave and then transition into My Muse on the To The Moon tour, but that never happened. That would have been cool. But My Muse by itself doesn't do it for me the same way Be Brave does. Plus, it being the final song on the album doesn't help.

With all that said, I do like the song. It's sweet and innocent enough, and it's one of the few songs from Adam that I could see a couple slow dance to. The first verse recaps what happened in Be Brave, the second talks about their wedding day, and the third talks about the future. Musically, it's just a simple piano ballad with backing vocals from Abbey herself. It's also the shortest song on the album. I just don't think it works as a closing album moment. Most times I listen to Coco Moon, I add Up to the Cloud to the queue, and then it feels complete. But as it stands, My Muse doesn't seem as memorable as other moments on the album, and that's a problem.

Overall, the album Coco Moon can feel bloated given its lengthy runtime, but no song overstays its welcome even though most songs are over 5 minutes. It's also a solid album, and also Adam's best release since All Things Bright and Beautiful. Cinematic didn't age as well as I thought it would, given that the album is extremely long (even if the average song length isn't compared to Coco Moon), and the fact that I typically only listen to one or two songs from Cinematic at a time as opposed to the full album in one sitting. I can more easily do that with Coco Moon. Still, Coco Moon isn't a perfect album, given a few questionable choices and a strange tracklist arrangement. But I do like it, and I'd give this an 8.5/10. (I probably would have given this a 10/10 closer to release time, but now that I've sat on it for a bit longer, I feel more confident giving a lower rating. It's still probably my top album of the year.)

Wow! If you made it all the way through this post, thank you for reading this rambling attempt at a review. This has been saved partially in drafts for a long time. Please let me know what you think of the album. I appreciate you taking the time to read this! Thank you!!

[darling-in-wonderland]

Kill Your Darlings (Redux)

(in collaboration with @twistedchatterbox ‘s event, Spooky Chattering 2023)

AN: If you were one of the five people that read the original Kill Your Darlings, then strap in because this is a reimagining that is way more cracked than it’s archived original counterpart. And if you weren't, well, you're not missing much. This version is leagues above the og and way more fun. Reader is my yuusona, Darling (she/her), who is very in love with Idia (but feel free to live vicariously through her like I do). Other characters in this little (*cough* 7k word) fic include Azul, Ortho, and Grim (with a little bonus scene at the end with Crowley) Vil is mentioned quite a lot, but makes no appearance.

CW: more of a dark comedy than anything, but there are still points of tension, anxiety mention (in response to the tension), feelings of being stalked/hunted, minor injuries/blood, and one (1) fbomb, meaning that it could safely be rated pg-13.

AN2: Also i am super new/unaware of fanfic etiquette so if there's anything i've missed/should label differently/etc, please let me know! now, without further adieu…

It was a day like any other, really. Foggy, but hey, I like overcast weather so I’m not complaining.

“I guess I never realized that the fog here is different from the fog back home,” I muse to Grim while we walk to class.

“Myah? Whaddya mean by that?”

“The fog back home didn’t stick around this much, I don’t think.”

“The fog here isn’t really that sticky, Darling.”

“Whatever you say, Grim.” I give him some pets as we walk. “Also, before I forget, I have Board Game Club after classes today. Remember the plan?”

“How could I forget?” he grins. “You offered me five whole cans of tuna to help you with this scheme!”

After the events of that phantom bride- oh how I hate her still!- I can’t afford myself the luxury of pretending that Idia doesn’t know that I like him anymore. With the lengths (and songs) I went to without hesitation, there’s no way he doesn’t know; but it’s polite to tell him point blank in no uncertain terms. I mean, that’s what you do when you like someone, right?

The plan is that Grim is going to distract Azul somehow to make him late to the club meeting. Hopefully this will mean that Idia and I will be alone, allowing me to tell him how I feel in person without anyone else there to watch.

Before I left the dorm, I made sure to spritz a bit of perfume on me, just something that makes me smell a bit like candy. I’m only thinking of this because I left the bottle on the stairs since I was running late to class, but I’m always running late to these early morning classes. Anyways, I need to remember to put it back in the bathroom when I get home. 

After classes with Grim, we diverge on our separate paths; Grim to distract Azul with some random fetch quest and I to the Board Game Club to confess my love to Idia, though hopefully not in song while holding a heavy flamer this time.

I show up early to the club meeting, jittery and anxious. When I was out there white knighting and wedding crashing, I was so hopped up on anger, adrenaline, and the anxiety that my Sister of Battle armor would run out of battery too soon that I didn’t even notice that I kept singing the lyrics to “A Grave Mistake” wrong. When you meet the girl whose love you stole… Cringe, but I feel more on edge now than then. Why does this of all things make me anxious?

Time refuses to march on to my best nightmare, so I stay frozen in place as I pace the floor.

And then I hear the door creak open, forcefully shaking me from my thoughts and making my heart pound harder. I see the blue flames of his hair before I see him. I sit down and start nervously shuffling a deck of cards to keep from spontaneously combusting.

He eventually notices me and takes off his headphones. He too avoids eye contact. We haven’t spoken much since that phantom bride left. 

“Magic?” I ask him, holding up the cards.

“Uh... sure,” he responds flatly, pulling out a deck of his own.

My brain is on fire, screaming at me to say something. Now is my chance! But I go to speak and find that my lips are welded shut as I draw my hand, only just now realizing that the deck I’m playing is my Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres deck. I feel bad, until I see that he brought his Juri deck and decide that it’s time to destroy him with toxic and proliferate keywords.

He notices my commander and smirks. “Feeling competitive today?”

“I have some things I want to win.”

Our eyes meet briefly and I feel my heart stop. I bury my face in my opening hand, but out of the corner of my eye I see his hair swiftly turning pink.

“Your hair looks purple today,” he stammers out.

“It’s purple everyday.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

The game continues on as normal.

I manage to ask him, “So, what’s your Halloween costume going to be?”

“Haven’t thought much about it yet.”

“Halloween is in four days, Idia,” I remind him. When I say his name, the tips of his hair turn pink. He’s so cute. I still can’t believe he’s single.

“What about you, Darling?”

Hearing him say my name makes my brain short circuit.

“Oh!” I snap out of my daze. “I was thinking Springtrap or Ennard or something like that since the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie comes out today.”

“That’s today?” his eyes light up with excitement. Now’s my chance now’s my chance now’s my-

“Yeah,” I smile. “I’ve already made plans to go see it. After this club meeting its gonna be one hour at Pomefiore to cover my arms with nose and scar wax.”

“With Vil?”

“Who else? He’s gonna help with the scars I have to put on the back of my neck.”

“Oh,” he retreats back to his normal energy levels. “That makes sense.”

And there goes my chance.

We finish the game without talking (aside from reading the cards to explain the cards). He won, obviously.

“Get rekt,” he grins. I can feel my cheeks get hot.

“I took a bad opening hand,” I justify my loss to him. I really want him to think I’m good at this game (even though I am painfully mid).

“Yeah, I saw that mana drought.”

“I had Oko, Thief of Crowns, in fairness.”

“Ohhhh,” he remarks sarcastically, “that makes it totally worth it.”

“If it had paid off I would’ve destroyed you,” I threaten him toothlessly.

“Sure you would’ve.” As he fidgets with his life counter, he says, “I, uh... you mentioned that you wish you had more hands to hold things as you cut out patterns the other day.”

“Especially with Halloween coming up,” I lament, realizing too late that he’s probably dropping hints for something. 

He sets the counter down. “Wait here then.”

He glides out of the room as quietly as he entered. I crumple up in my chair. What a wasted opportunity.

When I was younger, I used to spend my free time outside catching butterflies. There was a slight degree of skill that went into it. If you ran up too quickly, the butterfly would get scared and fly away, but if you went too slow, you would lose your surprise and it would fly away then too.

It’s five minutes past. Where is he? My heart is beating out of my chest. What if something happened to him? I should go find him. My anxiety is fueling my paranoia, springboarding me to the worst possible conclusions. Maybe he died, or worse, I already scared him away for good.

It’s been too long. I’ll go find him. I set down my cards and start making my way down to Ignihyde. The halls of the main building are eerily empty. There must be a logical explanation for all of this. I’m bad at time and I haven’t checked my phone in a while, not that it would matter now because I don’t know how long our game of Magic lasted. He’s probably fine. He’s probably fine.

Despite all my logic, I still can’t seem to shake this paranoia. I hear screams of terror wafting down the halls. Film Club must be watching a horror movie for the spooky season. I hope so, at least. Against all good judgment, I push on. I wish literally anyone was here, some big guy who could do the fighting for me if things got tough, like Jade or Floyd. 

Amidst my thoughts, someone grabs my hand and yanks me around a corner.

I shriek and cover my mouth before I realize that it’s just Ortho.

I almost let my body relax, but then I see the fear in his mechanical eyes.

“Ortho?” Panic rises in my voice like bile. “What's wrong?”

“It’s Idia. He’s sick.”

“Oh, is that all it is?” The tension in my shoulders releases, but only a little. “From the sounds of the screams, I thought that gladiatorial games were back in fashion. Where is he? I can help take care of him.”

“Sick isn’t the right word,” his voice is hard and serious as he flits through words in his databank. What has this kid seen?

“What movie is Film Club watching today?” I ask him as some more screams bounce off the walls of main hall.

Ortho looks me dead in the eyes. “Film Club didn’t meet today.”

I hear Idia cackle off in the distance, this time sending chills up my spine rather than releasing butterflies in my stomach.

“Ortho?” I ask, that old fear bubbling up once more.

“Yes, Darling?”

“Do you know what Idia was going to show me?”

“He never told me,” Ortho remarks. “But I did find a word that I think fits better than sick.”

Everything feels prickly and bad. The blood vacates my face as I hear another one of Idia’s cackles in the distance. Of all my worst case scenarios, none were like anything of what Ortho said next.

“Well, what word is it?” I ask him, panic leaching into my voice.

“Possessed. I don’t know what could’ve caused it, but...” His voice trails off, as if he’s having trouble coming up with a proper hypothesis. At least, that’s what I was hoping.

His eyes grow wide, his mechanical whirring hushing. The hand around my wrist clamps harder. The tips of my fingers are starting to turn a bluish purple.

“Ortho?” I whisper. “My wrist-”

I hear the soft tap tap tap of some boots prowling down the adjacent hallway. I can feel the temperature rise with each tap.

“Darling…” I hear Idia’s voice rasp, a mechanical grinding amidst his organic vocals, “I know you’re hiding here…”

My eyes are watering. I can’t turn around. I can’t even blink. My breath catches in my throat. Has he turned the corner? I can’t tell.

By the shadow on Ortho’s face, he must be looming right above me.

Ortho’s tugging on my ever-numbing wrist, a silent plea for me to run, but my body refuses to move from its position. This is my worst nightmare, and I can’t even wake up.

“Seems I’ve found you,” I feel hot breathing on the back of my neck. “And with Ortho, no less.”

I feel his hand land on my shoulder. I can’t even find the voice to scream as Idia’s grip gets tighter on my shoulder.

Ortho yells something I don’t make out and finally yanks me from my spot, flinging me onto his metal back. I cry out in pain as I’m ripped from Idia’s grasp. I feel something cold and metallic and sharp scratch up against my cheek. I hear him howl in frustration as we make our getaway. 

Ortho and I end up hiding out in the empty classroom on the first floor where the Board Game Club meets.

“That’s a lot of blood, Darling,” Ortho remarks.

I reach up and touch my cheek and find that my face is slick with blood. My fingers are covered in the viscous red liquid.

“It’s just a scratch,” I inform him. “It’s not that bad.”

“Are you sure?” Ortho asks me, searching around for something to clean up the blood.

I laugh nervously. “I have more blood than this sitting on my bathroom counter.”

“Isn’t that blood fake, Darling?”

“And peppermint flavored, but that’s besides the point,” I awkwardly wave the question away. “You’re programmed with medical stuffs, right? Do you have a bandaid?” 

“My lab body is back in Ignihyde,” he informs me, “so I don’t have any of my medical supplies.”

“Okay. That’s okay.” I see the Magic cards left abandoned on the table. The panic starts creeping back into my brian. We won’t stay hidden forever. Idia was originally coming back here. “I should’ve told Idia how I felt while I still had the chance.” “What was that, Darling?”

“Nothing, Ortho,” I try to smile. “Nothing.” 

I close my eyes to try and think of a better place to hide, but I keep thinking of what I could’ve said to Idia before he got possessed by... whatever it was that possessed him.

“That’s quite a bit of trouble you’ve got yourself into,” a familiar voice cuts through my thoughts as its owner gently places a bandaid in my hand. “I can help, for a price.”

I open my eyes and see Azul staring back at me. I beam, my eyes starting to well up as he hands me a tissue. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s time for Board Game Club,” he answers, an edge lacing his voice. “Or are you asking about why I was late. I think you know why.”

From the satchel I didn’t notice before now, he holds up a very angry Grim.

“I kept him stalled for as long as I could, myah!” Grim responds, not thrilled about being held by the scruff of his neck.

“Uh, guys?” Ortho asks, but none of us hear him.

“For the band aid stuck to your face and the tissue now covered in your blood,” Azul continues, “all you have to do is tell me why Grim showed up to the Monstro Lounge and started pulling the table cloths off the tables and swinging from the chandeliers once my employees caught on to what was happening.”

“Grim!” I take the mischievous cat weasel thing from Azul to scold him. “I told you to distract him, not trash the Lounge!”

“Guys?” Ortho pipes up, but Azul pays no mind.

The school’s resident mob boss continues, “So, why did you send Grim to trash the Lounge?”

“My plan was to get Idia alone to tell him that I have a crush on him,” I confess to Azul.

“A crush on him?” Azul teases me. “Greaaaat taste there, Darling.”

And then Grim asks me, “Did the plan work?”

I laugh nervously. “Not exactly...”

“Guys!” Ortho yells at us from the open window. “Idia will be here any second! At least according to my tracking.”

“What?” Azul asks, almost offended at the fact that we didn’t tell him something sooner. 

“Idia’s possessed,” I summarize for Ortho.

Grim hops back in Azul’s satchel and asks from there, “Possessed by what? One of the ghosts?”

“We don’t know,” I respond, the panic creeping back into my voice as I remember the problem at hand. 

Ortho pipes up, “Yet!”

I nod hastily, “Yet, yet is good.”

“Guys…” Panic creeps into Azul’s voice like mold. “I don’t think we’re alone anymore.”

That’s when my ear zeros in on the sound of boots on linoleum and something metal scraping against the walls. I didn’t get a good look at whatever he was wearing when I last saw him. Maybe with his new personality he got a new wardrobe, too. I don’t know.

Looks like we’re about to find out as he starts throwing his body against the door Ortho barricaded from the sound of it. The first thud makes me jump, with each subsequent hit causing my adrenaline levels to rise.

“Good time to jump out of the window,” Azul remarks between thuds, “unless we all wanna end up sleeping with the fishes.”

I can’t bring myself to move. The barricades loosen and once again I am frozen. I have to see what he’s wearing. I have to see if anything about his design changed. I have to know what possessed him.

“Henchman!” I hear Grim yell above Ortho and Azul’s pleas, “I command you to follow us.”

The door breaks open.

I catch just enough of a glimpse of Idia, only a mere silhouette surrounded by fiery red with a bloody crimson light from the center of his head piercing through my being; a horrible, horrible glimpse, but enough of a glimpse to will my legs to work again and jump out of the window.

“We should run while we still have something resembling a lead,” I anxiously quip as Azul groans.

“Azul,” Ortho rolls his eyes. “Your only other option is dying.”

Grim pokes his head out. “Can I ride with Ortho?”

“Fine.” Azul hands Ortho the satchel. “It’ll make running easier.”

“Don’t worry,” I clasp a hand on his shoulder, “I know a shortcut.”

We share a smile, but the moment is shattered by a mechanized roar from Idia. “Oh you sussy baka!” Robotic tendrils shoot out from the window, just barely missing us. “Where did you vent off to?!”

I don’t acknowledge what he says, rather grabbing Azul’s hand on instinct as a signal to get him and Ortho to start following me. 

I’m not the best at running, but at least my theatre kid energy makes me better at it than Idia.

“So where are we running to?” Azul wheezes after a few minutes of nothing but woods.

“By the looks of it, Ramshackle,” Grim responds, chilling oh so smugly in his little satchel.

“Narrishackke,” I correct Grim.

“Is now really the time to try and make Narrishackke happen, henchman?”

“It’s not gonna happen,” Azul manages to get out before collapsing against a tree. 

I stop running and ask Ortho, “How far away is Idia?”

He calculates for a second before responding, “Idia will catch up to us in roughly ten minutes.”

“Okay,” I squat down to conserve energy, “so we have some time. We can formulate a proper plan.”

Grim hops out of the satchel and starts pacing. “We have to figure out what’s turned him into such a bloodthirsty monster!”

“Ghosts?” Azul muses.

I shake my head. “Unlikely. He still talks like himself.”

“There were those mechanical tentacles,” Ortho recalls. “And he was wearing some sort of hat.”

Grim rolls his eyes. “So he wanted to be dapper? Big deal!”

I dig deep in my memory for a detail that’s nagging at me. “Ortho, was the hat glowing?”

“There was some sort of red camera lens attached to it,” he replies.

“Like a headlamp?” Azul asks.

“No,” I continue trying to think, “More like-”

I’m cut off by the sound of falling trees and cracking wood.

“I thought you said we had ten minutes!” Azul hisses at Ortho.

Grim climbs back into the satchel and hides.

Ortho looks concerned as he rechecks his math. “I didn’t think he could move that fast.”

“A side effect of this possession?” Azul thinks out loud.

Another roar from Idia shakes the birds from the trees.

“Guys, we’re so dead if we don’t get out of here soon,” I snap them out of their conversation and start running again. Ortho nods and follows close behind me. 

Azul takes too long to get up off the forest floor. At the speed of light one of those tentacles we saw earlier wraps its metallic phalanges around Azul’s wrist. 

“Guys! It’s got me!” he cries, fear lacing his voice like bleach.

I turn to Ortho and tell him, “Take Grim back to Ramshackle. He knows the shortcut.”

“Be careful, Darling!” Ortho chirps before zipping away.

I rush over to Azul who’s still wrestling with the mechanical hand around his arm. 

“You should’ve gotten away while you still had the chance!” he weeps, voice catching in his throat.

“And leave one of my best friends behind?” I remark as I start my attempt to break the tentacle’s grasp. “Fat chance!”

“Do you even have a plan?!”

I continue to stomp on the tentacle, using my foot to create the tension necessary to try and get this thing to snap. “Not at all!”

I survey the scene as it stands. The noises from the forest are getting louder. If I don’t get Azul out of here fast, I can almost guarantee that more tentacles will come for us.

I start trying to pry the fingers of the metal claw off of Azul’s wrist.

“If it breaks, it breaks,” I mutter under my breath.

“I’d rather you didn’t break my wrist,” Azul gripes through the pain. He then takes the cue and helps me pry with his free hand. 

A red glow is coming from the foliage. 

“We’re running out of time!” he cries out. 

“Oh for the love of- Just yank your wrist out!” I scream, my panic getting the better of me.

Azul clenches his teeth and does so. He shrieks in pain as the claws scrape his wrist so hard that royal blue blood starts dotting the ground below. I pull him away from the tentacle and run before it can grab anything else. I lead Azul off the trail, hoping that Idia won’t be able to find us amidst all the trees.

Once the sounds of his jaunt through the woods fade to near inaudibility, I stop running to examine Azul’s injury. His face is pale as tears continue to pour down his cheeks. 

“Good news,” I tell him as I wrap the sleeve of my blazer around the wound, “it looks to only be surface level. Keep some pressure on it and then I can get it bandaged up once we get to Narrishackke.”

“Ramshackle,” he corrects me with a touch of laughter in his tone.

I smile. “I said what I said.”

We move carefully through the woods, only by the Seven’s protection or some unrelated miracle that we make it to Narrishackke before Idia. Ortho and Grim look overjoyed to see us.

“Glad to see my henchman is still in one piece, myah!”

I tell Ortho to take Grim upstairs to keep watch and to bandage up Azul’s wrist.

“But Darling,” Ortho gently takes my cold hand in his, “what will you be doing?”

“Keeping watch downstairs,” I respond solemnly. “We still don’t know exactly what’s caused this.”

“Be careful with him, then,” Ortho cautions me.

I nod and start my vigil. “Nothing would hurt me more than making him suffer.”

Ortho takes Grim and Azul upstairs and I double check all of the downstairs locks. The ghosts seem to be keeping their distance today. I guess whatever this is is too much for even them. I could use their comfort now though.

Why is it that the one day I want something to go right everything goes catastrophically wrong? I can’t even cry properly right now, lest I drain what little moral is upstairs with the sounds of my sobs.

What if we can’t fix him? What if all of this is permanent? What if I can’t put him back together? After all the phantom bride stuff, things were starting to look up. I should’ve just left when he did to start getting ready to go to the movie. I have two tickets. I could’ve invited Vil.

Through my sobs, I start to sing quietly in a futile attempt to ground myself or summon the ghosts to my side, or even just to right this upside down world.

“Is it a crime to kill,” the melody of the song passing through my halfhearted sobs in a heart wrenching staccato. “if we’re only sinking deeper and love can’t stop the fever?”

A knock on the door startles me from my thoughts. I frantically look for something sharp and pointy.

“You open that door and I’ll kill you!” I threaten the person on the other end. I don’t care if it’s Crowley himself, I'll stab if he opens the door.

All I find is a pencil. I’m doomed.

“I finally leave my room,” my best nightmare’s voice scrapes against my ears, “and this is how you react? RUDE.”

He slams the door open, confirming my worst fears.

“Darling!” I hear Ortho call from upstairs. “What’s wrong?”

I can’t even open my mouth to scream as I stand in the shadow of the Prefect of the Underworld standing in my doorway, his halo of fiery red hair devilishly backlighting his face, making him look like a fallen angel. I just start crying again as I shakily hold my pencil out in front of me.

I don’t want to hurt him. He’s not himself. But he’ll hurt me if I don’t do something. But I don’t want to hurt him.

He slowly walks towards me, his boots making a heavy thud with each footfall. I slowly back up towards the stairs. My hands tremble, still holding the pencil pathetically between him and I.

“It’s game over for you, Darling,” he bares his fangs in a twisted grin.

In this moment I understand why moths fly towards candles and burn up in their fiery light, for I too am now a moth staring down a candle, every part of my mothy being crying out to be enveloped by the warm, inviting light. Oh how I’d love to grant my cells their wish and let them collapse in the melted candle wax; but, unlike a moth, I have a job to do. I can’t give up now!

The lens attached to his bowler hat glows brighter, as if a light could be filled with rage. If I try to run now, he’ll just grab me and rip my throat out with his teeth.

“I thought you felt differently about me, Darling,” he continues, “but my eyes have been opened. There’s only one thing that could love me as much as you claim to.”

He continues to advance on me, pushing me up the stairs with his presence.

“Are you going to hurt me?” I ask out of the blue, as if I’ve seen this scene before.

I see a pink plastic cylinder on one of the steps through my tears. A candy scented body spray, within arms reach.

“Oh, I’m not going to hurt you, Darling,” the robotic sheen on his voice makes him sound like a vocaloid. 

I never moved that bottle of perfume back up to the bathroom, and I’d say my life is at least worth the seventeen thaurmarks the bottle cost.

Idia continues, “I’m just going to bash YOUR FUCKING BRAINS IN!”

He lunges at me, but that Shining reference telegraphed his moves so much even I was able to dodge him and  spray what feels like half the bottle of body spray in his face, causing him to recoil and retch. I pump a few more sprays for good measure and bolt upstairs to Ortho, Grim, and Azul.

“I’ve got more info!” I inform them as I lock the door and wedge a chair under the knob.

I was in the middle of redecorating my guest room, which means furniture is rather scarce. Aside from the chair I just wedged under the door knob, the only place to sit is the floor. Thankfully, there’s still places to hide. 

“Well, spit it out!” Grim commands.

“It’s gotta be the hat! Think about it,” I postulate, “first, he tells me he’s got something for me. Ortho, when you found me in the hallway, was Idia wearing a bowler hat?”

Ortho thinks for a second before his eyes widen and his apertures dilate. “Yes, he was!”

“And then something scratched my face as we fled,” I continue. “After that, we started seeing the tentacles.”

“The same ones that scratched up my arm!” Azul exclaims.

“But how is this proof that the hat possessed him and not something else?” Grim asks.

I take time to remember Idia’s exact wording, but Idia beats me to the punch, yelling from down the hall, “Fine! I never needed you, Darling! I’ll just keep this gift for myself!”

“Yeah, that works as evidence,” I remark as he cackles.

“So we have to rip that hat off,” Ortho states. “At least to prove or disprove our hypothesis.”

“I have a plan to get that hat off his head,” Azul announces. “Darling, you’re going to hide and get the jump on him. Us three will distract him so that you can knock his hat off.”

“Any idea what I can knock it off with without braining him?”

Just then, there’s a loud thud against the door.

“No time,” Azul responds. “You’re smart. You’ll think of something.”

I nod and move the chair back to where I decide to hide just as Idia kicks the door off its hinges.

He starts to growl, “There you are, Azul! And Ortho, too. How wonderful.”

“H-hi, Idia,” Azul stutters, eyes wide.

“You don’t appear to be at the club meeting today,” Idia rasps menacingly. “That’s not very poggers of you.”

“I had some,” he shoots a glare at Grim, “things to deal with at the Lounge.” 

“A shame, really,” he sighs maliciously, “because based on that look you gave Darling earlier, I would’ve assumed that you would’ve wanted to hang out with her.”

“What are you going on about?” Azul asks, genuinely confused.

“Don’t play dumb!” Idia shrieks, moving closer to him, and therefore me. “I saw the way she looked at you through Doris. I know what I saw!”

Grim pokes his head out from behind Azul. “Myah? Who’s Doris?”

He grins and gestures to the bowler hat enveloping his face. “She’s Doris. I found her in some storage room around campus. She promised she would help me and she opened my eyes.”

Just walk a little bit closer. Just walk a little bit closer and I can knock that evil thing off of your head.

And then Ortho asks him, “But what does this have to do with Darling?”

Idia whips his head around and focuses on Ortho with laser-like intensity. 

“Darling,” Idia runs over each syllable in his mouth like a flavorless wad of gum, “is a tease. She may act like she likes me, but Doris and I know better. There’s any number of guys she likes more than me. Like Vil,” he turns his attention back towards Azul, “or you.”

Azul sighs, “I’ll have to pay her back for this, but I have photographic evidence that Darling likes you.”

Idia scoffs, “Like I would believe you over Doris! Get pwned!”

I tighten my grip on the chair I’m hiding behind to keep from screaming. You’ll have to pay me back in a lot more than Monstro Lounge drinks if you leak those DM’s, Azul!

At this point, Idia is looming above the still seated Azul. Once Idia’s distracted again, I’ll strike. Now is not the time to miss my chance overthinking everything. 

Azul grins mischievously. I’m almost more terrified of whatever he’ll say next than this “Doris.”

“Okay, so what if Darling likes me then?” Azul asks. “Are you just that terrified of me liking her back? Of the possibility of me treating her better than a loser like you ever could? I mean, if Vil couldn’t keep her happy, then what chance do you have?”

He’s a good liar, I’ll give Azul that. I know he’s lying and I’m still a little pissed. 

Of course, Idia doesn’t take any of this well, letting out a mechanized screech as he lunges towards Azul. 

“Well, Azul!” A new rage alight in the red lens on the hat, “looks like it’s time for you to show the audience your flashback sequence!”

Now! Now’s my chance!

Time feels like a thick jelly as I spring up from behind the chair to knock that hat off of Idia’s head. The sound grabs his attention as he turns to me.

“Found you,” he growls, a devilish smile painted across his face.

Using nothing but momentum and lucky timing, I manage to tackle the unsuspecting gamer and rip the hat off of his head. Before we hit the ground, I fling it into the wall. I can hear it spark and sputter in the background. 

I gently brush his now blue hair out of his face. The tension in his face melts away when he’s asleep. Based on what Ortho’s told me before, this is a rare site to see. His face is so damp. It looks like he’s been crying for an hour or so. Poor guy... 

Ortho taps my shoulder. “Darling?”

“Yeah?” I respond, continuing to brush Idia’s pretty blue fire hair out of his face, gently cupping his face in my hand, running my thumb over his cheek. He’s so... beautiful.

“I need you to get off of him so that I can perform a medical examination,” Ortho continues. “Just to make sure that the hat was indeed the culprit.”

“Oh, right,” I snap back to reality and get up to sit by Grim and Azul.

I don’t talk much. Azul walks me through the recent changes he made to his Urza deck, but it all goes over my head. I hold Grim in my lap and give him pets. I can’t seem to find where I threw that bowler hat.

Idia eventually comes to, given a clean enough bill of health by Ortho. Azul immediately rushes to Idia’s side to apologize for baiting him by calling him a loser earlier, while also telling Idia that he will not be giving him any emotional compensation for it.

I see the way Idia looks at Azul, and I can only wonder if a quiet guy like him could ever want to be with a high octane girl like me. He smiles, and laughs, and takes Azul’s hand. I must just scare Idia. He’s never that calm with me.

It all comes back to butterflies. My heart feels like a butterfly crushed underneath a hunter’s boot.

“You alright, henchman?” Grim asks me.

“I will be,” I respond, dejected.

I get up to go get Idia a glass of water. Seven knows he needs it.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with tap water from one of the good sinks in the dorm. I should get him a snack, too. So, I set the glass of water down on the counter and rummage around for a bag of chips or something.

I feel a low rumble, like a car driving by, only shorter. Not to mention cars don’t drive out this way. My heartbeat picks up the pace. I drop what I’m holding and look at the glass of water on the counter. There are faint ripples on what should be a still surface. There’s no way... 

As the rumbles become more pronounced, the ripples do too. I start to pray that I’m wrong and that this sound of thunder is only attached to a storm, but there’s no way. There’s no way!

I race back upstairs to the others and blurt out, “There’s a t-rex coming.”

“What are you talking about, Darling?” Azul pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Do you not feel the rumbling?”

“It’s probably just a storm,” he continues.

Ortho pipes up, “According to the local weather report, it’s clear skies for the rest of the day.”

“Well,” Azul tries to save face, “there’s got to be a logical explanation for this that isn’t t-rex.”

And then a mechanized roar like something out of Transformers rocks the dorm. I look out the window.

And I see it. I see the terrible lizard king himself. I see the beast trampling through my forest. And I see it heading straight for us.

“Dammit, Doris,” I hear Idia mumble. “I just needed you to hold sewing patterns in place, not this!”

“Doris?” Grim asks, “What does that cursed hat have to do with this t-rex?”

“She told me that she had a plan if things went wrong,” he continues. “And I guess getting slammed up against a wall counts. I have no idea how she could’ve gotten a t-rex but it doesn’t surprise me that she did. I should’ve known that hat was sus.”

“You didn’t build it?” I ask him.

“I found her in one of the storage rooms. She was broken, and soaking wet, so I fixed her up.”

The t-rex has gotten closer and at this point I can now see the tiny little bowler hat on its massive reptilian head.

It roars again; an earth shattering, mechanical scream as it starts to bull rush the dorm.

I sprint across the hall, too panicked to tell the others to do the same. Thankfully, they all had the same idea I did.

From across the hall, we watch the t-rex smash a hole in the side of my guest room. Note to self: twist Crowley’s arm to make sure he repairs that.

The boys ready themselves to fight this fierce beast. As always, it’s my job to keep them on track.

Grim looks up at me, crackling with excitement. “What’s the plan, henchman?”

“Try not to kill it,” I say, “but if you must, make it instant!”

They ready their pens and start slinging as many spells necessary to take the beast down. 

I was doing my part by singing “Walk the Dinosaur,” since it’s the only dinosaur song I can think of, not to mention a bop.

It was a ferocious battle, with Idia’s defense being the only thing between them and a fate similar to that of the lawyer from Jurassic Park. Azul manages to sharpshoot the bowler hat dead in its lens with a jet of water so pressurized you could powerwash the grime off of Narrishackke with it. The thing eventually roars its last as it is soon felled by my team; falling to the earth with a thunderous crash. We go out to investigate, but the hat is nowhere to be found. 

I examine what I thought was a corpse of a t-rex, only to find that it’s somehow only been knocked unconscious.

Azul sees the gleam and my eyes and asks me, “Do you want me to shrink the t-rex down for you so that you can keep it as a pet?”

I nod rapidly. “I’m gonna name him Nathaniel.”

“Of course you are,” Azul sighs. “This won’t be cheap, you know.”

“I figured,” I say as I text him an IOU. “Next time I have my wallet, come talk to me.”

He nods and starts getting to work. Grim and Ortho wander off to continue looking for the hat, but I have something more important to do.

“So... Idia,” I slide up next to him, wringing my hands anxiously, “ I know you said earlier that-”

“When I had the hat on?” he cuts me off, voice pinched. “Darling, whatever I said about you when I was possessed by Doris, just, pretend I never did.”

Now’s my chance now’s my chance now’s my-

“Then, would you like to come see the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie with me?” I ask him. “I originally bought two tickets, and you’re the only person I know that cares about this series as much as me.”

His hair turns bright pink tip to root. I can practically see the 404 error screen plastered on the walls of his mind right now. 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude!” he finally exclaims. “You probably bought that ticket for someone else!”

“I did,” I confess. “For Grim. Because I was going to drag him along if you said no.”

“But you said you were going to get all dressed up for this.”

“Plans can change, and if we leave now we’ll arrive just in time.” I smile, extending my hand for him to take. “And I’d rather have you there than some nose and scar wax.”

He grins; nervously, excitedly, dreamily. He smells like candy. He gently takes my hand, as if I’m a Warhammer model he’s afraid of breaking or an unsleeved Black Lotus card. His hand is so soft, and warm, and wonderful. I’m holding his hand! I could cry if I wasn’t already so giddy.

I see a moth flying away in the distance towards some unknown light. I smile. The dust from the t-rex is still settling, making everything look hazy and dreamlike. And yet, I’m so lucky. Eat your heart out, Eliza! Eat your heart out, Doris! Eat your paradoxical heart out, Eckles!

The next day, Azul and I meet up to talk to Crowley about what is to be done about Narrishackke.

“Oh! So that’s what happened yesterday afternoon,” Crowley laments. “Has the press caught wind of this?”

“Not yet,” I respond, still worn out after the events of yesterday.

“We’ll leak it if you don’t answer some questions first,” Azul applies some pressure.

“Ortho did record everything,” I state.

“Fine, fine,” Crowley reclines in his office seat. “What is it you would like to ask?”

“First, where the hell were you?” I ask, doing my best to censor my language.

“Oh, well I was in my office. I initiated lockdown mode when it notified me that there was a prehistoric creature roaming the woods.” He smiles. I can feel my blood pressure spiking.

“How nice for you,” I respond, pissed.

“Next question,” Azul takes the floor. “What was that hat Idia found?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know,” he sighs. “I would check the library or ask one of the ghosts if you really care.”

“Okay, final question,” I ready my statement, “what are you going to do about the damage Nathaniel caused to House Narrishackke?”

“Narrishackke?”

“She means the ramshackle dorm building she and Grim are living in,” Azul pipes up. 

“And I named the t-rex Nathaniel,” I state proudly. 

“I’ll just give you a blank check,” he says quickly, exasperated. “Aren’t I just so generous?”

I take the blank check from him, “Yeah, generous works.”

After we leave the office, Azul asks me, “So what else are you gonna charge Crowley’s card with?”

“Whatever it takes to deck out a room for Nathanial,” I beam. “And an Emrakul, the Promised End.”

“Why?” he asks me, baffled. 

I smirk. “I still have to beat Idia in a game of Magic.”

[marlenacantswim]

Fic ask,,, The Editor,,, "You're Gonna Need to Call A Doctor."

You're Gonna Need to Call a Doctor

He's alive. For a brief moment, he thinks this unfortunate, as if he were dead, he wouldn't be experiencing the ghastly stench of his pulverized boss. Former, boss, he remembers. As the events of the past few hours return to him, he tentatively opens his eyes, and sees only complete darkness— a rarity for him. The overall silence in his mind seems to indicate a complete shutdown of the thought broadcast system, and the darkness probably means there's no power to floor 500. It's strange: he almost feels asleep.

See, to minimize any excess heat, lighting on floor 500 was kept to a minimum, which of course necessitated ocular enhancement for The Editor. As such, since being chosen all those decades ago, he could always see in the darkest of environments, even with closed eyes. Add to that his constant operator-level access to the stream of consciousness only ever deactivating for his monthly rest, and it becomes pretty clear why his idiotic human instincts are yearning for a hearty nap at the mo. How blissfully unaware of them.

Alright, enough of this stupidity: where the hell is he? He hears the sounds of searing and thick bubbling, so he can't have been out that long. The amount of heat going on is also tremendous, but living and working in an icebox for several decades hasn't exactly tempered his perception of temperature. He tries to move. There's a lot of wet resistance; his backside must be covered in Jagrafess sludge. "So disgusting," he moans to himself, pushing himself away from the chilled wall of the lifeless computer system. In his panic from Suki's bafflingly strong corpse-grip, he'd rolled himself under the main console as a last-ditch grasp at survival. A typically brilliant call on his part, seeing as the metal paneling retained its cold temperature, and likely shielded him from the onslaught of molten innards.

His struggling motion must set something off, because a single light somewhere in the room hums to life. It's on for maybe a second before it fizzles out, once again leaving him blind. "Woooow, how thoughtful," he muses to no one. As he continues to inch his way out, he notices both his legs can move completely unhindered. A devilish smirk crosses his face: "Ohh, see that, you mole? Really tried your best, didn't you?" Feeling around for the edge of the console, he pulls himself up to a sitting position. "All the good that did you, ay Suki? Still had some kindle of life in you, and you wasted it! Your husk boiled away, and I remain completely untouched!"

As if on cue, that same bulb from before reawakens. The first thing he sees after the writhing masses of sinew coating the place are his legs: his left, loafer still shiny, and about two thirds of his right— the only two thirds that seems to be remaining. "Aw, what? No, that— c'mon!" How annoying. It'll cost him at least 3,000 credits for a new one. The end of it, still sizzling, sits in a pool of what he first assumes is anti-freeze, before coming to the conclusion that no, actually: that's just what his blood looks like. He's never really seen it before; always assumed it looked like everyone else's— just how much altering did Max do to him?

Whatever. No time for an identity crisis— he's got to get out of here. For one, it smells like absolute rubbish, but more importantly, it can't be good that he's... leaking, and of course he's got to get the bum leg thing sorted. He's still got administrator clearance for the lift, he'll just go down to the 417th floor, fork over the credits for a leg prosthesis, and blend in with the citizens of Satellite Five until some new, decent opportunity presents itself. He pauses, staring at his reflection in the blue-ish pool of his own blood. His irises are so massive, and his pupils more jarringly so in the dim light. Would the masses even consider him human? The surgeons would probably take one look at the foreign substance seeping from his wound and report him to... well, himself, he supposes. This is what he gets for being too good at his job.

Maybe their expertly curated xenophobia is right, though. Would his name— his real name— even show up in their systems? What would a medical scan reveal? They'd probably find his genome more analogous with one of those cold-faring species. Regardless, It's been so long since another alien's been on the station, the medbay no longer carries anything but iron-based blood— certainly nothing resembling whatever's flowing through his veins. A frown forms, unbefitting of his face. "Bloody hell, I look pathetic," he spits. Fine. Screw it. Guess he's having this identity crisis now. Who the hell even is he without the Jagrafess's influence? Not that it was particularly grand; must've been a pretty flimsy system if it only took one fool and a lucky break to blow it up completely. All that aside, it still gave him power and purpose, and now what has he got?

He perks up— Knowledge. He tilts his head, and a foxy grin sneaks back onto his mien. He's got knowledge. Valuable, valuable knowledge. Knowledge of the Doctor, and his time-traveling capabilities. That anomaly and his human plaything may have squandered his previous, let's say, "business endeavor," but they've shown themselves to be a far more lucrative investment opportunity. He brings himself to his fee— foot. To his foot, and cackles. "Oh Doctor," he sneers, "won't you be excited to see me again." Perhaps there are some benefits to his unexpected survival. How many people in the universe know that there's a Time Lord frolicking about spacetime unsupervised? How fewer can identify him by face alone? The Editor gives another scan of the alien remains around him, and bursts out laughing. "Sorry for the late notice, Max, but my resignation still stands. I think it will greatly benefit both of us." He points at a lifeless eyeball that wound up in the chair next to him— "Can I put you down as a reference?"

As he hears the metered sound of the approaching lift, he puts on his most pathetic pitiable face, and begins weaving his sob story.

It's about time he became his own boss, don't you reckon?