#also the first game i started playing was the plane one bc when i was 11 i was a lunatic and it was my favorite

[nejackdaw]

Finally bought Wii Sports Resort bc I've been missing it a lot (good memories attached to it) and like. Yeah okay I get the whole "gentle exercise" thing now. I used to play this thing bouncing like 18mph on a fucking yoga ball instead of sitting on a chair because I was 11 and could still run on two hours of sleep and feel like god. Now I'm playing Frisbee bc I like the dog thinking "wow, this stretching motion is great for my back and shoulder!"

[asaarii]

this is pure self-indulgent filth so 18+ I suppose bc I #need that invincidih when gaming also my first smut pls be nice or ill cry

You knew you shouldn’t have listened to him when he promised to keep his hands to himself, sitting comfortably on your bed with the newest issue of Seance Dog in his grasp. You eyed him suspiciously, your arms crossed as you looked at him from head to toe. He only smiled that damn disarming grin of his, settling against your freshly made sheets.

You trusted him.

Stupid horny Mark. Stupid horny brain.

It started with asking for kisses between deaths, slowly devolving into you sitting in his lap. Innocently, of course. Until it wasn’t. Until you felt a familiar weight against the curve of your ass and the gentle prod of his fingers, pulling your panties and shorts to the side.

“Promise not to move, baby. Won’t even know I’m here,” he’d said; as if the sheer size of him wasn’t enough to take your breath away.

You’d stupidly allowed his fingers to open you up, your eyes rolling back mid-teamfight as his thumb rubbed harsh circles on your clit. Perhaps you should have protested harder, clenched your thighs against his bullying fingers that curled oh-so-deliciously inside you. 

Maybe you would’ve had the decency to let him take you on the bed if you weren’t on a godforsaken loss streak. But you never end on a loss, even if it meant starving your insatiable boyfriend. 

Though, you never were one to deny him for too long. Especially when he pleaded so nicely to simply cockwarm. So, it wasn’t long until your shorts and underwear were soon discarded and his bulbous tip caught against your fluttering pussy, each push tantalizingly slow as you queued up for another match.

Which leads you to where you are now.

Your hand clicking furiously on your keyboard, your mouse gliding across your mouse pad as muscle memory takes over. The combo etched into your brain playing out before your eyes. You’re left with a sliver of health but are lucky enough to live another day. Annoying Riven thought she could get away from you? Ha! Not in her wildest dreams.

A familiar touch brushes your hip as you lean back into your boyfriend, his lips mumbling sweet, overstimulated nothings into your neck. His hips buck into yours from below, causing you to jolt and glare at him when your screen goes gray.

“Mark.” Your voice comes out more breathless than stern, your back arching slightly the further he drives his cock. Your grip on your mouse tightens as you misclick, the feel of him twitching inside you slowly growing to become too much.

“‘M sorry,” he pants into your skin, mouthing and licking at the sweat gathered at the nape of your neck. “You just feel so good.” Always the wanderer, his hands slip up your—his—shirt, palming at your breast with perfectly calloused hands.

“I need to focus, this is my—mgh! Stop moving…!” Your thighs quiver on each side of his lap, held open by his unfair Viltrumite physique. You try your best to keep your attention on the game, keeping your CS up to the best of your ability and taking picks when you’re able to.

The moan that pulls itself from his lips is borderline pornographic, matched only by your loud whines. The screen goes gray as you die again, and you take the chance to push against his abdomen to try and slow his incessant grinding. But it does little to deter him in his pussydrunk haze, for better or for worse.

Damn him and his Viltrumite genes.

“At least slow—slow down, dumbass.”

“Sorry…Sorry. Can’t help it.” He rolls your hardened nipple between his fingers, trying to still his canting hips to the best of his ability as his apologies fall deaf on your ears. His spit-coated lips find your jaw just below your headset, pressing feather-light kisses to the skin—a stark contrast to the muscled planes of his hips pressed flush against yours.

A few grueling minutes pass before the enemy nexus finally falls, and for the first time today, “VICTORY” flashes across your screen. You barely have time to react after taking off your headset before Mark pins your knees to your chest with unparalleled strength, fucking up into you with the desperation of a man starved.

You keen at the sudden intensity, hands blindly reaching behind you as you try to find something to hold onto. They settle on his hair, tugging at the raven locks hard enough to have a normal man in tears. But, luckily for you, Mark was no normal man, if the deep pleasured rumble from his chest was anything to go by. Or maybe he was just a masochist. Honestly, it was hard to tell with him sometimes.

“Mark.” 

His name falls from your lips a whimpered plea, caught between a string of wanton moans and short gasps. And fuck does it drive him crazy.

You tilt your head back and are met with the instantaneous feel of his lips on yours. It’s a messy mesh of tongue, teeth, and spit, with neither of you really fighting for any sort of dominance, only basking in the feel of each other. He stutters out a pretty, broken gasp when you drag your nails down his sensitive nape, though his hips never once lose their rhythm. 

“I. Love. You. So. M-Much.” Each of his words is punctuated by a hard thrust, and you begin to feel the coil deep in your stomach tighten when one of his hands drops a leg in favor of messily rubbing your clit. The new angle has him pressed against the spot that has you seeing stars, even without his ability to fly, your toes curling tightly in your Invincible-themed socks.

“Fuck…You’re close, aren’t you? Cum for me, baby. C’mon, need to feel you cum around my cock,” he babbles sweetly in your ear, his voice the only thing you can make out other than the wet schlick of his shaft pumping into your sopping cunt.

Your lips part as the coil snaps, your hips attempting to pull away from Mark as the intensity of your orgasm hits you hard. His forearm pins you against him as he fucks you through your high, though his pace seems to falter considerably as he, too, nears his peak.

“Where do you want me?” His hoarse voice barely manages to reach you through your prolonged orgasm haze, but you unconsciously tighten at the show of consideration. He groans against your shoulder, the hand still holding your leg up trembling with pleasure.

“Inside,” you gasp out, pulling him in for one last kiss before he spills deep within you. He whines against your lips as his dick twitches with every spurt of cum he shoots inside you.

When you pull back from the kiss, you’re met with the breathtaking sight of Mark’s debauched yet adoring expression. His pupils are blown out, the black nearly overtaking all of the warm brown you could spend hours getting lost in. You reach your hand up despite the awkward angle to caress his cheek and he seemingly melts at the soft touch.

His chest heaves with effort as he catches his breath, his tongue darting out to lick his kiss-bitten lips before he gives you a soft smile. “Hi,” he croons softly, acting as though he wasn’t rearranging your guts a few minutes prior.

You snort in response, leaning your back against him with an equally loving gaze. “Hey to you, too.” You glance to your legs, shooting him a sheepish look. “Help me clean up? You can tell me all about the newest issue or something.”

He laughs, burying his nose in your hair while he easily maneuvers you in his arms to carry you to the bathroom. “You’d never guess what happens with Iron Knight.”

Your arms easily wrap around his neck even though you know he’d never drop you. “No,” you gasp, a look of offense crossing your features.

Mark only smiles passively, his gaze full of nothing short of absolute devotion as he stares at your pinched expression. Something stirs deep inside him when the imperceptible sound of your mixed cum oozing out of you reaches his sensitive ears. “Oh, yes.”

©asarii 2025 — do not copy, steal, repost, or translate any of my works on tumblr or any other site

[cherie-doll]

Cod men reaction .

He and reader were on a mall date and reader suddenly stopped to look at a kids toy/a book/a book series. The thing is, reader grown up as the oldest grandchild, they used to have that toy/book(s), but it was ruined by their younger siblings/cousins.

Based on my real situation. Sorry for the broken grammar, I was typing this with one hand while eating pizza.

this reminds me of how i used to collect the archie comics as a kid and i loved reading them until my younger sibling ruined it bc they slobbered all over the pages like a dog, also, i hope that pizza was good i'm lowkey hungry

༢ུ· Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Roach, Alejandro, Rudy, Phillip Graves, Makarov, Keegan, König, Horangi, Nikto

Price would turn right away when he noticed you've stopped walking. He's watching you, the skin creasing around his eyes as he smiles and his eyes soften. There's just something to seeing you in awe, recognizing that thing you've wanted for a long time, the nostalgia that must've bubbled up inside of you seeing it again. He'll come up beside you and say "why don't we buy it?".

Simon stared, confused at what could be so interesting, and when he saw it was only a silly stuffed animal. At first he thinks it only caught your attention because it was cute, but it was quite plain, a little ugly looking plush too. But you remember hugging it when you slept as a child, it had a certain smell to it too, until it got ripped apart by your sibling's puppy. You had cried but never got a new one. Without prompting from his part you start telling him the story of how much you loved that thing, and how you still sort of do. Silently nodding and already pulling out his wallet.

Johnny actually pointed out the game you mentioned playing when you were younger, the game you described to him because you couldn't remember the name of it. "Isn't that the game you've been talking about?". You excitedly reply that it is as he picks up the box, your eyes going straight to the price tag but he's already going to checkout to buy it. You ask him what he's doing, "you've been wanting to try it out again, right?" he replies with a smile.

Kyle remembers the time he helped you go through boxes when you moved in with him and how he opened a box filled with old stuff from your childhood. He had found a set of beat up books, some with pages missing, chunks ripped out or with crayon scrawled on them. You tell him it was a series you loved reading as a kid but was messed up by your siblings who played a mean prank on you. He later goes on out and purchases the same set of books and surprised you with them when he arrives home.

Roach once noticed a keychain made of seashells hanging on your bag, some of the shells were broken but it still looked like it had been a pretty little trinket. He played with it, fidgeting with it until he asked you why you still carried the old broken keychain. You tell him it was a gift from your late grandfather that he had made, kids had pulled at it and it had fallen to the floor, breaking in pieces. You had tried fixing it before but were missing pieces. He didn't buy you a new one, instead he spent an evening gathering seashells that looked close to the broken ones and rearranging them in the same order. It was difficult but was worth seeing you happy.

Alejandro could probably late to having to give up your toys to younger siblings or cousins because he had to do the same. So, it feels as if he heals something within himself when you both stop and look at the toys in a secondhand store that bring you a sort of nostalgia. He remembers summers spent playing outside and having to share the toy plane with his siblings. He notices you staring at a toy too and decides to give into making the little kid still in both of you happy.

Rudy has seen how you still keep the little dolls aligned neatly on your shelf. He's noticed how you put up a new one every time you find one when going through your old stuff. He's listened as you tell him how there is one specific doll you remember owning that was your favorite to play with, until it was either taken by some other kid who thrown away accidentally. He spots it at an antique shop and recognizes it because he's always thinking of you. Knowing this will make you feel complete he buys it and excitedly goes home to show you.

Phillip would have been walking along just like any other day he takes you shopping at the mall for you to let some stress out by swiping a credit card. He felt the absence of your hand on his arm and when he turned around he saw you in the toy shop through the glass display. When you held it in your hands, you felt your old emotional attachment to the toy reignite, it was smaller than you remembered but still as secure and comforting as ever. You turn to find Phillip beside you, he only nods, giving you the green light to just go ahead and buy it.

Makarov would hardly deny you from buying anything you wanted. It just strikes him as odd for there to be a change in the pattern you keep of buying clothes, jewelry and other luxurious items for a stuffed animal. But he knew that soft look in your eye, the reminiscing of a memory from long ago still etched in your mind that bloomed in your heart again. His eyes went from plush to you and back to the plush again. He told you to buy it and anymore you might have wanted.

Keegan found it slightly amusing that you had gotten so excited over seeing a children's series you thought had become lost media. He had taken you to the bookstore and instead of finding some cute romcom or some classical piece of literature you ended up in the corner of the kid's book section immersed in rereading the series that had become your escapism when you were a kid. You were going to leave it back where you found it when leaving but Keegan just chuckled and told you to buy the entire series.

König stared curiously at how entranced you were by the plush the kid held in front of you while at the food court. At first, he thought you were having baby fever or something, but really you were more interested in kid's backpack plush. You remember having one as a kid, you used to take it everywhere with you until you lost it, not knowing if one of your parents gave it away. You passed by a store that sold them, and König guided you inside the store to buy one for you. It was funny when the lady at the register asked if it was a gift for your kid.

Horangi knew you always had a thing for collecting adorable figurines, toys, anything that reminded you of when you were a kid. You took care of them so well too, placing them on shelves which he built btw, and dusting them off frequently. When asked why you were so particular about caring for them, you said it was because your old toys were always being broken from your siblings playing too rough with them. It must've broke your little kid heart to see them on the ground, all dirty and chipped off pieces. Now, he is always surprising you with one when he comes back from the store.

Nikto's first thought was that you had picked up the figurine as a gift for one of the kids in your family. At first, he couldn't understand that you were getting it for you, you were staring at the toy so fondly. What memory could have arisen in your mind at the moment? But he recognized the feeling of finding serenity in the little mundane things in life; in your case a toy. He offered to pay for it and as he drove home, he kept glancing over to you and seeing how you had the little thing in your hands, holding it instead of leaving it in the bag. He couldn't even tease you for it.

[peachhcs]

keep on dancing…

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

coming out of my hiatus to say that yes, i’ve been keeping up on the news and i can’t believe ryan and gabe are onto their pro careers 🥹🥹 this is not samy + will but i really love writing samy + gabe + ryan’s brother/sister relationship so here’s samy at the regional game in new hampshire where things change very fast when denver eliminates bc (and lowkey cliff hanger at the end lmk if we want part 2)

i also won’t fully be back from hiatus until the semester is done (end of april eeek), but once i’m back TRUST i’ll be back :)

au masterlist | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

it really wasn’t looking good as the boys tried pulling for anything they had left in the last period. it was 3-1, bc down by 2 and almost every bc fan in the stands knew they weren’t walking away with a win tonight as disappointing as it sounded.

it was a gutting feeling for everyone. the boys started so strong in the beginning, but the losses hit them fast and hard—first the beanpot championships, not making the playoffs, and now this. with only 8 minutes left, there was no way the boys could scrounge up 2 points to even tie it.

samy stood in the stands getting deja vu from last year’s ncaa tournament where the outcome was nearly the same. they worked so hard to make it to that point and it hurt coming up on the same outcome this time around too.

she knew what this loss would mean once the game finished. she’d been talking with gabe and ryan about it ever since the season started. it started as mere thoughts and considerations, but as the season went on, their decisions became a bit more firm each time they talked and samy knew this feeling all too well.

as soon as that buzzer went off and the time ran out, gabe and ryan would be on a plane to their professional teams in 24 hours to make their debuts in the post season playoffs. oh, how it hurt so bad knowing their time at boston was coming to an end so fast, so soon, and so sadly.

suddenly, samy could see herself standing in a similar arena watching luke play one last time with his michigan teammates before jumping on a plane to jersey.

it hurt more knowing julianne couldn’t make it out and emma was back in boston so neither of them would be here to say one last goodbye. all of the boys’ stuff was packed and sitting in their new places for when this game was done.

the clock ran down like how cinderella had to be back home by midnight. everyone was anticipating it and samy could see it weighing down both boys as they fought tooth and nail for at least one more point. no one even really knew they were signing but her, only close friends and family so the news would be a surprise to a lot of fans.

when the buzzer blared through the arena and the bc fans clapped sadly for their boys samy watched the teams exchange pleasantries. ryan and gabe weren’t huge criers—the only time samy’s seen them cry was last year’s finals—but she saw the tears in their eyes as they skated down the tunnel.

the brunette followed the crowd out of the seats. she texted her brothers the news and then her parents. she knew it’d be awhile until gabe and ryan emerged so samy made herself comfortable in one of the back hallways where they’d appear later. she had the replays up as if it would tell her something that the team could’ve done differently to get those points.

another fifteen minutes passed when samy heard her name, “hughesy?”

she saw gabe and ryan, a soft expression on her features. “hi.”

the girl stood and that’s when she saw how upset the two looked about leaving. she’s known them for quite awhile, yet neither of them have ever looked this sad before. samy opened her arms so one of them could step into her embrace. gabe took the lead and as soon as she wrapped her arms around his large torso, the water works followed and he cried into her shoulder.

samy frowned and then looked at ryan who looked equally as sad but was holding it together for the sake of both of them.

“i know, i know,” she didn’t know what to say, so she comforted as best as she could. her arm stroked his back while her other hand gently rubbed the tension through his shoulders—poor gabe sobbing into her shoulder.

ryan adverted his gaze by turning away slightly. he hated crying more than gabe did and if he ever did cry, he made sure people didn’t see.

“it’s all over. all of it,” the dark-haired boy cried more.

“you played your heart out. you both did. i’m proud of you,” samy looked at ryan too. the taller brunette managed a smile.

“i-i just..fuck. i didn’t even tell emma,” gabe finally pulled away and now it was samy’s turn to be surprised.

“what? i thought you did?”

“i couldn’t bring myself to..i never had the right chance and..i couldn’t hurt her anytime i thought about telling her,” gabe explained the situation and samy’s jaw dropped open.

“gabe.. you can’t not tell her. you're supposed to be on a plane to new york in like..7 hours," samy looked at her phone that read 10:42pm. she knew ryan and gabe were set to head out early tomorrow morning where ryan would go back to boston since that's where the capitals were as of right now and gabe would be in new york.

she couldn't believe gabe didn't even tell his own girlfriend and suddenly she knew that feeling all too well.

"i know, i know..this whole thing has been so hard to think about the closer it got...i thought i'd have more time to tell her if we won.." gabe shook his head. samy and ryan exchanged a glance and the girl imagined emma sitting back home in boston probably blowing up gabe's phone about the loss and how sorry she was and how she had no idea her boyfriend actually wasn't going back to boston tomorrow morning.

"you need to call her," the youngest hughes urged.

"fuck, she's gonna hate me," gabe frowned.

"gabe. you need to call her. don't fuck this all up like will did a year ago," that made the boy snap out of it. the look on samy's face was chilling and one gabe couldn't say no to, so he pulled out his phone and stepped away for privacy.

now it was just ryan and samy in the deafening silence of the hallway. ryan walked a ways until he could sit down on one of the steps that plunged further into the locker rooms. the soccer player silently followed where they sat and stared at the blank wall saying nothing. nothing really could be said because they were both thinking the same thing.

"i can't believe it's over," ryan mumbled.

"you played well. the capitals are going to be real happy to have you. julianne told me how excited she is to visit you in D.C. this summer," samy grinned.

"mm, yeah she's been yapping my ear off about summer. she's planning my whole apartment actually," the two shared a laugh. "it's gonna feel so weird leaving boston again..like for good," the brunette continued.

"for good?"

"i always knew i'd probably come back after dev program, but like this is it. unless they trade me, my new home is washington for however long," ryan explained and samy slowly nodded.

"it's bittersweet. everyone's slowly leaving and monthly reunions will turn into yearly reunions," the soccer player hummed. of course, she'd still visit boston to see drew, aram, teddy, james, vote, and fowler if none of them signed on, but it was going to be different not having ryan, will, and gabe there anymore.

"well, at least we'll always have the lake house to come back to, right? we'll be around this summer, don't worry hughesy. i've been looking forward to this all year," ryan roughed up her arm making the girl's smile return.

summer was so close again and she was really glad she was going into it with will by her side after the events of last summer. plus, this certainly wasn't goodbye forever to the two hockey players. these boys were family and samy knew she'd still be texting them her every thought like an annoying sister from across the country.

"yeah, jack, luke and quinn can't wait to have all of my annoying friends over," the two laughed again. "but seriously, i think you're gonna have a lot of fun in the pro leagues. my brothers will always have your back if you need anything," samy continued more seriously and a small smile sat on ryan's lips which was refreshing to see after the many tears and frowns in the last hour.

"i'm really excited. i think it's gonna be really fun," he agreed.

"one chapter closes to open another. plus, you already know i will be at the games at some point or another. i can't wait to see you two go head to head with will," the girl giggled. one positive note was that next season, the trio's paths were going to be crossing a lot more frequently now that all 3 were in the nhl.

"oh, i can't wait to push that kid into the boards. he already knows i'm not gonna go easy on him," ryan laughed, a genuine laugh, which made samy happy to hear his spirits were slowly lifting.

the friends sat on the step for another good 20 minutes just reminiscing on everything and the possibility of gabe, ryan, and will getting to play for team usa at some point again when footsteps remerged behind them. expecting gabe, they turned around and were not surprised when they saw him, but the look on the boy's face did not look good.

samy immediately got up, "gabe?"

"she broke up with me."

a look of horror flashed on ryan and samy's expressions.

[hungrydata]

Day 42

Oh wow it's late, I had to force myself to finish this, otherwise it'll be outdated soon enough (also sorry for the bad lineart i was rushing a bit, that's why Chopper's nose isn't blue etc.)

(Explanation for every character under the cut!)

Also if I'd be honest, almost all the boxes would be filled with Ribbun, but that'd be boring.

current favorite: Boo (Super Mario)

Since Super Mario Party: Jamboree I started to pick Boo bc my prior main Luigi kept failing me, and ever since then I fell in love with these funny specters. I'm kinda hoping that for MK9 we get a middle class Boo as character and the actual King Boo from LM as heavy bc I'm usually driving with middle or light classes.

comfort character: Ribbun (TADC) and Kirby (Kirby)

I never really had a "comfort character", it was always more a "comfort ship" and often my OTP atm, which rn is Ribbun. But while finishing this drawing, I remembered that when I was little, I always considered Kirby to be my BFF bc I didn't have many friends I could meet outside of kindergarten and such (yes I was really little), so I decided to add him as well.

by design: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

My favorite Ghibli movie, The Cat Returns. I always liked the Baron, his usual design is beautiful, and when he disguises himself to help Haru escape the King, omg he looks so good. Ngl he was (and probably still is) one of my biggest childhood crushes and I don't feel ashamed of that (call me a furry for liking anthropomorphic characters idc)

by plot: Furina (Genshin Impact)

I mean, if you played the Fontaine story, I probably won't have to explain this. When we first met her, I had a love-hate relationship with her, awaiting what's going on with her. And after the quest was over, I fell in love with her and her character. Pls, i never wanted a character so bad just for their personality like Furina (pls come home I'm begging you-)

guilty favorite: Blitzø (Helluva Boss), Baby Mario & Luigi (Super Mario)

Blitzø i think ion have to explain. Big asshole, half the community hates him yadayada. As for the Baby Bros, it's the same reason. Not the asshole part, but big part of the community isn't a fan of the Babies in MK. While I'm here being biased af not bc I main Baby Mario in MK8D, but bc my GOAT is Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. So yeah, that's the reason.

all-time favorite: Chopper (One Piece), Rock Pikmin (Pikmin) and Luigi (Super Mario)

I literally stopped watching OP after Chopper joined the crew bc that was my most anticipated moment. Still planing on watching more, but Chopper, I love him, he's adorable. Rock Pikmin as well, it's so cute I can't. Whenever they're on screen I can't keep my squeal of cuteness for myself. And Luigi is technically there as well, he was my main for most of my life in any Mario game. Since he's already there as Baby, I added the "Luigi-!" bubble to Chopper as indication

[bihanspookies]

Was chatting with @chadillacboseman about fucking kuai liang, bi han and liu kang at the airport bc I was wondering how they got to johnnys house.

Like did they go on a plane or

Only to realize liu probably opened a portal but I like the airport idea better.

Anyway

Kuai Liang and Bi Han at the airport:

• I just know they’d both want to go in their bright ass uniforms and liu kang is like 🤨…no. He makes them change into civilian clothing (with their respective colors still) and bi han is bitching

• traveling for fucking ever and they got a layover in Chicago

• Liu goes to get them tea from Starbucks and thinks surely nothing can go wrong leaving the two of them alone

• Kuai Liang is fine, he’s okay sitting there just waiting, people watching etc etc etc. Still intimidating looking let’s be real

• Bi han is sitting with his arms crossed, grumpy af, perma-scowl on his face and you just so happened to be sitting across from him trying not to stare but you’re like 👁️👄👁️

• You think ‘boy oh boy I hope they’re not on my flight’ as you subtly not so subtly try to look at them

• They know you’re looking

• Liu kang finally returns with their drinks, bi han takes one sip and says it tastes like shit and then they start calling to board the plane

• You’re first class bc yes bitch 💅 but then you see them also getting up

• You board, all is good and dandy, middle seat unfortunately but that’s okay. And then you see the two of them come to your aisle and you just 🧍‍♂️

• Squished between two muscular men, trying not to bother either one of them

• Don’t even bother looking out the window bc bi han brings the visor down, wanting to try and get some shut eye. He doesn’t.

• They start speaking a different language right over your head, you just so happen to know it’s either Cantonese or Mandarin (it’s Mandarin). The one in blue clutching your shared arm rest so hard that you swear he could snap it off. The one in orange shaking his head and rolling his eyes. But you keep picking up the words ‘Johnny cage’.

• Like the actor?

• Time for snacks and you want the bag of pretzels, ready to claim it when the attendant asks what would you like

• Unfortunately bi han also wants the pretzels and just straight up demands it, grabbing it past your nose and ripping the bag open

• You give him the side eye

• The rest of the flight is unbearably awkward, doing your best to make yourself unseen and just listen to your tunes until finally you land in good ol LA

• luckily you’re close to the front of the plane but unluckily you gotta wait for orange brother to get up first.

• He helps you get your bag down ✨

• Bi han grouches at him to hurry tf up

• You eventually scurry off the plane and watch the two of them and the liu kang make their way down the walkway and quickly out, wondering if comic con had come early this year.

Bonus:

• kuai Liang stops at every gift shop because he wants to look and bi han bitches at him to hurry tf up

• “we have no use for this bauble, kuai liang.”

• “But brother—“ *holds up keychain that says ‘all I got is this stupid keychain’ and walks to the counter* it’s for tomas who couldn’t make it.”

• if they eat at the airport restaurant bi han treats himself to margs and kuai Liang plays the little tablet games

• bi han also beefs with an 8 yr old who looks at him funny

[thatdeadaquarius]

@goldensunsetchild Asked:

Hello there! I know that you might be busy right now but I wanted to let you know an idea that I have, greatly inspired by your post: spanish reader who gets homesick but instead of getting depressed by it starts to do things they used to do back on their world. Dancing to their traditional dances while singing their accompanying songs, teaching the children the games they used to play when they were younger and also telling folktales to everyone who is interested in listening to. If you decide to do this idea and want to incorporate things from Costa Rica, please let me know and I'll help you with anything you need (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。

(Content under cut)

HELLO YES SORRY IT TOOK ME SO DAMN LONG TO GET TO THIS!! 😭 /gen

I went to Costa Rica back in highschool in 2018? I think, and when I tell you I FELL IN LOVEEEE <3333

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and everyone was really nice, vibes were immaculate 🤌 ✨

☆

Sun: Costa Rican Reader! (you/they/them)

Stars: Sumeru cast

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: None known & Trigger Warnings: alcohol usage/drinking game.

Orbit: Headcanons-ish

☆

when u first crash landed in Teyvat, people luckily recognized you from when u were a player!

and u took in whatever culture and traditions everyone was so excited to show you as they were kind enough to give u clothes/food/shelter etc.

butttt… it did get overwhelming after a few months, and u got homesick more and more often :(

after all there wasn’t really an equivalent country to Costa Rica, and you couldn’t just take a plane back home, you were stuck here for… however long it takes someone to leave a video game universe??

You decided to actually do smth abt the crippling depression and “outsider” feelings instead of just rotting away, and went to Sumeru to get closer to the greenery of your home,

it made you feel a little better, but it could be the best, so u decide to lowkey force everyone in Sumeru to convert to Costa Rican LMAO

so ofc u did the most logical thing to convert ppl to a culture, the food!

u helped fund a small restaurant full of classic Costa Rican foods (coughandsoyoucaneatitwheneveryouwantcough)

(u still have the insane mora leftover from what u had in game so ur basically one of the richest ppl in Teyvat ngl 💀)

u recreated just the basic gallo pinto/casado with what was available (some beans from Natlan and rice from Inazuma/Liyue, the Ajilenakh nut from Sumeru acc kinda acts like plantains :0 and local fish/greens for salad)

Needless to say Sumeru is fascinated by the new cuisine and esp since its not a secret that you’ve funded it/made the menu from your homeworld

Alhaitham orders the casado most of the time bc he “admires the exact proportions, its all the nutrients you need, perfectly balanced” NERDDD

Tighnari likes barbudos bc there's not a lot of egg dishes in Sumeru but there are a lot of greens, so he “likes the familiar in unique combinations!”

unsurprisingly, Cyno likes Chancelta bc he can pick it up, eat it quickly, and go on with his patrol

Collei, Kaveh (and secretly Dehya lol) really like being able to munch and snack on sugar cane, (and the plantain imitation desserts!)

(u found sugarcane deep in sumeru forests, it was like on ur world, but sweet flowers sprouted out of the stalks too!)

You decide the next phase was to introduce dances and other fun stuff!!

Nilou was literally shaking with excitement to learn the traditional dances <3 (and also getting ur permission to add fun twists or Sumeru elements to them)

the kids that like to hang around and watch the troupe practice (and join) absolutely got obsessed with swing criollo, it was so cute to watch them all pair up and kinda trip over their own feet trying the footwork out

(u may or may not have teared up bc the band learned how to play a Spanish song for u guys to dance to, just for you)

teaching the theater troupes musicians how to adapt upbeat songs like Caballito Nicoyano or Ticas Lindas

omg getting Nilou Kaveh Faruzan Cyno Dehya (and Dunyazard!) to do the calipso limonense always cheers you up, (which is why they are so eager to do it when ur feeling homesick ❤️‍🩹)

Kaveh steps on too many people’s toes, Dehya gets dizzy from the spins/turns easily, Faruzan keeps spinning for too long, Nilou and Dunyazard are actually secretly latina bc they're so good at it (did they outdo you?? no, no they couldn't possibly-)

and Cyno just really likes the little dance line everyone makes lol

speaking of the General Mahamatra

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

u CANNOT teach Cyno a new game from your home country, and expect him to NOT be the most competitive mf in Teyvat abt it

that's actually how u spread any games from back home, Cyno just does all the work for you and challenges ppl to things like jackses and no one knows what it is

which he then proceeds to strong arm them into learning and beat their asses at it

(yes Cyno wins against you a lot, sorry lmao)

You definitely had a drinking game centered around it one time and the consequences changed with each person who lost

like Cyno had to learn how to cook tamales that were edible, and more importantly..

Alhaitham had to at least attempt the swing criollo lol

(was it unfairly attractive? maybe. was watching Nilou, who was teaching him, and Alhaitham both do swing criollo 2x as attractive?? that's just for u and the Sumeru vision users to know)

SPEAKING OF ALHAITHAM

absolutely hilarious, yet also impressive?? how quickly he picked up ur slang

smug bastard picked it up based off sheer context/vibes too, u didn't even explain it to him, just u trying to go sit down in ur Costa Rican restaurant and he pulls u back before someone mows u down saying “hey, suave un toque-”

YOUR NECK FUCKING CRACKING BC U WHIPPED AROUND TO LOOK AT HIM SO FAST LMAOOO

(ngl u scared the fuck out of the poor scholar before he got all smug abt knowing slang)

accidentally spread this knowledge to other vision users bc he got in the habit of casually using it, tbh more often when ur not around lol (Alhaitham being caught having habits bc he's fond of other ppl?? never)

his favorite is “qué chante…😒 ” obv lol

so now the forest rangers use stuff like pura vida and tuanis sending each other off on patrols! Collei so cutely excited to explain to other Sumeru ppl or tourists where the words come from and what they mean, spreading ur Costa Rica agenda very well 👌

and the mahamatra like to use “Jale pa’la choza” when coming back from the desert to Sumeru city homebase! :)

ALSO bonus:

u absolutely got leyendas into the bedtime warning/ghost stories of the entirety of Sumeru children lmao

u start spooking kids like Dori (Nahida finds them fascinating)

and after awhile u notice Cyno and Dehya mentioning watching out at night for La Llorona or los cadejos 💀??

like you've genuinely made them paranoid, bc they wanna be sweethearts and protect you from them, like even if they don't believe they exist, they're worried you do and are trying to make u feel better lol <3

☆

an iced coffee? for me?? :O 

Blessed be Costa Rica, such a lovely country when I went, and as soon as I got off the plane coming back the first thing I did was make a Costa Rican meal the best I could

like got my mom to prep from dry black beans and rice etc. as fresh as we could get (nowhere near costa rica level btw) and made fresh guac and fried plantain chips and salmon I think? literally cooked the first night back bc I knew I missed the food already/knew id get sick

and I was RIGHT, that food I made was fine, but any other American food so bad I got nauseous

I literally got sick COMING BACK TO THE U.S like 😨???!!! I knew it was bad but not THAT bad lmao

and the first meal I had after that was still a homecooked meal, like my mom made it💀

love the coffee from there too, we even ordered coffee from the farm we visited when I got back to US it was so good (10x better than American obv)

THANK YOU BTW GOLDEN!! FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND LOVELY TELLING ME ALL ABT COSTA RICA <3333

I hope this did some amount of justice to ur beautiful home! :)

Safe Travels Golden Child,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/specifically this AU/fandom, please!")

♡my beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily

[babiebom]

Bachelors and what kind of ~dere they would be

A/N: I thought this would be something cool to write headcanons for especially because I've played through the Sebastian yandere mod and have watched vids on the others being yanderes. Personally I feel as if some of them don't really fit the yandere category and others would fit them more.

Tw: none as far as i know. Does sort of spoil one of Sam's heart events and a game event.

Word count: at least 10 bullet points per character

Sebastian

Kuudere

Describes as often plays it cool and even in the most stressful situations they're calm and collected. They never panic and often remain distant and analytical until the end.

I feel like Sebby doesn't often show his emotions, especially because he seems introverted.

But the thing is he doesn't seem like the shy uwu scared of people introverted he's more of a voluntary introvert and just prefers being along but has no problem interacting with people

So for that I'm saying he's more the type to always be calm around the person he likes, never making his feelings obvious and never treating them any different than he would treat anyone he sees as a friend.

Kinda reminds me of an anime scene(I forgot the name but its space themed)

Of where the girl basically confesses her feelings and calls the guy an idiot after they talk about what they plan for the future and she says her dream is to become his wife and why can't he see that

And his reaction is basically ? I thought we were already together what?

And she's like ???? You've never made it clear that you like me and he's like yeah didn't think that i had to? I thought we were already together.

He gives off those vibes.

I also feel as though if he did open up it would be in a nonchalant way, it wouldn't be dramatic or romantic I think he would just be stating his feelings as facts.

And I feel like people often forget that this man is a huge nerd and super smart at least in my opinion

I mean he codes from home and plays dnd.

Even if he isn't a robotics and super science nerd like Maru is I think he is a smart and rather analytical person. I don't think he would be on the emotional side of things

If you get together he doesn't change much but does show his affection through touch and acts of service rather than his words.

Harvey

Dandere

Described as shy, quiet, and asocial is most situations. Stays quiet to avoid conflict

I feel as even though he's the town doctor he doesn't have many friends

Like he's only close to Maru bc she works for him in the clinic

And we usually see him hanging out alone or in his room looking at planes and stuff

I feel as though if he developed feelings for you either you would notice right away with how weird he acts around you or you wouldn't notice at all because you assume he's quiet with everyone unless its medically related.

So maybe not shy but quiet does describe him.

Obviously he opens up around you little by little the more you interact with him but it takes a lot of effort on both if your parts

On yours you have to consistently bother him and talk to him which is a lot of work especially when its not reciprocated at first

And on his he has to allow himself to be vulnerable and open with a person, its even harder when you feel romantic feelings for that person because what if they don't really like you in that way or they decide they don't like you after getting to know you

Very sweet man when you get together, still quiet but in a more comfy way.

Shane

Tsundere

Described as hostile and cold on the outside and sweet and kind on the inside

And I feel like that exactly describes Shane

While he is an alcoholic(recovering or not based on how you see him and play the game)He is very sweet even if not to people other than you(once you get to know him), jas, and his chickens.

Does seem like the type that once he starts feeling things for you he would start helping in small ways but also tries to not make it obvious

Oh he sees you walking from the woods with a big ass bag of fiber rocks and wood?

He'll offer to carry it if you need help

Sees you out and about in town, asks what you're up to and if you need help with anything

But don't think that he'a doing this because he likes you

He doesn't he just wants to pay back the kindness you've given to him back to you so he doesn't owe you anything

Ends every sentence to you with stupid or idiot if it allows without seeming genuinely mean

Does really like you and slowly starts showing you that once you show you aren't going anywhere

Does still get incredibly flustered when you do something sweet for or to him

Though if you get together is more open with his affection.

Elliott

Yandere

Described as a person that is very loving and affectionate to their loved one until it becomes a constant obsession leading them to become overprotective, violent, and psychotic towards anyone they deem a threat to their loved one, even the loved one themself

First of all his yandere mod was the scariest one yet like ooof

And while he does not seem like a violent person

He is a writer, which means he is some sort of delusional, creative, and or imaginative that I think he could have a mental break and carry out the things he imagines. 

We see that due to him being a writer, he is basically a hermit because all he does is stay in his cabin and write all day

Like yeah he's friends with Leah but how often do you think he actually leaves his home seeking interaction?

I feel like he would meet you and then suffer from a writers block and its your fault because now all he can think about is you

You're his muse

And due to that he becomes obsessive over you, no one else can have you he needs you at the very least more than they do.

Would 1000 percent stalk you, in his mind he's just watching over you to make sure nothing happens to you

Whether that be in town, on your farm, in the mines...he has to keep you closeby.

Speaking as a writer that does get very obsessed with things to the point of me changing what i write about and how often I think about or daydream about it

I think he is the most likely candidate for this kind of 'love' towards a person

Your imagination can delude your thinking, paired with living in a cabin alone with only your thoughts and silence it's no wonder he would be slightly insane.

Sam

Bakadere

Described as clumsy, stupid, and lacking in common sense when dealing with things in their life, but also very optimistic, and having a carefree, child-like innocence.

While this may seem like I'm roasting him I'm not

I do think he sometimes seems clumsy or dumb or even maybe like a teen especially because he's just playing guitar or skateboarding or playing video games

But there are glimpses of him being responsible and caring

Like how he actually had a job, even if it's part time

Or during his heart event when Vincent asks if their dad is going to come home before we find out that he indeed does come home

He covers his true feelings with optimism and happiness even if he's worried, which makes me think he fits this.

He only wants his loved one to be happy, and while constant optimism may seem or be annoying so certain people, he wants to be that light in your life.

And because he's so optimistic he is naturally kinder to others, while others like Sebastian, Shane, or Haley are standoffish when you meet them, Sam is sweet and is happy to meet you which translates well into getting to know you and then shifting into a romantic relationship

So while he may seem dumb to others, even to you with how positive he's being he's actually far from it even if he is a little reckless and clumsy sometimes

He turns down the constant optimism after getting together, but never stops being positive towards you, no matter if you succeed or fail, he's there to pick you up again with kind words and unwavering support.

Alex

Also Bakadere

but for a totally different reason

the dude is basically a himbo, though some of the things he says can be seen as iffy or mysogynistic

im pretty sure he doesn't mean any of it though, and while he can come off as dumb and out of touch he is shown to be sweet and caring and using his frat boy persona as a way of keeping people at an arms length

due to that i see him as similar but different to Sam

both boys seem kind of dumb, annoyingly optimistic, and sort of innocent in a way.

and both boys tend to use that as a surface personality, and until you actually take time to know them(Sam's worries, Alex's background and current worries) they seem like the type of people to be positive in any situation

Also seems as if he would take on a leader role simply because everyone voted for him to be it because of his positivity.

another thing is how certain(though inside he's not as) that he will become a gridball player.

Like the dude only talks positively about his dreams and is constantly working towards his goal

as well as we see in his dialogue that the farmer does indeed sometimes get annoyed at his words such as when he says things like "what why're you looking at me like that"

exactly as an anime character in this role would do.

Though after marriage is still sorta a dummy which is low key kinda cute.

[aerinfrankellove]

May I have Tapani thoughts?

@bombusternarius

I give nothing but what the people wish so here they are

Honestly I didn’t really know who Susanna Tapani was when the season first started bc she played for Minnesota and I’ve been a Boston fan since day 1 (not counting me also rooting for New York but). That being said, having gathered knowledge, she just sounds wonderful. She has several medals on the international stage while playing for Finland and is a duel sport athlete, playing ringette for several years and while I know nothing about the sport she captained the national team for a bit and has several medals there as well

She’s had notable production for the Finnish team and is a pretty well established player, but in Minnesota she was a bit eclipsed by players from the US national team (zumwinkle, heise, coyne etc). She played a total of 9 games for Minnesota and I dunno maybe I’m biased but I’ve seen a few clips and she just didn’t seem to fit in there. I can’t for the life of me find any time on ice stats but I do remember that she wasn’t playing as much as a player of her caliber could.

Then, she gets traded she’s headed to Boston and I’m over here getting immediately attached to the two new players. Like imagine being the first trade, there’s no precedent, you and two other people in the world know exactly what you’re going through and one of them is on a plane to the place you left. I do think she’s a professional and would understand the trade from a logical point of view, but it’s still gotta sting, to be one of the first people to leave your team and be shipped off.

I think it definitely is nice to be moving with not even your teammate but your roommate, a bit of familiarity in a new city, in navigating the situation for the complete first time, but I still imagine it was definitely an adjustment. Luckily for her she adjusted with an exceptional amount of grace and thrived and Boston, becoming a steady player and getting increased time on the ice. She’s really been able to show off her skills, and ended the season with the highest +/- of anyone in the league, an understandable showing of how her presence on the ice is a good staple.

I definitely feel she meshed very quickly with Boston and quickly grew into her green jersey, to the point where when i think of Boston as a team, she’s definitely a core part of it. I think she’s proved her value in the trade head over shoulders, (Courtney kessel who is whispering in her ear), and I think she made the best of a less than ideal situation, adapting to a new city and team with grace.

Then, come along playoffs and in 2 out of 3 games she’s been responsible for the overtime winning goal, getting in near the goal and finishing off good offense by her team. She’s just had so much potential to struggle as being part of the very first trade, moving to a whole new city and she dealt with the curveball and made herself near indispensable to Boston and becoming a core part of their team and offense. Also her nickname is “suski” and I just think she’s wonderful

[strawberrydracos]

Playing Ace Combat 7

Started playing the game today! I'll go little by little and updating this post through reblogs sksksksks

@technoblade-apologist-and-proud this is for you buddy, since you asked :] Starting with Mission 1 and 2 today

(Putting stuff on read more bc I get a little self concious of long posts)

First impressions of the game upon opening it: Menu music is beautiful "Wow this is so. Graphic design. Wow." upon seeing the actual menus "Why do we have cowboy music on the cutscene?" Girl talking about loving the color of the sky instantly made me remember the damn "Don't you love the color of the sky? / Which one?" classic tumblr post. "That plane looks like a tesla" upon seeing the drone in the cutscene Started laughing for a whole minute when rave music started playing in the plane selection screen before the mission.

Right out of the bat we start Mission 1 with DEATH from controller. I didn't know what to press and the screen only told me about R2 to accelerate so I killed myself by crashing on the end of the take off thingie. This was a warning to what was about to come.

I need to publicly apologize to every Ace Combat fan that has ever lived because inverted controls make me feel insane so I had to "invert" them back to normal. I am very sorry. I have failed you all. Don't look at me.

Anyways, first mission went TERRIBLY. WHO have me a license. I was DRUNK driving in the skies. Absolutely dogshit piloting skills. I didn't know it did a neat little replay of the mission at the end + the replay with the tiny lowpoly planes. Humiliating. Everyone was flying to neatly and I looked like I was using my plane for a ribbon dance.

As someone that played Drakengard on the ps2 and Armored Core on the ps4: Piloting a plane is much more similar to riding a dragon than piloting a mech.

There's a lot going on in the cutscenes, the story seems cool and I have an idea of it already but by god they just feel so goofy sometimes, very silly, I am very lost.

Second mission started terribly as well, I still fly like I'm drunk, I died at least 5 times because I turned a little too much and crashed on the ground. At some point when I was managing to stay alive I thought I was gonna fail from the time running out because I just couldn't hit the targets.

Also. Did you know? In Armored Core you press X, Square and O for boosting and movement, and L1/L2 R1/R2 for your weapons. Ace Combat is the opposite. I've been playing Armored Core for a month already. My brain is having a hard time trying to grasp the controllers, somebody help me.

Second half of this mission went better than the first half bc I *am* learning but by god. I died once because I hit the ground again, I keep doing it, my pilot craves the safety of the ground. It was a nightmare trying to get to the targets to properly hit them but I did manage to do it.

All and all? Game is pretty fun! It will be a challenge to actually learn how to play, specially with expert controls, but that's the fun of every game, learning and mastering!

Had to stop for today but I'll reblog this once I play more :]

[sputnikodin]

how does one get into baseball. can you just start watching a random thing or should you try to start at the beginning of a season or like. hows that work

here was my process

have boyfriend who loves baseball (this is truly not an essential step bc i went a year and a half of our relationship before making any active moves towards getting into baseball but having someone in your life who loves it DOES help)

read The Echoing Green by joshua prager, a book chronicling a sign-stealing (cheating) scandal that led to and marred one of those home runs informally monikered The Shot Heard Round the World bc of its impact on baseball fans during a time when baseball was still really popular in the usa. the book was written by a journalist who is an avid baseball fan, so it's FULL of statistical information, technical terminology, humanity, and deep, elegant, funny, sad, joyful insights into the role of the sport within people's minds and american (and global) culture. it's additionally about the giants and dodgers, bf's team and bf's team's eternal rivals

look up a lot of definitions and explanations while reading that book, start to become enamored with the weirdness of the game

download the mlb app, make an account, and use it to listen to radio broadcasts of giants games, because the app aggregates the radio stations for every team and broadcasts them almost-live for every game, for free

have switch flipped in your brain for you after your first time listening to a complete game on the radio

listen to at least part of every one of your team's games since then except all-stars bc you were on a plane

you don't have to start at the beginning of a season, and a random thing is totally fine! honestly i recommend the live radio steps of my method bc they were hugely accessible and following what's happening with a team in the present day makes things pretty exciting and engaging. (baseball has also been broadcast on the radio for a very long time so it's a cool way to engage with history.) there are also livestreaming piracy sites for sports including one that has had video streams of every baseball game i've wanted to watch rather than listen to .... i can share the url privately if u want. the mlb app/mlb.com also does a Free Game of the Day every day, where the video stream of one game will be free! also there are lots of full games on youtube, and old radio games on archive.org.

i can't in good faith recommend like, reading a long book and going on wikipedia deep dives trying to piece things together and teaching yourself stuff as an entry method for everyone since that's not .... fun, for everyone, but it did a lot towards getting me into the game in a way that exposed me to some of its most interesting elements right from the getgo, so (shrugs). (and it was fun for ME!! hehe) i also sort of had a team picked out for me going in, which helped -- like i totally could've gotten into another but i'd heard about the giants from mar, and about some interesting parts of their character as a team and their history, and for several reasons they on their own were appealing to me so while i listen to a broadcast from other teams now and then i was locked in from the start. which fast tracked me towards caring about specific players, eras, moments. plus, alaska doesn't have a baseball team

re: the season -- the way baseball works is for most of the season every team is playing every other team, more or less, in series of 2-4 games. during this period everything is just hammering out division standings. tournament-stuff starts happening during the postseason (starts october i think?) so that's when jumping in in the middle might get confusing. even then tho u would probably be fine. games happen like, often every day and sometimes twice a day, with occasional rest days

thank u for asking me this this was fun :D feel free to ask me to clarify anything

[pupcat-is-amare]

I want to start out by saying three things explicitly:

• I love HSR and its story, characters, and gameplay. I’m going to try and be as fair as I can be when answering these questions, but my bias may show in some areas. That, and I think disclosing my bias is very important in creating your view on this game

• Do what you think is fun. I’m not here to force you to do anything lol

• You can always watch someone play through the game if you’re curious about the lore and nothing else

Anyway, to answer your questions:

1) I don’t play HI3, but that doesn’t really hinder my gaming experience. There are moments that you’d appreciate more if you knew the lore, I think, but it won’t really affect you outside of that — despite some characters having ties or similarities to aspects of the HI3 story, from what little I know of it.

2) Whether or not a story is good is up to personal preference. That being said, I do want to say that while I don’t play Genshin, I have heard that the beginning story is pretty slow at first before getting good. I personally don’t think HSR has this problem. There have been 3 major arcs so far, and only one of them was mediocre imo (due to a lot of lore dumping that doesn’t really progress the plot, so much as it seems to be foreshadowing for later)

3) HSR is definitely not Genshin in terms of exploration, as the MC can’t jump, and you can’t go on top of any buildings. but the amount of exploration available really depends on where you are. Herta’s Space Station — the starting area — is very inclosed due to being exclusively indoors, but the main area in Penacony — Golden Hour — is very open and expansive imo. That being said, if exploration is your thing, I don’t think you’d enjoy this aspect. (Penacony does allow for unique types of exploration bc you can walk on walls, but that’s exclusive to Penacony, which is the newest planet so far)

4) There’s a decent amount of representation, but I’ll give you a small highlight reel of the more obvious ones. In terms of disability representation, there is Luka, who has a prosestic arm, Boothill, who’s a cyborg, a playable character becomes blind during part of the story, and Firefly has a chronic disability called Entropy Loss Syndrome. Firefly’s is the main one emphasized in the main story, and Firefly’s EN VA, who also has a chronic illness, enjoys her representation.

As for Ratiorine, they’re basically the Kavatham of HSR, where it’s not stated that they’re queer, but it’s implied. There’s art of Aventurine “provocatively” (HSR’s words, not mine) looking at Ratio, both of them interact a lot in ways that remind me of a couple, and even Mission Names involving the two of them reference movies and stuff with Doctor characters (Ratio) being in relationship with another main character (Aventurine).

There are other implied queer characters, like Aeons (basically gods), who are all referred to with THEY/THEM pronouns (yes, in caps. Long story), but this is getting long so I’ll stop here lol-

5) Yeah, there’s (sort of) three secret identities I can think of, and one of them still is implied to still not really solved yet. I won’t say more on that to avoid spoilers, but yeah, they do exist.

6) Penacony’s story has religious themes, but even with that aside, there are Aeons (again, basically gods) that exist on another plane of existence. However, there’s also some characters that are called “Emanators” who are, for lack of better works, blessed by Aeon and granted power, but are still human/mortal, which sounds like it’d be more your speed. (I heard someone lightheartedly compare Emanators to Jesus once, and while I’m not religious and don’t really know how accurate that is, I figured I’d mention it). Currently there are two confirmed Emanators that you can meet, interact with, and play as in game (one you even get copies of for free bc she’s a 4*)

7) Yes, Penacony is partly based on Los Vegas and even more so based on a whole jazzy aesthetic, and the overworks overall are more modern. There some themes and stories are grounded in reality as well. I will also admit that Genshin is more vibrant and fantastical though, so in comparison HSR is more “grey” as you put it.

That being said, those elements don’t always feel similar to our world (HSR is a sci-fi after all), and there are definitely a lot of fantastical elements too, which makes does make it “escapist” to me lol. Also, often when something feels too similar to something from our own world, it becomes a joke or isn’t a big deal (ex: the MC is infamously fascinated by trash cans, and they’re upset when there’s not trash cans on the Xiaozhou Loufu)

8) Depends on how much you like turn based lol. I will say that team building can be complex, so it’s not as simple as Pokemon for instance, but in actual combat, there is technically a limited amount of options (For most characters, it’s just Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate. Some characters have more complex kits that technically give more options though). That being said, there are instances where you do need to plan ahead sometimes in order to be able to do certain actions later, so timing is important.

Also, on the topic of combat: There is also an auto-battle button if you don’t want to do combat yourself, and it’s not bad, but I personally prefer doing it manually. Just fyi

Would I enjoy Honkai: Starrail?

So I was just thinking how between Genshin and HSR, it's a shame that I don't see of the dragons being women (Genshin has Apep, but she's not playable and we don't even know what she looks like when she's not covered by a sandstorm so I'm not sure she counts) and then I find out Hsr is getting a new character, Lingsha, and she's a dragon!

Maybe this is what finally convinces me to sign up. But as interesting as the lore is, I'm not convinced. Below are some things I'm concerned about, and would like answers to before I get sucked into another gacha game:

I didn't play Honkai Impact or any of the previous games. I'm vaguely aware of some white-haired (robot? I think?) lady named Kiana who vaguely resembles Genshin's Unkown God and ascends to be some sort of cosmic deity herself. I'm also aware of some red-haired lady who died in some sort of tragic sacrifice, and I think there's an item of hers on display somewhere in hsr as an easter egg. And the Herscherr of the Wind (whatever that is) Wendy, Venti's counterpart, died too. But besides that, I have no context. Without having played previous Honkai games, would I be incredibly lost, even if I got caught up on the limited-time events that I missed?

I've heard Hoyo favors Hsr, and it's better in storytelling: for example, the Trailblazer is more plot-relevant than the Traveler, and unlike Genshin, hsr playable characters are actually standing around the map as npcs, and the player can interact with them, even when there's not some quest that just finished. And that the map feels more alive because of that. Is that true?

I love open-world games. Never before have I played something like Genshin. In a lot of games I'm used to playing, you have to stay on the specific path that's relevant to the main story. You cannot climb on top of that house. You cannot even walk into the forest off the path. Genshin, however, lets you go everywhere. Who cares if it's relevant to the plot? You can climb on top of that house, you can go to the top of that mountain. Most of the time, there's a chest up there or an achievement for making it that high up. I'm told hsr is not like that at all. The Trailblazer can't even jump. Would I still enjoy it? How limited is the exploration exactly?

I also love Genshin's representation of queer and disabled people, both in npcs and in playable characters (admittedly some of it is subtext). There's Arlecchino and Zhongli with their gender fluidity, there's Wanderer with his trans allegory, there's Venti who was described as non binary to the voice actor, there's Lyney and Gorou and Furina and many others who wear a bit of the opposite gender's clothes, there's eimiko and kavetham and beiguang with all of their subtext. There's Dunyarazard and Collei and Baizhu who are chronically ill, there's Chiori and Albedo and Alhaitham who are probably autistic. Etc. I've heard Firefly is disabled (chronically ill with a curse or something?) and I know Ratiorine is a popular ship (I'm attached already). But how close to canon is all that? Are there lots of queer and disabled characters?

I also love secret identities as a trope. My favorite archons are the ones who spend their time pretending to not be archons. I love Kaeya's angst about secretly having been sent as a spy, and Albedo secretly being not-human who may be forced to kill everyone he loves, and how both of them may or may not be scared of the Archon, and yet the archon in question seems to like them. Love that drama. Are there characters with similar Secret Identity drama in hsr?

I love the religious themes and how one theme central to Genshin's story is how gods (and god-adjacent non-human characters) are still people, with flaws and fears and basic social needs. It's sweet. Does hsr have similar themes of divine beings being human at heart?

I also love the escapism of Genshin -it's bright and colorful, both in marketing and in the open-world itself. Also, there's no internet or cell phones or anything. I know that if you pause hsr, whatever character you're currently playing as pulls out their phone. I've heard Penacony compared to the tourist areas of Las Vegas (derogatory). It looks so grey. Is hsr truly so much more grey and modern compared to Genshin? Is it just as escapist?

I feel a similar amount of freedom in Genshin's combat system. I'm told Hsr's system is turn-based, and you the player barely have to press any buttons during those moments. Would I find that fun?

I don't need another gacha game, and I definitely don't have the same amount of time to devote to hsr and I already do genshin. But still, I'm hoping for people to prove my misconceptions wrong.

[philzokman]

help im leaving tomorrow for an 8 hour plane ride and i need fic recs

I AM SO GLAD U ASKED FJWKDHSJS

okay okay so these are gonna be a mix of skk and sskk but i hope u enjoy :D

1. everything or nothing by well that happened - skk

“College AU where Chuuya finds out that the boy he drunkenly made out with the night of orientation is his new roommate. His arrogant, smug, very straight roommate. And the boys are each convinced the other is trying to ruin their life by making them go absolutely insane.”

i think the most kudosed skk fic on ao3 so not very. underground indie. JDHSJ the writing style isn’t my favourite but the plot is really good and the characterisation. oh my ever loving fuck THE CHARACTERISATION!!! strong nsfw that i’m like 99% sure is quite crucial to the plot though so i’d maybe skip this if ur not comfortable with that!! (the first 6 ish chapters should be mainly fine though for that if ur just wanting smn small and funny)

2. waiting room by srxlee - sskk

“In which the smell of antiseptic becomes familiar, and the feeling doesn't hurt like it used to, yet it aches. Where Ryuunosuke battles his habit of loving that which is fleeting. And now his hand, calloused and bruised, just can’t seem to let go.”

HEKANDHWKS i would die for this fic. it’s absolutely amazingly written like genuinely there are like 6 chapters where my mouth was agape the whole time purely bc of the writing style. the plot is really interesting, and the author deals with illness very very well. it DOES have a happy ending im so proud to announce and it’s overall very very sweet and i love it please read it i beg KDHSJ

3. learn to love by thebackwardsstep - skk

“Dazai pissed in a stranger's car- because screw the bourgeoisie- and now he has a sugar daddy. What the fuck.”

i physically could not tell u a thing about this fic, i read it when i was suffering with the flu BUT from what i do remember it was surprisingly sweet and the main ending conflict is resolved by a bird so JDHAKSH also also also in spite of its name it only has like 2 nsfw scenes in it which are VERY easily skippable and also a scene where dazai dresses up as a girl and they go to a ball :D

4. debatable society by chlovrs - sskk

“Atsushi has always struggled with self-confidence so to boost him up, his friend Dazai convinces him to join their University debate society. It works for a little bit, he makes some friends and is actually able to like, ya know...join in on conversations without shaking like a leaf. But then they start competing with the students from their neighboring University and of course, Akutagawa, the one who is beauty incarnated just loves to fucking argue.”

THIS IS SO CUTE. it’s been a while since i’ve read it but from what i can remember the plot is rlly cute, and sskk’s dynamic is really sweet. the author is also the absolute sweetest person ever and i highly highly recommend leaving a comment or two bc they’re genuinely soso sweet and Will respond KDHAKSH (there IS one nsfw scene but again, very easy to skip and doesn’t affect the plot by any means)

5. thé art of precious scars by run_mello - skk

“Role reversal AU where Dazai is in the Port Mafia and Chuuya is in the Armed Detective Agency.

---

When a famous painting goes missing from the Mori Art Museum, the ADA jumps in to help investigate the case. So Dazai and Chuuya go on a mission together, solve the mystery together, fight enemies together... and somewhere along the line, they fall in love.”

holy ever loving FUCK THIS FIC IS AMAZING. i remember the first thought i had while reading it was “this authors read the irl authors books.” LIKE IT SHOWS SO MCUHF WJDKDH i think my favourite example of this was in i think the first or second chapter when dazai plays the synonym/antonym game from no longer human it’s genuinely really really sick. as well as that the author will occasionally sprinkle in quotes from books and poems and it’s just. very very very cool. the characterisation is phenomenal its so well written very highly recommend !!!

6. chuuya is red hot and dazai is so not by icedlightroast - skk

“Dazai couldn't wrap his brain around it. How could the student population think that Chuuya Nakahara was more attractive than him? And, alright, sure, maybe professors shouldn't get caught up in petty drama. But to Dazai, this wasn't just drama. This was war. A war in which he was not going to lose.”

this made me giggle an abnormal amount. KDHAJS this fic had me kicking my feet back and forth and twirling my hair oml it’s soso cute VERY short but very very cute

BAR LIKE 30 FICS THATS MY REC LIST FJSKS !! hope u enjoyed and have fun on ur trip !!!! :D

[spencersawkward]

omg I’m so excited you’re on here and taking requests!! do you think you could do something like baby Spence losing his virginity to a close friend & it’s like adorable, goofy, fluffy smut bc he cannot get over the fact that he’s actually having sex with someone

I’VE BEEN WAITIN FOR THIS ONE-- TURN IT UP!!!

on a serious note, i'm so glad you asked for this one bc i really wanna add a scene like this in the fic i'm working on rn. i'm v excited.

summary: when the secret of Spencer's virginity gets accidentally spilled in front of the whole team, reader goes to check on him.

word count: 5.6k

relationship: Fem!Reader/Spencer Reid

content warnings: unprotected penetrative sex, creampie, fluff.

masterlist

hanging out with the team is easily the best part of the week. after spending days in Arizona with our focus entirely on the most recent case, my mind is practically ready to snap. I feel like I've been running on fumes, and when Penelope suggested we take the evening to hit our favorite bar, I was practically already out the door.

so now I'm sandwiched between JJ and Emily as we throw back our first shots of the night. my skin is already flushed with the elation of laughter, the pleasant thrum of conversation that surrounds us.

"that's bitter." JJ makes a face when she slams the empty glass on the table. I screw up my nose.

"why did we pick vodka?" I hate vodka.

"it gets the job done." Emily laughs. I shudder at the aftertaste that sits on my tongue.

Morgan wanders over, Pen on his arm while she totes a brightly colored pink alcohol. they're flirting as usual, but she pauses in her witticisms to grab my arm.

"we're playing truth or shot in that booth over there." she says to me, then gets the attention of the other two women. I let out a disbelieving laugh.

"truth or shot? like truth or dare but without the dare?"

"Reid, is that you?" Morgan says sarcastically. I slug him in the arm with a pout.

"be nice." but I'm giggling. he loops his arm through mine and we head back to the table, Penelope already starting a new conversation with JJ and Prentiss as they follow. Spencer is sitting in the booth with an Arnold Palmer, sipping from the straw like it's his job. I slide into the spot next to him.

"hi, you." I smile. "I haven't seen you at all tonight."

he holds up his glass. "I don't really drink."

"that's fine," I wave it off. "I just meant I wanted to hang out with you."

"oh." he smiles a little. "sorry."

"no big deal. you're here now." I shrug and turn to Pen as she calls my name.

"I'm gonna order a bottle. that okay?" she points to the bar with a mischievous smile. glancing once at Spencer and his slightly awkward position between Morgan and me, I make a snap decision.

"you know what? I think I'll just have a lemonade."

"you sure? Jayge said you spent the whole plane ride back talking about getting wasted--" Penelope's words cause a blush to spread over my face. I cut her off.

"I'm sure. thanks, Penny."

she nods. "of course, sweet cheeks."

I focus back on Reid, who is looking at me gratefully. he would never say it out loud, but I know he feels a little out-of-place sometimes. it's hard enough for him to come out with us to bars; the least I can do is be a sober friend. I open my mouth to start a conversation about an article I read the other day when Prentiss speaks.

"okay, so... who's ready?" her voice, always so certain, carries over the table. all of us make enthusiastic noises of assent, and she grins as Penelope returns with an armful of glasses. Derek gets up to grab the actual alcohol, and then when we're all settled in, the game begins.

"the rules are simple: you tell the truth, or you drink!" the tech analyst explains. the stakes for Spencer and me are lower, but that doesn't really matter. I'm excited to hear the team divulge their secrets.

"I'll start." Prentiss doesn't even hesitate before she looks at Morgan. "Derek, are you still sleeping with that one woman from sex crimes?"

Morgan raises his eyebrows at the question, irises flitting between Emily and the rim of his drink. there's a slight smirk on his face; he knows what a player he is and he's okay with flaunting it.

"Ally? no." he sighs. "things didn't end well between us."

"what? why?" I ask, eyes widening before I look around at everyone. "who is this woman?"

"cool your jets, sparky." Morgan teases me. "only one question per round."

"I'll tell you later." Prentiss raises her drink in my direction and winks.

"uh, no no." Morgan attempts to stop her, but JJ interrupts him.

"speaking of things not ending well," she says loudly. "Pen, why did you and Sam break up?"

"well," Penelope sticks her tongue between her teeth as she thinks it over with a devilish smile. her lips are a ruby red tonight, bright against her pale skin and big eyes. "to be completely honest, he just wasn't... doin' it for me. you know?"

"like--?" Emily glances down at her lap. Pen nods quickly and I snicker. JJ looks awestruck.

"I thought it was going so well."

"it was, but..." Penelope seems to genuinely think this over before she speaks. "if it's right, it just clicks. and it never clicked with Sam."

"profound." I compliment, high-fiving the high-energy blonde. we giggle before she turns to me with a glint in her eye.

"oh, do I have a plan for you," she smirks. "tell me, Y/N: if you had to sleep with one person on our team, who would it be?"

"women included?" I clarify, my cheeks suddenly on fire. how come everyone got easy questions except for me? I'm really just biding time.

"of course." she nudges my shoulder. I mull this over for a minute. I could say the truth, but I don't think that would be the right thing to do. however ironic that is. given the situation, I do something which I have never been good at and which I don't enjoy doing: I lie.

"although all of you are catches," I preface. "I think I would probably pick Emily."

Prentiss almost chokes on her own spit as her head snaps to see my face.

"me?" she asks.

"low-pressure fun." I shrug, the stress of the moment rolling off my shoulders with the ensuing laughter of my team members. Spencer takes a sip of his drink and peeks at me from his spot before I focus my attention to JJ.

we go on like this for a while, our original plan of "truth or drink" really just turning into a game of "truth and drink." as our laughter gets progressively louder, our questions and answers get progressively more provocative. we get into risky territory towards the fourth round, and I can practically feel Spencer's discomfort radiating off of him. thank god everyone has been taking it easier on him with their questions.

that is, until Morgan hits about five shots and decides to throw him to the wolves.

"so, Reid," he asks. there's no malice in his tone and I'm sure he's not meaning to embarrass the boy genius, but the question makes me wince anyways. "have we made any progress on the virginity front?"

it's like a fucking pall over the table. Reid goes rigid in his spot, and JJ's protective eyes dart between him and Morgan. Penelope's jaw drops.

"wait, Reid, you're a--?" her voice is tender, not judgmental, but Spencer's cheeks turn pink and he looks at Derek with a hurt expression.

"not cool." he says, body shifting in my direction. his eyes communicate everything; without a word, I know what he wants. I scoot out of the booth, letting him slip by me to walk outside.

truly, I'm speechless. we all stare at his lanky frame push through the door, but nobody talks until at least fifteen seconds pass.

"what the hell was that, Morgan?" JJ asks.

"I thought everyone knew--" he throws his hands up. "I swear I wouldn't have said anything if--"

"why would everyone know that?" I feel myself get angry for Spencer's sake. "that's an incredibly personal thing, especially to him."

"that wasn't you, my love." Penelope's voice is soft, sobered by the incident that just occurred. the playful air at the table is officially ruined, and we keep glancing at the doorway like Reid will come back in and everything will be fine. he doesn't.

"I'm gonna go apologize." Morgan starts to get up, seemingly beginning to realize the weight of his words. it's one thing to ask about Reid's sex life in general; it's another to point out specifically the entire absence of it. Spencer doesn't seem to be bothered by most things, but this is different. my heart hurts.

we watch Morgan go, the women all looking at each other with worried expressions.

"I feel bad." Penelope says.

"y'know, Spence never told me that." JJ observes.

"he really trusts Morgan." Prentiss says what we're all thinking. Morgan has always been like a big brother to him, and being embarrassed in front of your co-workers like that can't be a pleasant feeling.

we sit in a relative silence for about five minutes until Morgan walks back into the bar. he pulls out his wallet and pays for the drinks, then walks over to us.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. do you need me to call you all cabs?" he asks. those dramatic brows are drawn low over his face, emphasizing his regret. I look between my friends and clear my throat.

"it's okay. I only had one shot about an hour and a half ago. I can drive everyone home."

"okay," Morgan sighs, his head turning briefly to the door before focusing back on us. "drive safe, ladies."

and then he's gone.

"you guys ready?" I start to shrug my jacket on. they all nod and we get ready to go.

...

sitting in my apartment later that night, my head is swimming. even though it's none of my business what happens in Spencer's sex life, I wish I could tell him that it's okay. nobody cares at all if he's a virgin or not. but I know it's still embarrassing.

I hate that I lied earlier tonight, too. I wanted to say Spencer's name when they asked who I wanted, because I meant it. we're close, and I will always love him as a friend. but I've also always wanted more.

nobody, not even any of the other BAU women, know about my crush. I didn't want it to get in the way, or for it to come out and ruin my friendship with Reid. he doesn't like me like that, and that's fine, but what's not fine is not having him as my friend.

he was the first person I really connected with when I came here, and I feel a little protective over him, too.

once the clock hits eleven, I consider calling. he’s definitely not asleep yet. Spencer is a night owl. normally at this time he'd be curled up with a huge book, reading impossibly fast.

when he picks up on the third ring, the air leaves my lungs.

"Y/N?" he asks, more surprised than anything else.

"hey, Spence--" I hesitate, suddenly not sure what to say. sorry Morgan told everyone you're a fucking virgin? “do you wanna come over?"

maybe if I see him face-to-face, I'll be able to collect my thoughts better. the words hang in the air, festering over the line until I'm just about to take them back, before he replies.

"y-yeah. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

my hands are shaking at my side when I open the door for the tall genius. he's still wearing his outfit from earlier, hair slicked back like normal. I've settled for my usual sweatpants and t-shirt winning combo. it's not like he cares.

"hey." I smile, trying to read his micro expressions. there are two possible outcomes here, knowing him: either he's going to be totally, completely over it, or he'll be able to write a War-and-Peace-length book on why he's upset.

"hi." he gives a wan smile and I let him into my apartment, closing the door behind him and gesturing to the couch.

"I missed this place." he says absently, looking around at the mess of decor and case files. I snort as I recall the last time he was here. he wanted to borrow a book that I had, and we ended up watching an entire docu-series about homing pigeons. it was surprisingly interesting; mostly because his commentary is both informative and funny.

"it missed you." I anthropomorphize my living space, but the phrase hangs heavy. I'm worried about him. I'm always worried about Spencer. he turns to look at me, opening his mouth to say something. I brush past him and walk into the kitchen. "coffee?"

"sure." he follows me like a lost puppy, leaning against the counter while I pull out two mugs and get to work.

"hey," I pause for a moment to look him in the eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry-- about what happened... tonight."

"oh, that?" he scoffs, waves it off unconvincingly. "it's fine."

I raise my brows the slightest bit, never breaking eye contact. he wouldn’t have come if he didn’t want to talk about it. he cracks easily.

"it's just embarrassing, you know?" he says, staring out my kitchen window to alleviate his own nerves. I gesture for him to follow me back into the living room and I sit down criss-cross applesauce on the couch. he mirrors me, kicking off those cute black Converse.

"I don't think the fact itself is embarrassing, but I totally get why it feels that way. he shouldn't have said anything." I nod.

"like, that's personal. a-and--" he hesitates a moment, gesticulating wildly now. "and it's not like he's got any right! at least I don't go around with so many girls that I forget their names."

the thought of Reid sleeping with that many women is a little bit funny, but it also makes my stomach twist with jealousy.

"did he apologize?"

"yeah, he did. and he was drunk, I know." he rolls his eyes. "I'm overreacting."

"no, really, you're not." without thinking, I scoot closer to him and place my hand over his, which is sitting on his knee. I remember that Spencer is usually pretty averse to touch, but when I move it back to my lap, he seems a little disappointed. I wonder if he gets lonely.

"is it weird?" the question sounds raw, like he's mustering a lot to hear my response. I shake my head immediately.

"well, for one, Spence, I would never judge anyone based on their sex life, period." I chuckle. "and two, no way! if you aren't into having sex at this point in your life-- or ever-- that's totally your choice and you're entitled to it."

his eyes meet mine, pools of honeyed hazel that swim with a slightly amber shade. his face is so pretty, it's sometimes unbelievable to me that he doesn't get more action. bone structure that would make a sculpture envious.

"that's the thing," he licks his lips nervously before averting his gaze again. "I am interested-- I just don't-- well, I don't--"

"don't have someone to do it with?" I suggest with a slight smile. he nods, then clarifies.

"girls don't really seem to be interested in me."

I let out a laugh, unable to contain myself. his head jerks up to frown in confusion. I’m quick to amend myself.

"Spence, that's not true at all. you're such a catch! you're sweet and funny and way smarter than anyone I know. not to mention that you're adorable." I compliment, letting some of the thoughts I've been keeping to myself bubble to the surface. "any girl would be beyond lucky to be with you, sexually or not." Spencer blushes at my words, but the squirming in his spot tells me that it makes him feel warm inside. he smiles a little.

"you think?" it's genuine. he appreciates being praised, and it makes my heart flutter when he gives me that expression like I've made his night.

"I know." more of what I want to say rolls around my mind, unsure of whether or not I should admit it. but I think that right now, it'll only serve to make him feel better. "actually, I should tell you something."

"what?" he's curious now.

"when we were at the bar and Penelope asked who I'd be with... on the team... I lied."

"okay." he nods, somehow not connecting the dots. I guess it doesn't matter if they've got enormous IQs; boys are still clueless.

"I was gonna say you." the truth presses from the inside out, lifting a weight off my chest now that it's out there. even if he doesn't return that feeling, I'm suddenly glad that I told him.

"me?" he gestures to his narrow chest. I nod.

"yeah. I didn't wanna make you uncomfortable or embarrass you in front of our friends." I explain. he breaks into a grin.

"thanks." like I've given him something. I feel myself smiling as well, and then we're just looking at each other. tension that neither of us is willing to break. as much as I'd like to take him right here right now, he hasn't said anything about actually having sex or even about being attracted to me. for all I know, he could be completely indifferent.

"listen, Spence--"

"would you be willing to--" we speak at the same time, both of us stopping and laughing awkwardly.

"sorry, you go first." I offer, and he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth.

"would you want to... um..." he scratches the back of his neck before his eyes meet mine. "try it?"

"sex?" I raise my eyebrows. he nods. I try to find the right response. that’s more assertive than I expected. my pulse is fast, daring me to tell the truth. "I mean-- yes, I would love to-- but are you sure you want it to be with me, Spence? what about a girl that you like?"

"you are a girl that I like." he says this like it's matter-of-fact, like it's obvious. my heart stops in my chest before it starts to hammer.

"really?" a smile makes its way onto my face.

"I thought you knew."

"no." I laugh. my chest is full of sunlight.

"well, you are."

there's a brief silence where I try to get myself back on track. he likes me, too.

"are you sure you want to do this?" I glance at the space between our bodies, which has grown steadily smaller over the course of our conversation. Spencer is watching my every move with an intensity that tells me he's nervous.

"yes." he's unwavering.

"okay, well, you've kissed girls, right?" I inch closer. he nods.

"one."

"oh, Spencer," I sigh contentedly. "I have so much to teach you."

right after I say this, Spencer shifts uncomfortably in his seat. it's only then that I notice his hand covering his lap, the erection that's forming beneath his pants. my eyes flick up to his hungrily.

"sorry." he apologizes.

"don't be." our faces are inches apart and he's practically holding his breath. "I'm gonna kiss you. is that okay?"

"yes." he replies immediately. I place my hands gently on the side of his face, admiring the softness and sharpness of his jaw when I pull him to me, kissing him with a suppressed desire. his mouth is soft against mine, a little anxious to move. after a moment, he starts to relax.

his lips part and I deepen our contact, tilting my head and keeping it mostly mild at first. I don't want to shove my tongue down his throat. our knees are touching and his hand hesitantly finds my waist, the other going to run through my hair. I sigh into him, his fingertips a new sensation that I adore.

Spencer begins to give in a bit more to himself, asserting himself in the kiss and slipping his tongue over my bottom lip. I almost laugh at how quickly he gets the hang of it. he reads my body language effortlessly, not even skipping a beat when I climb into his lap and lace my arms around his neck.

"is this okay?" I pull away momentarily. he nods.

"you're so pretty." an unrelated response, but appreciated nonetheless. I laugh and peck his nose.

"thanks." and then we're back to making out, his hands resting on the small of my back. it's nice. I could stay like this forever, just pressed against Spencer while my fingers thread through his soft hair. he's cautious with me, and it's innocent.

I can feel his boner, can feel from the eagerness of his kisses that he's trying not to bring up the fact that he's literally just throbbing in his pants right now. in order to give him a little of what he wants, I start to rock my hips against his.

Spencer whimpers into my mouth. I stop and look down at him.

"do you want me to stop?"

"no, god, no— never stop." he's mindless in his reply, already grabbing my hips greedily and trying to regain that friction. I shake my head with a chuckle, then resume my actions. he starts to rut up against me, groaning into our embrace while his hands get more adventurous.

I withdraw, breaking the kiss to straighten up. he doesn't stop the microscopic pushes of his hips. I bite back a smile, enjoying the friction, too.

"do you wanna take my clothes off, Spence?" I ask softly.

"y-yes." he replies, gingerly taking the hem of my top and beginning to lift it over my head. when he places it on the couch beside me, his eyes immediately fall to my bra. slender fingers run up my bare waist, his watch glinting in the candlelight. when he doesn't immediately reach to unclasp my bra, I grab his wrist and guide it to the clasps myself. he moves with a surprising ease, unsnapping the thing and grazing over my skin as he slides the straps down my shoulders. I can tell that he’s shaking a tad, but it doesn’t hinder him.

the second that he's discarded the lingerie, he looks up at me with moony eyes.

"can I... kiss you?" he looks at my bare chest. "here?"

"of course, Spence." I nod. he presses his lips to the space between my ribs, drags them up to the valley between my breasts. lingers, then attaches himself to one of my nipples. I sigh, throwing my head back at the way he moves intuitively, sucking and running his tongue over the peak. he squeezes the other breast, plays with the nipple and starts to acquaint himself with the curves of my body.

the whole time, he's straining against my core, rutting helplessly in pleasure. it feels heavenly, with that sweet face of his so devoted to making me feel good, that I nearly stray from the purpose of the experience.

"Spencer..." I breathe. he moans at the sound of his name, then looks up at me from his place sucking on my tits. his teeth graze of my skin and I buck into his lap, causing him to groan appreciatively. my fingers tangle in his soft hair.

"Y/N," he pulls away from my chest, his lips making a soft popping sound. I gaze down at him, a bit lost in the fantasies running through my head. he's a natural. "can we, um-- like, expedite this process a little?"

"expedite the process?” I repeat back to him, giggling at his formality.

"what?" his voice goes up an octave, but he's smiling. "you know what I mean."

"I really do." I lean down, pressing my thumb into his jaw and angling his face up to mine to kiss. while his hands curiously move over my body, I start to push down the waistband of my sweatpants. I break contact just for a moment to peel them off, and he releases a quiet whine. it's cute.

"come back." he says softly, watching as I slide the bottoms down my legs, leaving me in my panties.

"I'm back." I peck his cheek, climb into his lap again. "can we take off your clothes, too?"

"mhmm." he nods. his lips part when my fingers work at the buttons of his shirt, undoing them with a torturous slowness. I can feel his eyes on my face the whole time.

"what?" I chuckle, peeking up at him for a moment before I pull his shirt open and run my palms up his chest, over his shoulders. he nearly shudders at the sheer touch.

"I just can't believe this is actually happening." he smiles in that way of his, like he's suppressing the depth of his emotions, with his brows slightly raised. I take the opportunity to enjoy the sight of him before me, his rapidly rising and falling chest, the smoothness of his skin.

"honestly?" I start to unbutton his pants, and he jerks up into my hand, blushing once he realizes the earnestness of his actions. I smirk encouragingly. "me, neither."

before I pull down his boxers, my eyes flick to his. "is this still okay?"

"Y/N," he groans. "if you don't do something, I'm gonna cum too early." he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment when my hand moves over his clothed erection, like he's holding on. "please."

"sorry." I release him from the confines. it hits his stomach and he waits for my reaction, as if he's afraid that I'll change my mind right now. but I'm definitely not going to. "holy fuck, Spencer."

"what?" he panics slightly, sitting up more. "is it not enough?"

"not enou--" I stutter, almost laugh. "no, it's plenty. I had no idea..."

"oh." he hides the pleased smile on his face, blush spreading over his pretty throat. in the interest of "expediting the process," I wrap my hand around the base of his cock and gently pump him.

Spencer's stomach tenses and he grabs onto the cushion of the couch with a tight fist, sighing.

"mmm..." he doesn't try to word his emotions, but I know. and I like that I'm making him feel this way, sharing this experience. Spencer and I are such close friends, I never thought we'd actually have sex. my assumption was that I'd watch him grow into himself, find a nice girl and treat her like a queen.

but here I am, spitting into my hand before jerking him off to prepare for what’s next. he’s throbbing, sounds coming from his throat.

"I'm gonna sit on it, okay?" I lean down to whisper in his ear. he touches my waist, my neck, kisses a random spot on my chest in the waves of pleasure that I'm giving him.

"o-okay." he mumbles, waiting for me to actually do it. and there's a moment of tense anticipation between both of us, when I sit up and pull my panties to the side. Spencer watches like I'm the only thing in the world, saving the memory of my body on top of his for later.

I run the head of his cock along my entrance, soaking him in the wetness between my thighs. I didn't realize how turned on I'd already gotten, and he lets out a quiet whine when he feels the evidence of how much I want him.

our eyes lock when I sink down. it's a new feeling for him, and the shape of his member as it stretches my walls causes me to bite my lip to withhold moaning too loudly. he whimpers, neck tensing and fingertips digging into my hips.

"o-oh." he sucks in a breath as I reach the halfway point. he's so big, I have to go slow in order not to overwhelm myself. but it feels good, too. like... unbelievably good. I grip onto his shoulders and my head falls forward into his shoulder.

"Spencer, holy shit." I moan.

"does it feel nice?" he asks, concerned for my own pleasure. I feel my chest flutter at the thoughtfulness of the boy wonder even when he's in the midst of losing his virginity, and I lower myself onto the rest of him.

"mhmm," I rest for a moment. "how do you feel?"

"like--" his breath hitches when I begin to rock back and forth on him. "like I've been missing out."

I can't help the giggle that slips past my lips, but then it quickly turns into a longing moan when he starts to thrust up into me like a helpless thing. Spencer is brilliant, but his brain cells go out the window when he throws his head back and begs me to move more.

I nod, raising and lowering myself until we reach a special pace. it's not fast or slow, just the two of us trying to stay in the moment while we hold on tightly to each other. I can feel the cool metal of his watch when he splays his hand out over my spine, the warmth of his breath while he pants against my shoulder.

he hits my g-spot over and over. my moans are torn from my throat by the burning of my lungs. it's like I can't breathe because I'm so focused on chasing the orgasm building in my stomach. and Spencer... I can tell he's almost finished.

the erratic nature of his jerking body tells me.

"I'm gonna cum..." he moans into my neck. "do- do you want me to pull out?"

"no." I arch my back and throw myself into the friction of our bodies. he stares up at me while I ride him, the merciless grinding of my hips because I just can't help myself. "oh my god, Spencer."

he notices how close I am and, in a surprisingly deft move, slides two fingers over my pussy to find my clit. the ensuing noise from me tells him that he's found it, and he begins to rub in quick circles. it's rough and hard, but that's exactly what I need right now.

"cum for me, Spence." I breathe. his free hand grips onto my thigh and pulls me over him, his own words unintelligible within the sounds of absolute pleasure.

"please." he begs for something I don't know, spills his seed inside of my pussy and holds onto me like I'm an anchor to this world while he peers into the next. the feeling of him spreading through my stomach, along with the reckless movements of his limbs and the way he looks at me while he rides out his orgasm, sends me over the edge.

"oh my fuck!" I collapse, grabbing his shoulders tightly and rolling myself down while he removes his fingers from my body. it's jarring, the intensity, like my normal functions can't respond correctly. all I can process is the tightening of my stomach, the pleasure between my legs, vision going slightly fuzzy at the edges. he moans when my cunt flutters around him, the muscles trying desperately to hold him here with me forever. I take deep breaths and slow down, my forehead dropping again while I start to remember my own name.

neither of us speaks. I think I'm still too in shock about what just happened, but in the best way. he keeps running his hands over my skin, then wraps his arms around my torso so that I'm pulled against his chest. I smile, kissing his ear before I finally break the silence.

"hi."

"hi." he's got a satisfied tone.

"do you need anything? water?" I ask, exhausted but realizing that this is still new for Spencer and it's my job to make sure he's as comfortable as possible. he nuzzles his nose into my clavicle and squeezes me tighter.

"stay here with me." there's a slight edge to his words. he's afraid of me leaving. I snuggle down, perfectly happy to remain. heat radiates from his skin, and I like the way it feels.

"of course."

we linger in each other’s arms, both of us coming back into the real world and holding on in an attempt to soften the blow. I just had sex with Spencer.

"thank you." he whispers into my hair.

"for what?" the smile on my face is lazy.

"for doing this."

"well, I really wanted to." I laugh. "so, I guess, thank you, too."

"you're quite welcome." his response is cheerful and then we're both laughing, the sound rumbling from his chest. "can we do it again at some point?"

"I would be happy to." I beam. the contented sigh that leaves his lips, followed by a slight sinking of our bodies down the couch in collective exhaustion, fills me with a joy that's quiet but obvious.

“I’ll last longer next time, I promise.” he says. I can practically hear the blush in his cheeks.

“you did amazing, Spence. don’t worry about it.” I press a few stray kisses to him.

I'll need to go clean up, soon, but it can wait a few more minutes. this is my favorite place on earth.

[twodimecastle]

fifty bucks & six months.

spencer reid x gender neutral reader new relationship, secret keeping nonsense, 4.5k words, ao3 a/n; turns out i love writing texting fic but tumblr destroys the formatting rip

zero months.

You smile conspiratorially, extending a pinkie towards Spencer and he gives you a skeptical look.

“You know the odds of being found out immediately are-” he starts, but you cut him off.

“Astronomical, I know. I know. But don’t you think it’ll be fun to see how long we can push it?” you wheedle, not caring that your voice sounds more like begging than is strictly dignified because seeing the way Spencer’s nose crinkles in amusement at your heavy handed persuasion is too adorable to pass up. You scoot closer on the couch, tapping the end of his nose with your pinkie finger, letting him catch your hand between his as you continue “I think we’ve got a good shot at hiding it for a little while. It would be like a game.”

Spencer draws your captive hand to his lips, brushing them across your knuckles and watching fondly as you forge ahead in your campaign to persuade him, enjoying the show and the attention too much to tell you he’s already on board. Your eyes are shining with the prospect of the caper, and you’ve made no move to take your hand back from him, and Spencer’s pretty sure he’d be more than happy to sit with you in this moment forever. “I mean-” you go on, gesturing animatedly with your free hand, “you’re like-a really good liar when you want to be. And everyone else always forgets how good you are at it.”

He snorts at that and the sound makes you light up, eyes tracking the arch of his brows, the warmth in his soft brown eyes, memorising the way he looks like this; utterly unbothered, completely at ease. It might be your favourite version of him, but that race has always been a tight one with no clear winner in sight. You have lots of favourite versions of Spencer. Twisting your hand in his, you tangle your fingers together, savouring the way you feel his thumb glide delicately along your skin and the unhidden joy in his face at the simple show of affection.

Time to play your trump card.

“$50 says we can hide it from the whole group for at least six months. If everyone figures it out before then, you win. But if not everyone has worked it out by then, I win.”

The mischievous shine in your eyes is irresistible, and Spencer smiles, disentangling one of his hands from yours to extend his own pinky finger.

“You’re on.”

The words barely make it out of his mouth before you’re colliding with him, pressing your lips to his.

two months.

“So, how long has this whole thing been going on?” Derek’s question catches Spencer off guard, and, based on the way he can see you freeze in his peripheral vision, takes you by surprise as well. Sliding into the driver's seat of the SUV, Derek continues “I hope you didn’t think you were gonna be able to keep me in the dark for long, pretty boy. You should know better than that.”

Following mechanically after him, Spencer takes the passenger seat, trying to frame his next statement as carefully as possible as he hears your door close and the car start. “We were-going to tell you guys-” he begins uncomfortably, glancing back to you for support, but you look just as on edge as he feels. “We were just gonna-keep it to ourselves for a while-before telling Hotch and everything-” he tries again, the mounting tension levering his shoulders higher and higher with every passing moment, but then Derek just laughs, shaking his head.

“Hey, I’m happy for you, kid. For both of you.” He spares a look at you in the back seat through the rear view mirror, and you can feel the tension in your jaw relax, the furrows in your brow straightening out at the note of approval in Derek’s voice. “I’m glad you two finally figured it out,” he says, fondly, and you laugh.

“I bet Spence we could keep it from you guys at least six months,” you explain, reaching forwards through the centre console to link your pinky with Spencer’s, and the touch of your hand releases the last of the tension he had been harbouring as he covers your hand with the other one of his own. He knows Derek clocks the motion, filing it away in his mind somewhere, but he doesn’t care about the scrutiny so much right now. Not when your hand is so warm and comfortable in his.

Derek reaches for the dial on the radio and flicks through the channel, thinking about something, and as you watch, a slow mischievous smirk spreads across his face a moment later before he glances first at Spencer and then at you.

“I’ll tell you what,” he says to you, and Spencer can feel a familiar grin tugging at his own lips as he watches a plan take shape in his friend’s eyes. “I’m happy to sit on this information for a while for a cut of the winnings from whichever one of you comes out on top.” He snorts good naturedly as he continues “I have my own bet to win with Prentiss, so if you two help me win that one, I’ll cut you in too.”

“A quid pro quo of sorts,” Spencer says slowly, and he feels your fingers tighten around his, as you snort softly, and he knows instinctually you’re grinning the same way you always do when you’re winning a game. “I think we can do that.”

Derek grins, turning the music up as he nods, eyes on the road. “Then you two love birds have got yourselves a deal.”

two months and two weeks.

PG: youre not as slick as you think you are ;)

YN: ???

PG: ;))))))))) you should invest in some concealer for your work bag sweetness or tell the good doctor to pay more attention to whats visible in your work clothes

YN: oh my fucking god wait how do you even know thats how that happened

PG: im all knowing and all seeing im like the omnipotent goddess of the fbi

YN: derek blabbed

PG: he sang like a canary but also im an omnipotent goddess im also totally clued in on the whole bet situation with em so for the low low price of every single juicy detail about how this adorableness went down you can buy my silence :)

YN: im getting derek decaf coffee on all coffee runs from now on >:( traitors dont get caffeine

PG: darling sweet angel i need deets all of them like immediately

YN: >:( fine ok so. after that case down in georgia a few months ago? the weird one? with the creepy mother son thing?

PG: omg yuck pls dont remind me im here for the CUTENESS not the MURDER

YN: sorryyyyyyy anyway so spence was like being super weird about it all on the plane and whatever but he was doing that super annoying thing where he ignores it and says hes fine so everyone leaves him alone

PG: YEAH why does everyone here do that ALL THE TIME its SO annoyingggg

YN: ikr its insufferable and like super not subtle ANYWAY. spence was being weird and whatever and i just. refused to let him sulk on his own or whatever like i could tell there was something bothering him and so after work i insisted that we were gonna get like shitty diner food or whatever and watch a movie and he knows better than to say no to me

PG: smart boy

YN: so we got fries and milkshakes and then went back to his place to watch a movie and he was still like weird and silent and like brooding yknow? but whatever just figured hed talk about it when he was ready so i put on a movie and offered to make popcorn and then he was just staring at me and he looked so SAD and TIRED and i thought id done something wrong like the poor guy looked like he was gonna cry and i was panicking over fucking popcorn and then he says ‘why are you always so nice to me?’

PG: oh my god hes like if a sad victorian orphan was actually a triplicate phd holder

YN: i was SO thrown off i was like spencer. spencer were best friends. ive been forcing you to hang out with me for years now why do you THINK im being nice to you its bc i care about you asshole and then. like after another million years after letting me sweat it out over whether hes about to cry for like fucking years the asshole grabs my hand and says. i shit you not. ‘you know im in love with you, right?’ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PG: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YN: anyway hes my boyfriend now :’) dont tell anyone tho gotta win the bet

four months.

Lingering by the elevator, you glance around at the uncharacteristically silent office building, waiting for Spencer to leave the bullpen. The sound of his footfalls drawing nearer makes you smile and you mentally applaud yourself for suggesting the two of you remained behind after disembarking from the plane, taking advantage of the manufactured privacy to take the same car home, back to his apartment.

When he sees you waiting for him, he can’t help the soft fond smile that tugs at his face, as he reaches for your hand, sliding his fingers into yours with a gentle squeeze, the quiet of the building allowing him to indulge in the show of affection. You return the squeeze, leaning your head on his shoulder with a yawn and as he presses a fond kiss to your temple he’s rewarded by a sleepy hum of approval from you that sends a rush of quiet joy shooting through him.

“At least we won’t be sleeping in hotel beds again tonight,” you say, voice weary, and Spencer nods as he shuffles you into the elevator. The doors slide shut and the elevator starts to move and in the moment of absolute privacy, you steal a kiss, tilting your chin up to catch his lips with yours, revelling in the soft huff of surprise he lets out, even as he smiles against your mouth. Even after months, the simple act of kissing Spencer still feels new and thrilling somehow, like you can’t quite believe it’s something you’re allowed to do.

His nose brushes yours and he breathes “unless something big comes up, we get a sleep in tomorrow too,” and the way you beam at him sends his heart racing in his chest, unable to look away from the fondness shining in your eyes.

As the two of you exit the elevator and make your way through the Bureau car park, you tuck yourself against his side, wedging yourself under his arm with a happy sigh, eager to get yourself horizontal and asleep as fast as possible. Spencer brushes his lips against your temple again as the two of you close in on his car, almost free and clear of the office when a voice behind the two of you brings you up short.

“Reid?”

Spencer is reacting before his mind catches up, turning on his heel towards the sound of Hotch’s voice echoing through the parking lot, conscious of the incriminating way you’re still tucked against his side, even as his brain is rifling frantically through any possible excuses for the current circumstances.

“Hotch-” you step away from Spencer, cheeks flaming, not wanting to chance a look at him. “I-we-thought everyone else had gone home,” you trail off lamely, trying your hardest not to balk under Hotch’s ominously impassive scrutiny. A second passes, then another, and the short silence feels like months, or years even as the three of you stand locked in a stalemate.

“I take it the two of you would prefer to keep this under wraps?” He asks, finally, and it registers with Spencer, somewhat belatedly, that Hotch’s tone isn’t admonishing. It isn’t enough to dissipate the tension coiling in Spencer’s muscles just yet, but he spares a glance at you as he nods, and a moment later, Hotch gives the two of you a curt nod of his own. “I’ll tell you what,” he says, a shade of irony colouring his voice. “If you two fill out the paperwork for in-team relationships for me, I’ll keep it to myself. I understand privacy is hard to come by in our office.”

The words take a while to fully sink in, and you’re conscious that you’re standing there blinking and gaping at your boss like a bemused fish for a good few seconds before you’ve composed yourself enough to say “absolutely, sir. Of course. Thank you.”

Hotch nods again, heading towards his own car, and as he passes the two of you, a brief smile flashes across his face.

“Congratulations, you two. Get some sleep.”

four months and three weeks.

Spencer isn’t sure how late it is, but he knows you’re not asleep yet, the faint glow of your phone screen casting faint distorted shadows across his room as your free hand rests lightly on his chest. In the dark blue twilight of his room, the space feels undefined and dream like somehow, the line between his mind and his surroundings blurry or indistinct somehow, and as you huff out a near silent laugh at something on the screen in your hand, a thought rises to the surface of his thoughts like flotsam on an unwanted tide.

The more clinical part of his mind notes the autonomic response in his body, the way his heart lurches unpleasantly in his chest, heart rate rising with an influx of cortisol through his nervous system, automatically rifling through ways to control the anxiety response. Age old instinct surges forwards, starting to push his spiralling anxiety down out of sight so as not to bother you with it, but then your hand shifts infinitesimally on his chest, fingers curling in the soft fabric of his pyjama shirt, and for once his body is miles ahead of his brilliant mind, your name is leaving his lips before he’s really aware of it happening.

Your gaze flashes up from your phone at the sound of his voice, soft and hesitant, and you let the screen go dark as you set it down. You can feel Spencer’s heart hammering against his ribs under your palm, and your brows knit together in concern as you shift closer to his side, tracing gentle circles over his shirt with your fingertips, the repetitive motion intended to soothe, though you’re not sure if it’s for his benefit or yours.

“Yeah, baby?” You ask softly, working hard to keep the rising worry from your voice. After three years of friendship and almost six months of dating, you know him well enough to sense when his propensity for overthinking and catastrophizing is slipping out of his control. You can feel his chest rise as he inhales sharply, whatever he’s about to say cut off by second guessing, doing nothing to pacify your concern. “Spence? Is everything okay?” You ask again.

“This-bet-hiding our relationship-it’s-” he trails off, throat tight as he rolls onto his side, facing away from you, and smushing his face into the pillow, already wishing he hadn’t said anything. You’re the kindest person he’s ever met, but offering up this kind of raw insecurity feels like pulling teeth. Even if it’s you. Especially if it’s you. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to find out if you care about him enough to stay when his racing mind gets the better of him. The pillow muffles his voice as he says “never mind.”

You feel your own heart rate tic up in response to that, matching the wild beat of Spencer’s that you could feel under your palm only a second ago. “Baby, talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

He shakes his head, face still hidden in the pillow. “It’s stupid.”

He can feel the rush of your breath on his back as you sigh, and your voice is almost achingly patient as you say softly “it’s not stupid if it matters to you.” There’s a long pause, and you press yourself against his back, settling close and letting your hand slide over his side to rest on his chest, the heat of his skin sinking into yours even through his thin shirt. In spite of his height, he feels so small as you wrap yourself around him, drawing closer, trying to reassure him without yet knowing what he needs to be reassured of. “Spence?”

“Are you ashamed of-being with me? Is that why you want to hide it?” The words are almost whispered, the sound almost lost against his pillow and your heart sinks, plummeting faster and further than if you’d dropped it off the side of a skyscraper. You should’ve known he might worry about that, should have realised it might have felt that way. Remorse rises hot and bitter in your throat and you swallow it down, trying to steady your voice.

“Spencer. Sweetheart. No. Never. I could never be ashamed. I love you. I’m so sorry.” Your arms wrap more tightly around him and you bury your face against the crook of his neck, the tension you can feel in every inch of his body making you feel more cruel and short-sighted than you already do. “I’m sorry I didn’t realise it might feel like that. I could never be ashamed of being with you, Spence. You’re my favourite person.” He takes the kind of shaky, shallow breath that comes with trying not to cry and your heart breaks a little more as one of his hands slowly moves to cover yours where it rests against his chest, just over his heart.

As his hand rests over yours, his thumb strokes lightly along your knuckles, and he knows you know him well enough to notice the way his hand trembles, just a little, because then your hand is shifting against his, turning to clumsily tangle your fingers with his, holding tighter to him as he tries to collect himself, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath as his eyes squeeze shut. He can hear the contrition in your voice as you say softly “I’ve never really liked having people know everything about what’s going on in my life. And I love our friends but-something like this, that’s so-special? So new? I wanted to be able to keep it to just us for a while.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice comes out a little shaky, scarcely more than a whisper, and it’s more than you can take as you pull back and gently force him to roll over to face you. He’s not crying, but his eyes are glassy and you recognise the fight to keep the tears unshed in the tight set of his jaw and the hard line of his lips. Leaning on your elbow, you lift your free hand to gently smooth out the furrows of his brow, letting your fingers linger along the planes of his face.

“Why are you sorry,” you ask gently. “You don’t need to be sorry, baby. Not for talking to me about things that bother you. We can tell everyone else tomorrow, if you want? We can call off the bet. Derek will live. If he’s got a problem with it I’ll turn all his shirts into crop tops.”

He can tell the joke is a last bid attempt to make him smile, to ease his fear, and it works. In spite of the anxious weight in his chest that feels like it’s pressing him into the mattress, Spencer laughs weakly, meeting your eyes, and he watches as a relieved smile breaks across your face, releasing your lower lip from where you’d trapped it worriedly between your teeth. The unmitigated affection that floods into your eyes renders him momentarily breathless as he takes in the moment. You’re still here, still trying to take care of him. Just as kind and steadfast as ever.

“No,” he says eventually, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you down on top of him like a living weighted blanket, letting your warmth chase the bulk of the tension from his body and luxuriating in the way you curl into him, one hand sliding into his hair. “We shouldn’t call off the bet. We still have to take Emily’s money, remember?”

Your sleepy laugh is the last thing he hears before his eyes close and the feel of your body wound around his lulls him to sleep.

five months.

SR: Can I talk to you about something?

DM: you dying or something? that’s a really fuckin ominous text to recieve out of the blue

SR: I’m not dying, why would that be what you assumed? I just have a question.

DM: just a figure of speech but what’s up?

SR: It’s about your bet with Emily. What’re the terms for it?

DM: wym?

SR: What exactly did you two make the bet about? What needs to happen in order for you to win the bet?

DM: does this count as collusion?

SR: Technically yes, but calling it collusion implies a certain degree of illegality.

DM: whatever anyway the terms i made with em were that you’d make some kind of move before your birthday but she reckoned you were gonna need some kind of near death experience to do anything about your crush why?

SR: I’m just making sure I have all the information.

DM: what’s going on pretty boy? you planning something?

SR: Maybe.

DM: not a helpful answer reid is everything good?

SR: Everything’s fine. We’re just figuring some stuff out. Nothing to worry about.

DM: is there something you’re not telling me?

SR: Don’t worry about it.

five months, three weeks and six days.

In the chaos that was the scramble from the briefing room to the jet, you haven’t yet had the chance to speak to Spencer about the outcome of his most recent thesis defence panel. By the time you’ve got a moment to breathe, the jet is underway, coasting across the country towards Montana, the whole team settled in for the six hour flight. You corner him in the tiny kitchen area of the jet as he’s making a mug of mediocre coffee, fingers tapping out an absent minded rhythm on the countertop as the coffee machine whirs, clearly not paying attention to anything outside of his head.

“Hey, boy genius.” He jumps, whirling around, eyes wide with surprise, and you smile fondly. “So?” You demand, and Spencer raises an eyebrow in confusion. You snort, rolling your eyes as you elaborate. “Your defence panel. Did it go okay?”

You’re shifting your weight and fidgeting restlessly with the belt loops on your pants and as he studies you for a moment, it occurs to Spencer that you’re nervous for him over this outcome. The thought brings an almost giddy smile to his face.

“You know this isn’t my first thesis defence panel, right?” He says mildly, deliberately burying the lede, enjoying the way you scowl in irritation too much to answer your question right away, too enamoured with this display of concern on his behalf.

“Don’t be difficult, Doctor Reid. It’s still a big deal.” He just shrugs noncommittally, and you huff, swatting his arm lightly. “So did it go well?” You ask again, eyes narrowing as you try to dissect his microexpressions, trying to discern the answer he seems determined to keep from you for yourself. A few seconds later, he relents.

“I can now add degree number six to my wall.” He confirms. Getting degrees doesn’t hold the same rush of pride for him now, the accomplishment feeling somewhat less exceptional as he acquires more of them, but the way your face lights up with pride for him reminds him how special the things he’s capable of can be. You’ve always made him feel like more than the sum of his parts somehow, like something infinitely more precious than he always assumed he is.

“I fucking knew it. That’s amazing, Spence,” you say, chest warm and full with pride and love, and his almost shy smile in return is enough to make a decision for you in a split second. Your hand dips into your back pocket, drawing something out, and you carefully hide it from view in your palm as Spencer tracks the motion curiously with his eyes.

Your eyes are shining with affection and something that looks like mischief and the way you’re smiling at him is more than enough to divert his attention as you step closer, just barely noticing as you slip something into his hand. You’re dangerously, distractingly close now, and he’s conscious, if somewhat distantly, that neither of you is concealed from the rest of the team, scant meters away in the seating area of the jet. But you’re smiling and close enough for him to feel your breath on his face and suddenly your lips are on his, and even after nearly seven months of being able to touch you like this, it’s enough to make him forget everything else as he melts into the contact, savouring the warmth of your skin and the faint smell of your shampoo.

You pull back a second later, the kiss over almost as soon as it started, but it’s enough to attract attention, and you can hear a belated ‘oh SHIT’ from Emily in the main cabin of the jet. In your peripheral vision, you can see money changing hands, your friends scrambling to react, but you don’t look at them, choosing to enjoy the bemused, affectionate look on Spencer’s face as his brain catches up to the events unfolding around the two of you.

“I was tired of keeping it a secret,” you say fondly, loud enough only for him to hear. “You win.”

Blinking in confusion, he finally tears his gaze away from yours, fingers uncurling to reveal the fifty dollar bill you had pressed into his palm right before you kissed him. The penny drops and he snorts with laughter, shaking his head in half hearted indignation as his other arm loops around you, pulling you in, letting you rest your head on his shoulder, hiding your face from the rest of the team as he kisses your temple, revelling in the way you wind yourself around him in response.

“I was gonna do this in like two days. I wanted you to win,” he murmurs against your hairline, and he can feel your faint laughter.

“Too bad, baby. I’m used to getting my way,” you say, pulling back to steal another quick kiss before peeling yourself out of his arms with a wink, turning to face the onslaught of ‘care to fucking explain that’ and ‘I fucking told you so’ from the rest of your friends, tugging him with you by your joined hands.

[bubblyernie]

OAUAGHHH Aaron Masterpost!!! This was going to be alluded to in the graphic novel pitch so i think its okay to share

BTW!! RN!!! THe graphic novel draft/roughs are up on my Patreon, its 23 pages in black and white. If anyone's interested. sneak peek, its called Wretch, its gonna come out some time in april/may:

anyway. AARON!!! I love to blab, im a huge yapper, given the opportunity to talk about my oc i will NEVER shut up. i split em up w headers, sorry for the paragraphs of text

Okay. BASICS:

The elevator pitch: a bounty hunter cowboy that crosses over with the hunter themes of the Greek furies! (they're both trackers, they "hunt", usually anti-hero considering the targets are criminals or men who've wronged their wives. Crimes against the gods. etc.

Aaron's name is a pun (Aaron Yiez), because...he's an Erinyes! The Greek furies!! Ofc in dnd there's more than 3, which is how I'm playing it, he wouldn't be one of the big three furies like megaera alecto or tisiphone. in DnD terms, he's a fiend! He's also a level 20 monster hunter ranger >:3 he's genderfluid (and demisexual as a fun side note), but always uses he/him

From the idea of the furies in Greek myth (or at least my understand of), anyone can call on the furies to enact justice/divine retribution on someone who's done a crime or wronged them and deserves punishment. Crossing over to dnd, he's a patron, if someone wanted someone killed, they'd make a pact with him in exchange for their soul. He only takes pacts that go against the grand scheme of "law", as in, the lawful planes' idea of justice. Which is crimes against the gods, against humanity, etc. not necessarily "law" as in human rules.

(btw "Wretch" is a play on "Retribution", which is his virtue name even tho he's not a tiefling.)

The whole storyline/purpose of his character was to explore morality. in this setting i frame "good" as putting others ahead of yourself and "evil" as putting yourself first. For the purposes of this, Aaron is considered lawful evil and then lawful neutral and even good at some points, kind of an antihero guy.

DESIGN!!:

So i went with the feathered wings thing bc...according to 5e they're like descendants of the angels and not born in the hells which i thought was neat. The original idea for the horns was a halo but i simplified them!

There's lots of snake imagery because the Furies were said to have snakes in their hair — Aaron's based off a rattlesnake (like....rattlesnake jake from Rango), he's got a rattle on his tail, snake earrings, a forked tongue, snakeskin shoes that look like snake heads, and lots of striations in his horns that move whenever his powers activate like writhing snakes.

He's got a mark on his forehead (backstory will explain that later!) that shows up on his targets/people he pacts with. Its meant to look like a star, kinda like how Artemis from Hades (game) has her "hunters mark"

He's actually quite thin, he just wears a lot of layers. Underneath bro has no nips, erinyes don't reproduce so i figured no need, but he does have some top scars (again, backstory will explain)

When he hunts/has a target for a bounty, he can activate smth like the "witcher sense" in witcher 3, where everything goes greyscale and he can pick up on their scent. I headcanon he can smell fear >:3 its his favourite scent.

FUUUN FACT: Turned the rope of entanglement dnd Erinyes get into his lasso/whip (its a +3 whip)!! and the leather armour has been turned into cowboy style leathers! yippee!!

BACKSTORY:

okay. here's the good shit. CW: mentions of domestic violence and murder. its a dark story, the comic itself is also 18+ for the themes of violence

So. Aarons started off as a scourge aasimar, the type that's all like....wrath of the gods. he was from mount celestia, like kind of a warden/sentinel type, son of a priest. His father married him off to a man from the material plane as a diplomatic thing between those two planes and for the sake of keeping the peace, Aaron went along with it. IMPORTANT TO KNOW, he did not go by Aaron, he had another name that i 1. didn't decide yet, 2. decided he would've wiped it from all of history anyway so nobody would ever deadname him.

To be very blunt, it was a toxic and abusive relationship. Aaron's never really the happy/outgoing type, even as an aasimar he's very regimentative and stoic. And for the sake of keeping peace between two planes/factions, he put up with it though as a scourge aasimar, the anger would manifest and fester in a way that's much stronger than someone of the mortal plane.

on the timeline i mentioned a "catalyst", which would be the event that kind of turned him over. His abuser would have put out a cigar on his forehead (hence the mark) and because of that Aaron would have sworn out to let divine retribution have them. One of the furies did heed his call, and he swore his life off, but before they arrived his own wrath took over and he killed the man off himself (shot him). So this left him in a position where 1. committed murder 2. basically overtook the erinyes who failed to do the job for him. This is where he went from "ill put up with it for everyone else's sake" to "i deserve better, i will always put myself first" and went from scourge to fallen aasimar. And of course the hells would grant him the offer of serving them because he obviously couldn't go back to mount celeste after he passes away.

He'd be tried for murder and hung (its a wild west story so...era-appropriate) and when he "awoke" he was in the nine hells reborn as a fury. Because all erinyes are described as female in myth, i think that would apply here, though he did alter his body to suit a more androgynous/flat-chested look. Aaron's actually really scrawny, he's high dex not high strength, so this kind of helped with his mobility as well. stuff happens, blood war happens, now he's a patron.

After this, he's taken up the reins so to speak, and prides himself in the fact that he's "a bad guy killing even worse guys". I think he's actually good (leaning), in my head, but mechanically evil in game play (does that make sense?). He's still self-prioritizing and because of that is very reclusive/untrusting but he's not necessarily selfish. just standoffish and...very traumatized. stray cat ish.

this is kind of going into comic territory now, but basically he'll pick up a bounty from a girl named Bess. She will almost do exactly what he did but he actually gives her the choice to kill her spouse saying that "he deserves your rage". Very projecting/saw himself in her, and because he's so blinded by his own rage this mistake is kinda like well...you "tempted" her into doing it, but she's very adamant she would've done it regardless, she's a murderer now, and the nine hells and seven heavens all have something to say about it and then they do monster of the week stuff together to repair that.

UH FUN FACT. the end result i had in mind that's NOT in the graphic novel is that she eventually says Aaron tempted her into doing it (its a good thing for a devil, but not necessarily for an erinyes), aaron's "punishment" for failing to do his job is that he has to live watching the person he cares about (bess) be wiped clean of memories and is "reborn" multiple times. That ends up being....Bastion. Bastion is the third iteration of Bess and i thinkkkk i want it to be like they're connected forever but cant ever be close. And maybe as a feel good moment bastion will remember aaron by name and face but not by what he's done. Aaron just has/had to suffering watching Bess die and become a celestial without her previous hardass badass personality to a total goof off to watching THAT iteration die to become the stoic stone-faced Bastion who's WAY more like his aasimar self.

OKAY WELL THATS ABOUT IT SOORRRRY ITS SOOO LONG ITS JUST BRO YAPPIN!! I loooove yapping!! i hope people are okay after reading that, its heavy material.

There wouldn't happen to be more stuff about Aaron is there?

:0 oh?? like more art? (there definitely will be, I'm publishing a graphic novel pitch about him some time in late april/early may. in fact, that's the most "stuff" I've ever done for any oc)

or like...fun facts? ASJDFKsdf