#and to remove the evidence that someone was trying to shot him

[mayonaisalspray]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Ace Attorney anime recently. I know a LOT of people like to shit on it, and while I can theoretically see why (and it does definitely have problems), I don’t understand why some of its more interesting elements go entirely unnoticed. For example, the scene where Maya finally decides to trust Phoenix is PHENOMENAL and I want to talk about it.

Maya has made it very clear that there are two reasons she doesn’t want Phoenix to be her lawyer. 1: he literally won his first case like 2 days ago. He doesn’t have any experience. And 2: she doesn’t think Phoenix truly believes in her. Maya remembers how Phoenix looked at her like she was a murderer, and she doubts him because of it.

Phoenix never says outright if he did or didn’t think she killed Mia (I’m of the mind that he didn’t personally but I don’t think there’s evidence to prove either way) but Maya is the chief’s little sister, and he has to try and protect her now that she’s gone. He bikes around town in the pouring rain trying to find someone who will take her case. He doesn’t want to leave her alone when she’s at her lowest, because he knows how that feels

We go back to the visitor’s center. Phoenix is soaked, his hair is messed up, and he has petals he hasn’t bothered to remove all over him. But he has a massive list of defense attorneys that he’s narrowed down to two that will listen to Maya’s case. He shows her the drenched notebook with their names, and we see a frantic scribbled and crossed out mess of a list.

We then see a short shot of petals falling into a puddle. I didn’t get why they put this in at first. But then I remembered “oh yeah spring is like THE metaphor for change!” And it all made sense! It represents a few things. Maya’s changing mind (she realizes just how determined Phoenix is to help her and that he does believe in her now), hope after everything that happened (it’s a few small petals in a big puddle, which isn’t much but it’s a signal that things can get better), and new beginnings (the start of Phoenix and Maya’s blossoming friendship).

And then we’re back in the interrogation room. Phoenix has turned away from Maya so that he can continue looking for someone to help her. Maya has tears in her eyes as she’s realizing everything that Phoenix is doing for her. Maya approaches the glass, and Phoenix has a sudden change of mind and turns back towards her. And at the same time, Phoenix asks to defend her, and Maya asks him to defend him.

And then they both bonk their heads on the glass trying to thank the other

It’s SUCH a FANTASTIC scene! It’s a beautiful little moment between one of my favorite duos in all of fiction and I’m not going to lie I did tear up when I watched it for the first time

[cloudberrys-stuff]

I mean he's eaten bullets before sooo....

kryptonians and their alien cravings for weird and questionably edible things led to bruce throwing out his authentic himalayan salt lamp after clark would not stop licking it

he was horrified when he watched clark take a huge bite of it (bulb included) and decided maybe it was time to just get rid of it altogether

[kkcauseway]

Forever and Always

Joel Miller x F!reader.

Summary I Your work life is awful and there's nothing you want more after an exhausting day both mentally and physically than to come home to Joel, but on calling him and finding out that's not possible you're dreading the thought of going home to be alone. However, it doesn't seem that that's the case once you actually make it back, and it turns into once of the best and happiest nights of your life. Content/warnings I So much cute fluff, Joel Miller being the most doting and caring boyfriend. 'babygirl', Joel has a cute little saying to let reader know just how much he loves her. Asking to move in together. No use of y/n, no outbreak. A/N I Once again another random idea that popped into my head that I decided to run with. I really hope you enjoy soppy, cute Joel taking care of his woman!

Main masterlist

It always puts a smile on his face when you call. Your name working wonders for the grumpy moods he finds himself in on jobs. Even with the jokes he cracks with Tommy. Nothing compares to when he’s with you, talking to you. Just doing anything that involves you. “Hey baby you, okay?” His husky voice grumbles down the receiver once he’s removed himself away from the bustle of the house, he’s currently working in.

“Joel?” You sniff.

His smile falters. Something is obviously wrong, and whatever’s happened he’ll kill them. No one upsets you. “Babe? Hey, hey what’s wrong?”

“I- sniff- I’m just having such a horrible day. I can’t stand this job anyone, I wana quit so bad. Please can you come over when I finish?” The sobs grow in volume as you force a hand to your mouth to try to quiet them. The impact of hearing those words leave your own mouth proving to you just how much you rely on him.

“Oh baby m’so sorry you’re having a shitty day. Listen we’re on a bad job today m’not gonna finish till super late so I most likely can’t come round. But I’ll call you later okay y’can tell me all about it okay baby. Promise.”

“Okay” you sniff upset he can’t come but you knew he was busy and that it was a long shot. You pine after him when you feel vulnerable like this.

“You know I love you, don’t you?” He grumbles evidently worried he’s in the doghouse.

“I know. I love you too so much.”

“Forever and always baby girl.”

The words making your heart flutter as they always do.

When the call cuts you hold your phone against your chest and sob a little more before psyching yourself up for your afternoon. Your colleagues don’t deserve to know just how bad they make you feel, they’d probably thrive on it if they knew.

So, instead you sort yourself out wash your face, wait till your eyes are less puffy, paint on your smile and go about the remainder of your shift thank fuck it’s Friday.

Of course no one notices, why would they when they make it clear how much they can’t stand you being around.

-

Finally five o’clock arrives and you rush out to your car as quick as you can. Putting on the cheesy cd playlist Joel made you. You love that he’s like that, so unbelievably cheesy, so old fashioned it’s why you adore him the way you do. When yours and Joel’s song comes on tears escape you again. God you’ve never loved someone the way you love him, but these tears you’re spilling are tears of happiness not pain.

When you make it home your shitty mood overcomes you again, the thought of your empty apartment and cold bed. So you settle on the idea of a large glass of red wine, a crappy comfort series and a good cry before you go to sleep. You’re have a day trip with Joel planned tomorrow and that’s enough to keep you going.

However, it’s like you can tell something’s off from the second your key is in the door. After momentarily hesitating you uneasily open your door and those thoughts are made true. Your apartment isn’t dark, cold, nor is it empty. The smell of food hits you so mouth-wateringly beautiful, and the radio is playing softly.

You kick off your shoes and move to the kitchen and there he is, Joel in all his glory slaving away over the stove. Dancing along to the music with an apron round his neck.

He turns to look at you with a smile on his face and it breaks you.

You stand on the spot throw your bag to the floor from your shoulder and cry. But he quickly rushes over “hey shhh it’s okay.” He cradles you close a hand on the back of your head pushing you closer to his chest. Allowing you to inhale his comforting scent.

“S’okay m’here baby.” He mumbles against your hair as he rests his lips against you. Holding you as close as possible.

After a few minutes you pull away red faced and puffy eyes to look up at him. “How did you get here I thought you were busy?”

“M’sorry baby, I know I didn’t think I’d be able to. And I’m so sorry that that made you upset, I really am, but as much as I am super busy at work the second, I heard you cryin’ I knew I needed to make sure I was finishin’ early so I could come over and see you, you mean more to me than any job, any amount of money. So I took a sick day for the remainder.”

“Thankyou” you whisper before moving to grasp at his stubbly cheeks. You smile sadly at him as your thumbs stroke him and then you move your lips to his, kissing him softly.

“I’ve made your favourite baby” he begins once you pull back away. Arms resting round his neck as you stand on your tip toes to be exactly in his eye-line. “And then I want you t’tell me all about this shitty day o’yours so we can get it outa your pretty head. You’re too beautiful to be burdened by that shit.”

You chuckle “I’d really like that, thank you so much for being here.”

“Always baby. Always.”

-

After a long moan fest over Joel’s signature spaghetti and meatballs, you’re cuddling on the couch with your long-awaited red wine.

Your difficult day long forgotten about which is why you love being around him so much, he really does make everything better. Just by being himself- so unapologetically himself.

You’re cuddled into him your feet kicked up behind you as he strokes your side. His calloused fingertips gliding lightly from your hip all the way up to the side of your breast, over and over causing constant goosebumps.

“You know v’been thinkin’” he mumbles softly into the silence.

“Shit did it hurt?” You chuckle as you jest with him, you love when you get the perfect opportunity to use that joke.

He pokes at your side in retaliation, and you giggle into it, loving every second of being with him.

“Seriously now though babygirl, sit up n’look at me.” 

Which you do without a moment’s hesitation. You pull away from him so you can face him sat on your knees.

God he’s gorgeous. His beautiful salt and pepper hair slightly longer than he would like but with you adoring him just like that he refuses to cut it.

He takes your hands in his and god it makes you nervous. Butterflies swim around in your stomach as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“I realised somethin’ today.”

Your breathing increases as you reply “what?”

He takes a nervous breath closing his eyes on the inhale and opening them back up to stare right back at you on the exhale. His perfectly pert lips opening just slightly to let the air out. He clears his throat as he shifts slightly in the seat. “Y’belong with me, all the time, all day every day, and it breaks my heart t’think that you could need me and we ain’t together.”

You smile softly at him, you know your rightful place is with him 24/7, there’s nowhere you’d rather be.

But the next words to leave him are so far from what you expected it’s as though time stands still. “Move in w’me.”

“What?” You’re excited from the moment the words leave his lips, but you’re certain you misheard.

“I want you t’move in with me, get out of this lil apartment. Come make my house ours, let’s always be together. No more late nights alone let’s always be there together even if my stupid fuckin’ job means I get in at 2am.”

You squeal throwing your arms around his neck as you practically pounce on him. “Oh my god yes, yes, yes when?”

He chuckles pushing you back slightly so he’s able to look at you once more. “Well I mean we could start moving ya stuff in tomorrow, I know we said we’d go out for the day but-”

“No!” You say it all too quickly and he laughs “I wana move in let’s do that fuck the plans! We can do that any day!” You forcefully hug him again. Pulling away he’s beaming at you “do you promise you mean it?”

“With all my heart baby.” The hand he has resting on your back moves up and down slowly. So soothing, so full of love.

You scream in excitement before kissing him.

When you eventually pull away you look directly into his hooded eyes. “Forever and always?”

“Forever and always babygirl” and he rubs his nose against yours.

[purple-obsidian]

I loved your post about sleepy sex with dick. I'd love to see more soft moments with him in bed, pretty plz I need him to smother me 😪

nonsense (18+, dick grayson x gn reader) wc 900

⭓ this post contains sexual content and is not suitable for minors.

"I have a theory."

"A theory?"

"Yeah."

You can't see the grin on his face, but you feel the upturn of his lips against your neck and the soft shaking of his body as Dick chuckles at your sleepy musings.

"Well, lets hear it, babe. Don't keep me in suspense."

Your fingertips graze his scalp, toying with his thick, dark hair that tempts you every time you're together. Its just begging to be pulled at and played with, really. It isn't your fault.

"You and Bruce, your whole gig is that you don't have powers, right? You're just ordinary people, regular humans."

"Well, I wouldn't say ordinary." He chides back with playful defensiveness. His voice is muffled from his proximity, but you can understand him just fine.

"Exactly." You mumble back, staring up at the ceiling of your bedroom. You can just barely make out the outline of the ceiling fan, dimly lit with the meager light emanating from your digital alarm clock on your bedside table, accompanied by an inconspicuous bottle of lube and a half-empty water bottle. "I think it's bullshit. You're meta, one hundred percent. I think you've been fooling everyone all along."

"Huh. Is that right?" He mutters against your warm neck, his soft breath fanning over your skin and sending a sharp tingle down your spine.

"You're telling me I'm wrong?" You whisper breathlessly, struggling to take in a full breath with how his body is crushing you, keeping you pinned between him and the mattress. Dick senses your discomfort and shifts his weight around to take some pressure of of your diaphragm. You cling to him reflexively when he moves, scared that he might try and get up.

"Aww, baby, someone feeling needy?"

You ignore the teasing in his tone, but allow your fingers to grip his raven strands that much tighter, keeping his head in place next to yours. "Don't change the subject."

Dick shifts his bodyweight again, wiggling his hips and grinding them against yours not-so-subtly. There is nothing separating your bodies, all clothes were forgotten hours ago when the two of you first came to bed. The evidence of your time together dampens the bedding below you and lingers in the still air of the bedroom. And still, his arousal that's pressed against your stomach stiffens once again while he slowly moves against you, teasing you, toying with you like he was made to do so, as if the gods sent him here specifically to be your undoing. He's good enough at it that you wouldn't be surprised.

"What superpowers do I have, then? Since you got me all figured out."

You grin, releasing your firm hold on his hair and nuzzling his cheek to get him to look at you. Dick reluctantly removes his face from your neck and blinks the sleep away from his eyes to focus on your face in the dark.

"Isn't it obvious?" The tip of your nose brushes against his, lips almost touching. Your breath is synced up to where you're inhaling as he's exhaling, your chest deflating slightly while his expands, back and fourth, slow and steady.

"Indulge me." Barely a whisper, his gravely voice tickling your eardrum.

Sapphirine eyes slowly come in to focus in the dim light. You snake your hand down between your bodies to grasp his hardening length, which is still sensitive from his earlier performance. The broken moan that chokes him upon contact is like a shot of dopamine to your brain. To you, there is no greater ego boost than being the source of this man's pleasure. With a gentle touch, you stroke his cock languidly, letting out a soft exhale that lacks enough air to fuel a full laugh.

"Stamina." You tell him, letting your mouth brush against his chin as you speak, his stubble feeling harsh against your lips, which are chapped from the endless kisses and fervent promises exchanged in this very bed hours earlier.

He ruts into your hand with another pained groan. "Sh-shit." A tremble shakes his large frame before he braces his forearms on either side of your body, baring more of his weight so he can lift himself off of you and give you more room to stimulate him where he needs you most. "Just like that… dammit, babe, you have no idea what you do t'me."

You lick your lips, chasing him as he pulls away, the few inches of space he put between you far too much for you to tolerate.

"Tell me I'm right." You demand, but you capture his lips in a heated kiss before he can answer you. The sound of his moans mingle with your own as the two of you make out, slow and sloppy, his cock now painfully hard and heavy in your palm.

"Right about what?" He mutters between urgent, feverish pecks to your lips.

"Y-your super-human stamina." You stutter after a beat, almost losing your train of thought. It's so easy to get lost in him. His taste, his smell, his warmth, his love. Its nothing short of addicting.

"Dunno what you mean…mmmm… You're talking nonsense, baby."

Dick swallows up any further comments from you, deepening the kiss and humping your hand with increasing desperation. It doesn't take much longer until your theory is forgotten, cast aside to make room for the love Dick pours into you with every lazy kiss and needy touch.

if you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging or leaving a comment!

please don’t steal my work. don't upload it to another site, use it to train ai, or claim it as your own.

⭓ masterlist ⭓

[g1rlken]

obsessed/possessive felix catton 🫣

Oh. Oh absolutely.

Anon you’re so real for this one🤞

-

Obsessive felix

word count: 1.3k (one shot)

Warnings: the req +sorry if he gets a bit toxic

-

For someone who grew up with a second pair of everything irreplaceable items were rare for felix. Or people, most relations superficial, nothing money can’t buy. That’s why she was different. He had to work for her, to be noticed to gain her affection. As unusual as it was for him he didn’t mind it.

Before they even started dating, it was difficult for felix to try and get her attention. They had different majors and one friend group in common most of whose gatherings she rarely joined. Occasional weekends here and there. He asked about her around, causality came naturally to him so most didn’t suspect a thing. Her lectures, her schedule, library visits, he memorised it all within a time span of a few days.

Felix would pick up the book she’d be returning at library, at first it was only to get an insight to what she’s interested in. What she reads in order to strike a conversational of coincidentally having same interests. However her long kept book smelt like her fragrance. It made him question his sanity halfway through a book on fluid mechanics if he was trapped by the contents of the book or the scent of her from it, it was the latter.

Much pinning, much accident meetings later they’d finally hit off. From his own past patterns and experiences in romance felix knew he would feel less and less intensely for her once he’d have her. She surprised him. As did himself, his feelings grew much more intensely than decreasing.

He felt wholly consumed by the being of her and it still felt not enough. He wanted to be drenched like the sand by the sea during a storm, he wanted her to be the rays that open his life like the petals of a morning glory flower. Because in one sense she was the answer to his glory, the glory he’s had to work for. One he wanted to announce to the whole world that she was his and the one he wanted to shield from the whole world because she was his. And his only.

She brought a sense of grounded serenity with her, in the morning with her locks softly spilled over his chest as she’d sleep through her first alarm which would evidently wake him up before her but he’d be glad. Because it would result to let him have his most cherished moment, the softest of mornings with her in his arms. The second alarm would only make him hold her tighter, not wanting to let go off her so soon.

One would forgo and turn a blind eye to a lot of things for love, his tender love came at the expense of his intense one as well. Though he was the softest of lovers, with her behind closed doors. It could most certainly be felt being with him however at certain instances it could be accounted for just how fiercely he loved. Aggressive make out sessions at the party, if someone stared at her a bit too long. It got awkward at times, in his lap or against the wall in a crowded dimly lit room. Not for him of course, it could get overbearing at times though. “You always pull something like that!” She complained as they returned from this one party, felix thought his possessive traits were subtle.

“Like what? Like kissing you? My girlfriend?” He questioned with a scoff as he removed his jacket and hanged it on the door hanger inside her dorm room.

“No-but a whole make out session? There were people around!” She complained trying to reason with him, had she felt uncomfortable with it she could’ve told him during it but it wasn’t that. Yet there was something she couldn’t pinpoint or maybe chose not to.

“It was a party” he scoffed as he walked over to her and pulled her closer to him by her waist to pause her whining, “it’s common to make out with your girlfriend at a party.”

She pulled away from his grasp, not wanting to have the firmness of the conversation she was trying to have be dismayed “No it’s always like this, especially at parties. You basically manhandle me the entire time-“

“Manhandle you?” He stopped her midway, scoffing at the sound of her baseless proponent “Really? So dancing with you, kissing you is now manhandling you?”

“It’s not, but your arms around me, kissing my neck, trying to kiss me while I’m in the middle of a conversation with someone that’s so unideal.” She advocated for what she was trying to say, she knew he was always big on physical touch and she never once minded it. However it wasn’t the first time it had happened where she’d try to have a normal conversation with anyone and felix would kiss the nape of her neck as she’d talk, pull her into his lap if she was sitting next to him. Completely disregarding whoever she was conversing with.

“So having a conversation is much more important than being close to me?” He asked, his tone was mild and composure relaxed but he felt border line offended.

“That’s not what I’m saying…” she sighed rubbing her eyes for a second, “you know that’s not how I’m saying it-“

“—Oh no please enlighten me how much of an inconvenience it is if I kiss you in front of other people!” Felix interrupted her.

“We just seem like that obnoxious PDA couple everywhere we go! And it’s not just this party or parties in general-everywhere you just…” she trailed off looking for the right word.

“Suffocate you.” He filled in for her with a scoff and looked away from her crossing his arms.

“No.” She replied firmly “No you just get overbearing. Where does that come from, talk to me.”

“Do you seriously want me to justify myself for wanting to be close to my girlfriend? Do you hear yourself?”

“Do you hear yourself felix!” Exclaiming she sighed regaining her composure, “Its like you can’t stomach the fact that I exist outside of this relationship, why can’t you just commute and tell me what’s your issue?”

“You don’t get it do you?” He let out a dejected scoff and approached closer to her, “it is fucking infuriating to see you paint me out like I’m irrational-I’m not impulsive because I’m madly in love, y/n, I am madly in love with you and I know exactly what I’m doing. To safeguard what we have, after you the most precious thing that’s happened to me is our relationship. We come off as an obnoxious couple? I come off as possessive? Fuck it.” He stated confidently as he took her hands in his, “I care about you, your sense of self and individuality is very dear to me and I’m sorry if you feel otherwise. I’ve never been in this place before where losing someone would worry me but losing you terrifies me to my core. I’m not irrational, I'm maybe rational to the point of obsession. But I am just a man who loves you more than anything in this world.” His gaze never lifted off of her eyes the entire time and he felt a bit surreal having confessed his all-consuming, all-encompassing love for her. There was a sense of vulnerability in being freed of the truth.

“Felix…” she breathed as her gaze softened, his flaws were the same as hers in a different dynamic and he was rough around the edges but now after what he confessed? She saw his love in a different much serious and committed light. Devoted. She looked down at her hands in his and back up at him with a soft smile adorning her face, she didn’t know how else to reply to him so she just leaned forward brushing her lips against his in a passionate kiss. He held held her in his arms lengthening the kiss.

“You’re mine. Mine to protect, mine to love, mine to cherish.”

“—Yours.”

[tarjapearce]

Impostor

Warning: ANGST. Mild smudge of fluff at the end. Mentions of a character death, strained relationships.

Inspired in THIS ask. Thanks anon! ❤️✨

Pairings: Miguel O'Hara x GN! Reader

Summary: Your husband died in your arms, a canon event that instantly grants you a ticket to the Spider Society. But of course, anomalies can be quite dirty players and take hold of what you adored the most.

Being a spider hero wasn't an easy feat. Balancing hero life with married life had surely taken a toll on you and your husband. As much as you wanted to be there, there was always something that needed to be done.

Of course, you were always trying to find a common ground to prevent your marriage to keep slipping away from your hands. But soon enough, you finally had digested that, despite a hero you were still a person. And as a person, you could only do so much.

And the day you feared, to lose him, your beloved husband Miguel, had arrived, like an unannounced hurricane, destroying everything in it's wake. The only victim of such destruction: your heart.

The commotion was heard from the upper roof, a shot rang through your ears, hammering it's echo on the walls. Spider senses roared alive, as every hair on your body stood, letting dread seeping in your bones.

Descending down the walls you saw a very familiar figure on the ground. Your heart beat, a tight knot constricting  your throat as a passing by car illuminated the crime scene, only to reveal Miguel's face on the ground.

Please

Some of his curls had fallen off on his face. Your feet rushed to him, shaky hands turned him around, gently. A slow and almost imperceptible sigh escaping his paling lips.

Don't go...

You had begged him through the mask. The light in his eyes was escaping faster than you had anticipated, warm blood staining your clothed fingers. Your mask was removed. His eyes drifted to you and you swore he was trying to smile. As if finally understanding the reason of your ongoing absence in your marriage.

Im so sorry, I should've...

Miguel closed his eyes, and your cries were only drowned by the bustling of the living city.

-------

If you were sure of something is the fact that you could never see this Miguel straight in the eye without tears blurring your sight. Despite two years going by, and you had joined this sort of Spider Society, the once forgotten grieving only resurfaced whenever the splitting image of your deceased husband walked around, barking orders at everyone to keep the Arachnohumanoid-polymultiverse together.

Even though you both, had discussed this matter directly, you still preferred to keep yourself from him at arms lenght. Interacting only when it was necessary. It was a dynamic that although crumbly, worked for the both.

The man wasn't blind to your evident distress whenever he lingered too much around you. You did your part, and so did he. Both working in silent harmony. Together but not scrambled.

----

The anomaly alarm flared up, alerting Miguel right away. Jessica and Ben following in.

"What is it now? Vulture with a new explosive device?" Jess mumbled as she approached the screen area. She stopped upon seeing Miguel's muscles tensing as he exhaled, dreadfully.

"The reality is glitching on (Name)'s universe"

"Glitching? I thought that only happened when someone who isn't supposed to be there-"

"Exactly the problem." Miguel grumbled as Jessica beckoned herself closer to the screen Miguel was looking at.

The video image showed another version of him. A civilian one wandering the streets, with a confused and distressed look in his face.

"Isn't that-?"

"(Name)'s husband."

"Another version of you is married to them?"

"He is supposed to be dead. Why isn't he dead?"

"The anomaly suggest unusual behavior. As if the code model have been rewritten." Lyla spoke as she materialized next to Miguel's shoulder.

"Is that possible?" Jessica looked at the screen again as steps approached from afar.

"Apparently, it is. It has to-"

"Heard the alarm. What is it?" You stopped upon seeing everyone looking your way, solemnity on their faces.

"(Name)..."

"What is it?"

"There is... a glitch."

Frowning, you approached the screen, Miguel however stood in your way. Unsure if allowing you to see what the alarm was about.

Your fist clenched as tears welled up in your eyes.

"Miguel" you tried and he sighed, stepping aside. The clip was revealed to you, your Miguel stared at his surroundings, as if looking for something. Or rather someone.

"W-Why... How is this possible?" Your throat cleared up, trying to subdue the tightness in it.

"That's what we are trying to find out."

"It's just an anomaly, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll handle it."

Miguel followed you as his hands reached to you, holding you gently by the shoulders, his eyes locking on yours.

"It's my mess. I have to... I need to go, Miguel."

"We can find a better approach to this, (Name)"

"He is not supposed to live!" you snapped and Miguel's jaw clenched.

"That's why I will send someone-"

"No. I... I need this."

"(Name)..."

"I need closure." your voice a faint whisper, "I owe myself that, so don't take this chance away from me."

"The anomaly is starting to interfere with the universe, Miguel!"

Seizing the little distraction, you ran off through a portal, ignoring the angry callings from Miguel.

-----

You landed on a nearby building, and begun your search. You dodged towers, cars and trains as you swung through them, your senses tingled upon approaching an abandoned building. How the structure was still standing was a mystery to you.

You crawled up the wall and got inside through a hole on one of it's walls. You could see the anomaly. looking around, when his eyes settled on you. Your heart thumped hard as a cold sweat ran down your spine.

"(Name)!" He called in that ever loving voice you loved to hear. Landing before him you removed your mask.

"It's you..." He rushed to you and cupped your face. Your Miguel held you tightly in his arms and you couldn't help but sob.

"¿Qué pasa mi amor?" (What's wrong, my love?)

"I'm so sorry... for..."

"Shh... It's okay. I now understand why you... always ran."

"I could've been better. For us. I could've told you the truth..."

"We can start all over, again. Like a family."

Your heart broke a little more with every word that came out of his mouth.

"Miguel..."

"Aren't you excited?" His voice echoed through the building, but then he glitched.

"You are not my Miguel."

"What are you talking about? I'm right here! I am alive!"

"That's precisely the problem!" tears rolled down your cheeks as your husband, or at least whatever that had stolen his appearance, clung to you. Kissed you, and held you so lovingly you fell for it for a second.

His touch, his scent, his warmth, everything that made him your beloved partner in crime, was right before you. Offering you a new start.

"I don't want to leave you. There is so much I wanna do better, with you. Just listen to me-"

"You are supposed to be dead."

"No, I'm right here." His voice desperate, trying to convince you with his truth.

Your hands removed his from your frame and he looked at you, both fearing and pleading. The building glitched.

"You are interfering with this reality."

"I'm... Im not understanding. All I wanted to do was to see you again." He muttered gently, "And I now have that chance again!"

"Don't talk... please. "

Your husband went silent as you cried while your webs tumbled one of the pillars that held the structure.

"W-What are you doing?" Panic surged through your husband's face as another column was brought down. Dust showering his clothes

"You are not supposed to be alive." Despite your grief, you had seen what anomalies could do, and if not dealt with it soon, the whole universe could collapse. The other Miguel, your boss had shown you.

"Is it because we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary? Tell me!"

The lump on his throat rivaled with yours as you got another column down. The building shook as it's base crumbled down.

"It's because you died! In my arms! I saw you dying. I had your blood in my hands! You... You think I want to do this? If I could... I would damn this whole universe just to be once more with you."

The anomaly approached you and cupped your face. Even though his skin and touch felt warm, it felt void. Almost rehearsed.

" But I can't. I can't damn a whole universe for my selfishness." His eyes widened upon your words, you shook your head, resolution in mind.

"My husband died years ago."

"Wait" His large hands held tightly on you but he glitched once more, allowing you to escape and crawl onto a wall. Ignoring the tugs at your heart as your Miguel pleaded you to stop.

"He was shot in an alley." you shoot your web and pulled the last column down.

The building itself started to collapse within. The anomaly ran, seeking refuge as it pleaded for you to help it.

"And died in my arms." you whispered as the anomaly looked around, frantically for refuge from the crumbling structure. His feet however were webbed to the ground.

"(Name)!!" his voice called you, but you just turned on your back and left. Blue and red suit followed you, as the structure collapsed completely.

"The anomaly was contained, Miguel" Lyla announced before going quiet again.

"(Name)"

"I need to be alone."

He just watched you, as the rest of the team arrived at the scene.

-------

Miguel approached and leaned on the table with a coffee mug on hand. He offered and you took it. The warmth heating up your fingers.

"Good job."

"Hm." You just nodded and stared at your fingers.

"Thanks." you spoke after a while, "I... I needed this."

"You did what was right."

"Just did what it needed to be done. Learned that from you."

There was a weak smile on your face as he stared at you.

"You're a good leader."

"You're a good hero." He mumbled, and nodded.

"Still, I'd like to keep this... dynamic we have settled between us. After everything that has happened I still need time to adjust to... all of this."

He chuckled and nodded

"When you're ready, we'll talk."

"About what exactly?"

He shrugged and pointed at your ripped and damaged suit

"A new suit, perhaps"

"Or a new watch prototype. This one is a bit too heavy for me. Makes me slow when throwing punches"

"Might do" He gave a small reassuring smile and it made your aching heart to hurt a bit less.

[redheadwannabesblog]

Weasleys revenge: missing scene HBP

A few days after Ron getting poisoned Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna sat in the hospital wing with him. Ginny had dropped off a stack of old editions of Quidditch Monthly that she’d thought Ron would like. Luna placed a large pink crystal next to his bed that she swore would speed his recovery. 

Hermione grimaced but at the look Ginny shot her said it was a very nice thought. Hermione tried to convince Ron to catch up on some schoolwork but he just groaned “what’s the point of nearly dying if I can’t even get out of a few essays.”

The doors to the hospital wing swung open and Romilda Vane came charging in flanked by two girls Harry vaguely recognized from the train. It took him a moment to realize it was in fact Romilda because her pale skin and dark hair had turned a deep green color. She looked like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz that he had seen glimpses of before the Dursley’s had quickly changed the channel on the TV. 

Romilda looked straight at Ginny and spat “you did this to me didn’t you!!!”

Ginny looked up at her in mock surprise and said simply “ I don’t know what you are talking about. What is it you think I’ve done?”

“This, you witch! My hair! my skin! I look like I’m covered in moss. Get it off me!!”

Despite being shouted at Ginny looked up calmly. “Are you accusing me of turning you green?”

“Of course I am! Who else would’ve been mental enough to do this?!”

Hermione jumped up clearly in Prefect mode when Ginny stood and walked towards Romilda. 

“Well Romilda, poisoning another student is a serious accusation. Something like that would be enough to earn someone a month of detention if they weren’t suspended. So I hope you have some evidence other than me being mental. 

But we should get to the bottom of this. Tell me did whoever poison you leave something behind, like I don’t know were they stupid enough to sign their name?” 

At this she held out a small bit of parchment toward Romilda that Harry recognized as the note from the box of spiked chocolate cauldrons. He wondered briefly how she had found it before turning his attention back to the scene unfolding. Hermione looked concerned. Ron was looking on in great interest as nothing this exciting had happened in days. 

Romilda stared down at the note. 

“Oh come on! that was harmless.”

Ginny calm was gone at this. Anger flushed her face and the note in her hand was crumbled in her clenched fist. 

“HARMLESS! 

You tried to poison my friend, you actually poisoned my brother and  he could have died! “

“That wasn’t my fault and I got that potion from your other brothers BY THE WAY!”

“Oh believe me Fred and George already got an earful and they have learned their lesson and recalled the last of those awful love potions. Nothing about this was harmless and Ron wouldn’t be in that bed if it wasn’t for you! So maybe whoever turned you green wanted you to know what being forced into something outside of your control feels like!!!”

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Everyone jumped to see madam Pomfrey standing behind them looking livid. 

“Miss Vane, I’m am sure the coloring is temporary. Go grab a bed over there and I will be right with you. I’m sure your friends can leave you alone for a little while.”

Romilda marched to a bed as far from Ginny as possible. And hid herself behind a curtain. 

Madam Pomfrey looked at Ginny. Who had gone back to her seat between a stunned looking Ron and a gleeful Luna. 

“Now do you have ideas on what might remove that coloring, Miss Weasley.”

“I never said it was me who did it.” Ginny said trying and failing to look innocent. 

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I only meant hypothetically”

Ginny looked up at her and said slowly “hypothetically it would probably wash away with a bit of rosewater”.

The matron turned and walked towards her medicine cabinet. 

“Wow Ginny” said Ron smugly “I had no idea you cared so much.”

“Oh shut up and read your magazine. And don’t look at me like that Granger you once trapped a woman in a jar and transported her across England, so don’t judge me. “

Harry burst out laughing. Ginny’s glower disappear and she started laughing too. The monster in his chest was beaming. 

[verve-wifux]

Playing Nurse - Daryl Dixon smut.

Description:

You tend to Daryl after he's shot by Andrea after looking for Sophia but he isn't one to follow instructions, especially yours.

Ever since Rick's group arrived on your father's farm, and Daryl had immediately caught your eye. Whenever you got the chance to talk with him, you took it.

And this was no exception.

Warnings: Strong language, mature themes

*****

You puffed out a sigh when you entered the room you had forced Daryl to stay in while recovering, the bed messy, but most importantly, empty.

You slipped your hat, matching with your younger sister Maggie's, and began the walk over to Daryl's makeshift camp just outside the farm's fence.

"Y/N! Have you seen Maggie?" You heard Glen's voice call out from somewhere behind you, making you glance over your shoulder, pointing towards the house.

"Cookin' dinner with Lori and Carol," You called back, earning a thumbs up before he picked his pace into a light jog.

You shook your head at your sister's boyfriend with a smile on your mouth. You were happy she'd found someone like him. He was sweet, dorky but in a cute way.

You continued the walk to where the motorcyclist would be, biting your lower lip to fight the smile that tried to form when you saw him, his crossbow in his rough hands as he cleaned it with a rag.

He glanced up, his crystal blue eyes meeting yours, squinting due to the lowering sun. You saw his eyes hover on you before they rolled back into his head, looking back to the weapon in his hands.

Asshole.

"Y/N," He said in a way of greeting, eyes not meeting yours.

"Dixon," You greeted back, stopping in front of him and crossed your arms over your chest.

"Who gave ya' permission to leave?" You questioned, tilting your head.

"M'fine," He merely grumbled back, still cleaning the bow in his lap.

"That wasn't my question, who gave you permission to leave?" You replied back, making his hands hault, his eyes meeting yours as he looked up at you from the log he was sitting on.

Daryl's whole face could be seen as he had taken off his bandage about a week ago, unable to stand it any longer. His eyelashes were dark and long, a stray one on his tanned cheek.

You resisted the urge to wipe it away.

"What am I, your prisoner?" He questioned back, raising his brows at you, still squinting as he avoided the sun.

"Evidently not, seen as you're not where I left ya'," You frowned, making him puff out a low "pft".

"Not like ah ran away, jus'left," He shrugged, looking down at his crossbow.

Unable to stop yourself, you reached out, stopping his chin with a finger and forced his face back up.

He looked physically taken back by your gesture, but didn't pull away, letting you tilt his face upwards to meet yours.

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to ya," You ordered, making him raise a brow, but kept his mouth shut.

You removed your hand from his chin, wiping your finger along his cheek, collecting the stray eyelash.

"Make a wish," You smiled at him, showing him the eyelash on your finger, waiting for him to blow it away.

He searched your face before his eyes dropped to your finger.

"Wish ya'd stop botherin me," He wished before blowing on the eyelash, making you scowl at him.

He glanced back up at your face, a small smile on his lips, unable to help himself.

The sight made you freeze, you'd never really seen the man smile before.

It suited him.

"What does?" He asked, making you blink.

You realised you said that bit outloud as he stared blankly at you.

"Smilin', should do it more often," You shrugged, making him scoff at you.

"You've done nothin' but frown at me, so don't gimme that shit," He argued, making you grin at him.

You licked your lips, trying to hide your girlish reaction, but it didn't help. His own smile widened as he watched you, tilting his head as he observed you.

"Cause ya could hurt yourself out here, Dixon! I'm lookin out for ya," You remarked, making him roll his eyes.

"Pft, please. I'm just fine," He grumbled, shaking his head as he glanced from your face, scanning the forest and hills around us.

"At least come to dinner tonight," You sighed, sitting next to him, nudging his leg with yours while you sat.

"Ya been cookin?" He questioned with a scoff, making you nudge him playfully with your shoulder.

"Ya think I've been cookin? Best I can do is chop up some veggies. Maggie, Lori and Carol did it," You answered, your breath catching as he tilted his body, meeting your gaze.

He scanned your face, first your eyes, down your nose, your sun-kissed cheeks, your rosy lips.

He finally shook his head breifly, glancing away from you.

"C'mon, I'll make sure you don't have to sit on the kid table," You pushed, dying for him to say yes.

You didn't know why you had gravitated towards him as much as you had, but looking after him..checking in on him had been nice. It felt like you two had hit it off.

But.. he was healed and ready to go back to ignoring you most days.

"Why ya care so much?" He questioned, eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at you.

You froze, you'd been afraid of this question.

"Why wouldn't I?" You questioned back, deflecting the best you could.

He rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, Y/N. Why? Why ya been looking after me? Checking in? Ya dont gotta, so why?" He asked quietly.

"Well, everyone deserves help when they need it," You shrugged, holding his gaze.

He merely hummed, glancing to the sunset.

You followed his gaze.

"It's beautiful," You commented, noting the lovely orange, pink, purple, yellow and blue colours as they melted into one.

"Yeah," Daryl's voice replied, rough and deep like usual.

You glanced back over to his face, noticing he was already looking at you.

You watched eachother silently for a few moments.

"Fuck, Y/N, ya make this so hard and complicated," He muttered lowly, his eyes tracing over you.

You blinked.

"What?" You questioned, but your voice was breathless and weak.

He merely shook his head, scoffing softly, almost like he found it amusing that you didn't know what he was talking about.

"Ya can't look at m'like that," He grumbled, making you inhale sharply, your gaze falling to his mouth.

"Like what?" You questioned, meeting his gaze again.

"Like that," He answered roughly, unconsciously setting his crossbow aside.

"And why's that?" You teased with a smile, tilting your head at him. The hair you had left out of your half up-half down hairstyle falling over your shoulder, covered by a thin, blue and white flannel.

His answer was his lips pressing them against yours.

Immediately, you responded to his actions, your lips moving againat his own softly, your hand going to the side of his neck, fingers lacing into his hair as you pulled him closer.

He groaned against your mouth, his hands roaming to your waist and hips, pullling you closer until you straddled over him.

You could get closer due to the new position, angling your mouth closer to his.

You brushed your tongue against his mouth, quickly slipping inside and greeting his own tongue with a suggestive sweep, exploring his delicious mouth.

His hands tightened on you, holding you tighter to him as he kissed you harder, slowly taking control of the situation.

"Daryl!" You gapsed when his lips dipped from your mouth, planting themselves on your neck.

He kissed your skin tenderly, sliding his tongue up the length of your neck, kissing under your ear.

He smiled against your skin when you said his name, making him pull back and glance up at you.

"That's the first time you've ever said my name," He commented, making you grin down at him, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

"Make me say it again," You muttered against his lips, grinning happily.

"I'll make you scream it," He replied before picking you up in his strong, muscled arms.

You squeaked in response, laughing as you wrapped your legs around his hips, arms around his neck as you kissed him again.

He lay you down on the blanket he had on the floor, the grass soft underneath it, making it suprisingly comfortable.

He threaded himself between your legs, making you wrap them around him tighter, bringing him closer as you kissed him.

Your hands roamed over his muscled arms, squeezing roughly as they traced over his hot, tanned skin. Your hands went to his shirt, quickly undoing the buttons there, desperate to set your eyes on his broad chest.

A sight you had only seen once or twice.

Thankfully, his vest was thrown over a seat nearby, not having another layer of clothes to fight through.

He chuckled when you ripped him from his shirt, disgarding it somewhere, not bothering to check where it landed.

"Someone's eager," He teased in a humerous tone, making you scowl before you flipped him.

He puffed out a chuckle at the new position, his hands going to your hips as you straddled over him. Your eyes roamed over his chest, your fingers drawing a path over his skin, making him inhale sharply.

You didn't comment on the scars littering his body, pressing your lips to his collarbone and began to kiss your way down his body.

His hand laced in your hair as you moved south, earning a groan from him when you dragged your tongue over his stomach, nipping with your teeth.

You smiled against his skin before you pulled at his belt, hastily undoing it and pullrd his jeans from him.

He pulled you back to him, sitting up as he pulled your flannel and vest from you, leaving you in your bra and shorts.

His eyes took the time to scan you over before he pressed kisses to your collarbone, hands sliding over the skin of your waist.

"Well aren't ya a pretty sight," He muttered with a smile, making you press your mouth to his again, a soft moan fluttering from you as his thumbs stroked your skin tentatively.

His hands slid up your back, unclipping your bra with ease before throwing it to the side. You continued to kiss him before he pulled back, dropping kisses over your chest and neck.

You whined when his thumb brushed over your erect nipple, arching into him as your breasts ached for more, melting into his warmth and touch.

His mouth wrapped around your other, sucking lightly, making you cry out in shock, your hand going to his hair, pulling him closer.

As he continued to give your breasts some attention, your centre had began to throb uncomfortably, feeling hot and needy.

"God, Daryl. Stop teasing me," You moaned as your head fell back, eyes fluttering shut.

Almost making you cry out in protest, Daryl removed his mouth from you.

"Ya sure?" He questioned lowly, making you shift on him, rubbing against his hardened dick.

He groaned roughly, swiping his tongue over his lips.

"Yes. Fuck me, right now."

Daryl wasted no time before flipping you over, his hands undoing the button of your shorts before pulling them from you, your panties quick to follow as he exposed you to him.

You mewled when the subtle breeze brushed against your molten centre, making your hips rock, desperate for stimulation.

Daryl chuckled at you, his gaze meeting yours, clouded with lust.

"You're desperate, aren't ya? So fuckin' dirty, this why ya were playin' nurse?" He questioned as he rubbed his thumb over your centre, pressing down on the hot, bundle of nerves between your thighs.

You choked on your moan, hips jerking at the contact, body arching up to him.

"Mhm." It was the best answer you could give him, pleasure and desperation taking control of your body.

"Last I checked, nurses aren't meant to fuck their patients," He continued, making you smile up at him, giving him a one shouldered shrug.

"You're welcome to file a complaint," You answered, making him chuckle, pressing his mouth to yours and swallowing your moan when he rubbed over your clit in slow circles.

Your hips rocked against his calloused hand, the roughness of his fingers feeling delightful on your sensetive bud, your core clutching onto nothing.

"God, you're so fuckin' needy and wet, all for me?" He asked, nipping at your jaw as he kissed down your body.

He licked over your nipple again, stopping breifly as he continued to touch you between your thighs.

"All for ya', so wet," You gasped when he nipped your skin with his teeth.

He pulled his thumb from you, making you cry out in protest.

"No, please-"

"Sshh, ima take care of you now, yeah?" He questioned, making you nod eagerly.

You put up no fight when he rested your legs on his shoulders, his hair tickling your thighs as he lowered his mouth to your core, swiping his tongue up your centre.

You moaned loudly, hips jerking at the contact with his tongue. His tongue continued to roll in tight circles around your clit, his rough hands on your thighs, keeping them in place. A coil of heat began to tighten in your lower stomach, spread ingredients dowm your legs and up through your chest, settling in your face. You ground yourself against Daryl's mouth, your moans roling from your mouth without control.

You never knew sex could be like this, so..right. You didn't have a lot of expereince when it came to men, esecially now the world had went to shit, but Daryl and his mouth knew every spot that made your toes curl, your eyes roll back into your head and another moan fall from your mouth.

"Oh..god! Daryl-" A moan cut you off as your hips rocked faster, your hands pulling at the blanket under you, eyes clentched shut as you neared the edge of climax.

Before you could explode, Daryl pulled away with a dark chuckle.

You panted, eyes snapping open to look down at him, your high slowly easing to a subtle ache.

"Ya taste so good, better than any dinner the girls could've made," He grinned as he swiped his tongue over his lips, catching your glistening arousal that lingered there.

And he wasn't lying, you were fucking delicious.

"Daryl- God please," You begged needily, sitting up on yiur elbows as you pressed a kiss to his mouth, tasting yourself there.

You moaned softly, wrapping your arms around his neck and oulled him over your body.

He contimued to kiss you hungrily as you snuck your hand past the waist of his boxers, your hand wrapping around his hardened length, amd began to pump him.

He growled into your mouth, moving his hips in time with your pumps, occasionally speeding up or goimg harder.

You pulled your hand from him, spitting on your palm before going back to him, swiling a thumb over his tip.

"Fuck Y/N," He groaned, restimg his forehead against yours as he lost himself im the pleasure you were giving him.

"Wanna fuck me, Daryl? Bury that hard cock in my warm, tight pussy? I'll make ya feel so good while ya fill me up," You moaned into his ear, nipping his lobe with your teeth.

His dick twitched in your hand at the words, earning a rough laugh, a kiss in your cheek.

"You want that, sweet girl? Want me to fuck you?" He groaned, making you nod eagerly.

"I want you to make me scream," You whispered, your core throbbing with need and want.

"Fuck," He growled into your ear huskily, hips thrusting into your hand.

"Ya gotta stop," He continued, pulling back and pressed another kiss to your mouth.

You worked him a few more pumps, each hard and firm, before retrieving your hand from him.

He groaned, almost like he was in pain at the lack of contact, the sound driving you mad with lust.

You reached down, releasimg Daryl from.his boxers, his dick hitting against his stomach.

Your eyes widened at the sight, he was so big.. so thick. You wondered how he'd even fit inside your body, you'd never taken someone his size. He clearly read your fast and chuckled, pressing a kiss to your mouth.

"You'll take it, you're soaking," He muttered in reassurance.

He slipped a thick didget between yiur legs, swioing over your arosual before olunging inside.

You gasped at the intrusion, moaning loudly as he curled his fingers, hitting all the right places.

"Good?" He questioned, making yiu nod.

"A-another, more, gimme more," You begged wuickly, driving your hips down on his finger in time with his pumping, easily stretching for him.

"Dirty fucking girl, beggin' for more. Beggin' for my cock," He chuckled, making you grin lazily up at him.

"Ya promised you'd make me scream your name, Daryl. I'm not doin' a lot of screaming," You taunted, kissing his neck once.

He kissed your mouth roughly as he lined himself up with your entrance, slamming inside in one, hard thrust.

Your mouth fell open, a breathless scream leacimg your throat as you clung to him for dear life, feeling him so deep made you flutter aroumd him.

"Ya like that, sweetheart?" Daryl muttered into your ear, dragging his hips back before snapping agaisnt yours, pounding into your body you jolted with each thrust.

You could only moan loudly in respomse, driving your hips up against him.

After a few thrusts, he sped up, grunting roughly with each snap of his hips. His tip went against your G-spot with each drive forward.

As promised, you screamed Daryl's name as your release gushed from you, coating Daryl's dick, making his hips stutter inside of you.

He groamed, cutting off your moans and he kissed you roughly, feelimg his release work through your body, miximg with your own as he continued his sloppy thrusts.

He took a minute or so before pullimg out with a wince, just as sensetive as you were, pearly white cum leaking from you.

You panted as you cqught your breath, putting your hand om Daryl's chest as you smiled widely at him.

He pressed a kiss to your mouth, tucking loose hair behind your ear.

"Worked up an appetite?" You smiled, pressing a kiss to his broad shoulder.

He chuckled softly, his hand stroking over your waist and hip, squeezing softly.

"Hungry for dessert," He grinned wickedly, voice low as he pressed his lips to your neck, nipping softly.

You arched into him, kissing him twice more before escpaing his arms, starting to re-dress.

"C'mon Dixon, better get ther before people start looking for us," You grinned, nudging him with your boot.

"Back to Dixon?" He questioned, tilting his head with a soft smile.

"Mm, maybe do that thing with ya tongue again, and we'll see," You winked, making him scoff at you before he started to re-dress. You watched his muscles move, a smile on your face.

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 44

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible.

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader

James had decided to keep his efforts quiet as he continued his parade around the Bank Street businesses in search of video footage from the night of the most recent murder. He didn't want some more experienced or egotistical officer to write off the lead he was on, and so he took it upon himself to privately go through the potential evidence collected.

The sneaker shop had been the first to hand over their footage, and while there was no clear shot of the corner the stranger from campus had rounded onto, there was still one helpful tip. The absence of the man or woman, in general, meant that they didn't get that far down the sidewalk.

O’Malley’s, after some grumbling from the co-owner, handed over their footage from that evening.

“Not trying to catch these regulars walking out of here drunk off their asses, are you?” Buck, the co-owner that James hadn't initially spoken with, asked with skepticism. “I ain't getting called out for being no rat. None of ‘em are disorderly here. They're good, paying customers.”

After some convincing, James managed to get his hands on the security tapes without much of a hassle, even being supported by a few of the same men who he’d spoken with initially.

Breaking down the tapes and landing on the exact minutes and seconds necessary to nail down some evidence proved to be a tedious job. And matching that up with the movement of the person in the shadows of Woodbridge was just as tricky.

He didn't make it as far as the sneaker shop. James let his first two fingers dance along the mouse in rapid clicks as he searched for the best angle of the sidewalks outside of O’Malley’s.

Nothing. No one. Nothing.

He knew the person had to be on the footage, unless they turned around and walked back but that would've been on the last Woodbridge tape. It wouldn't make sense for someone to do that, anyway, James knew.

His eyes were starting to sting from the constant staring at the screen. He was squinting, hoping to get a clear view. It had been two nights of sifting through information and videos; and James knew there was potential for several more evenings just like this one.

It's worth it. James didn't have to convince himself of that. It was worth it. The Lady Killer needed to have his ending.

The clock ticked past eleven o'clock, sending him deeper into the night. The school was quiet; still. James wondered if the Lady Killer could be out there right now, on the prowl just beyond his sight.

Was he lurking in the bushes? Stalking on foot? In a car? Did he wear a mask? Was he weilding a weapon?

The thought made him shudder and James refocused on the task at hand. Click. Click. Click.

And then, a shadow entered the frame. It was just that at first - a shadow. The shadow of a human being. It stretched out in almost dreamlike fashion, long and lanky in the odd street lighting.

A man, clad in all black, entered the frame next with a confident stride. His hood was pulled up over his head and James knew this was the same man he had seen in the Woodbridge tapes.

He opened a Manila folder, removing a printed out version of the figure’s still frame from the video on campus. The person was directly under a street light as he rounded off campus and onto Bank Street.

Black clothing. Hood up. Same build. Same time. That was the most important part. The time of the two shots was separated by less than a minute.

James zoomed in on the O’Malley’s footage, attempting to see the person’s face.

“Take your hood off, you bastard,” he said to himself. It was impossible to tell the identity of the person with the hood pulled up in the darkness.

James remained patient. He let the video tick down, frame by frame, and just before leaving the shot, he got his wish.

With two hands, a man pulled the hood down and let it fall against the top of his back. James felt his stomach do a somersault. He paused the video and zoomed in, selecting a setting to depixelate the image as much as possible.

James's eyes squinted for a second as he searched his brain. Something was familiar, but he couldn't immediately put his finger on it. This man was someone he recognized. But where had he seen him?

The lightbulb went on and the elation he had felt from this giant revelation was replaced with dread. He thought of (Y/N) immediately. She was a link in all of this, unbeknownst to her.

Oh fuck. James stared back at the image of the man and hit the button to print out the image for his folder - and, finally, for other law enforcement to view. He had his man. James was certain about that; but first, he began to dial (Y/N’s) phone number.

“Please pick up,” James begged. “Fucking pick up.”

…

Sweet room service. I still laid naked beneath the sheets when Dr. Miller answered a knock on the door donning just a white bathrobe. He returned a moment later barely able to carry the food delivery.

Chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne would've sounded cliche to me just a few months ago; but now that my lover was setting them down on the nightstand beside the bed I could wholeheartedly see why they were sort of the go-to in romantic settings and stories.

Dr. Miller sat on the edge of the bed and reached for a strawberry. He then leaned over to where I sat up partially against the headboard and placed the tip of it into my mouth.

I smiled as I took a bite and began to chew as he pecked my lips.

“You want a little champagne?” He asked, still hovering close to me.

I plucked the remainder of the strawberry from between his fingers. “I'd love some.” Finishing the bite, I popped the remaining strawberry into my mouth before biting off at the stem.

“Mmm..” Dr. Miller kissed me once more. He rose back up to his feet and reached for the bottle, unraveling the paper around the cork. As he began to carefully work at the cork I chuckled.

“Don't shoot your eye out,” I teased.

A loud pop echoed off the bottle’s interior and the foam only erupted slightly over the top. Dr. Miller looked directly at me, licking his fingers and then proceeded to pour us both a glass.

He handed one over to me and took his own glass as he slid back down beside me, resting a hand on my thigh beneath the sheet.

Dr. Miller’s gaze never left mine. We tapped our glasses together sending a gentle clink into the air. “To us?”

“To a long, happy life,” I began, wondering if I was getting ahead of myself.

“Together,” he finished my sentence and I smiled.

“Together,” I confirmed with a nod.

We lifted our glasses and took a sip. I drew my finger across my lips and then reached for another chocolate covered strawberry, this time reaching over to place it in Dr. Miller’s mouth.

His hand covered mine and he allowed me to place it halfway in his mouth.

“Why are these strawberries so damn sexy?” I asked with a laugh. Dr. Miller chuckled with me and finished the bite before removing another from the rectangular dish, only dunking it in some leftover chocolate drizzle on the plate.

Without warning, he let the chocolate drip down the center of my breasts, making me giggle and lay down flat. Dr. Miller lifted the sheet and a chill left goosebumps all along my body. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes as he let the chocolate trailed all the way down to the lowest part of my stomach.

I bit down on my bottom lip when he positioned his body above mine, kissing along the drizzle and lapping it up as he traveled lower and lower down my abdomen.

My hand tangled in his wavy hair. Fuck, I loved his hair. When he moved down below my waist my legs parted even more.

“Fuck Joel,” I whined, “Dr. Miller.”

Dr. Miller let out an amused chuckle and looked up at me. “You don't know what to call me,” he teased. “And it turns me on a little bit.”

A knock at the door made my body tense up and Dr. Miller glanced over his shoulder as he made his way back to his feet. He tossed the covers over me again.

“Should I get dressed?” I whispered, thinking it must've been one of his family members.

“Stay here for a sec.” Dr. Miller leaned his hands down onto the bed and left a smoldering kiss on my lips as his fingers made home between my legs. The act made me sigh into his mouth. “I'll be right back.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@untamedheart81 @suttonspuds @cesspitoflove @michilandcof @grogusmum @morallyinept @akah565 @brittmb115 @magpiepills @poodlebae @gobaaby-blog-blog @mermaidgirl30 @mandojojo @shotgun-shelby @itscatrodriguez-thepearl @macaroni676 @acciowolfstar1 @smolbeanzzz @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @bandluvr97

[flowersdiceandlove]

Answering the ask about the tgcf rairepair wip ask here because I put it in my drafts and now it's nowhere to be found:

To whoever asked this: THANK YOU! Seriously, thank you so much. This was the first ask I saw and I was immediately inspired to go work on it. At the time the ask came in, the doc was ~16-17k words. It is now at *checks word count* 44,408 words. And, I'm not even done with it yet. I think I might have already reached the halfway point, but honestly 🤷‍♀️

Now, for what it's about! It is Xie Lian x Pei Ming. It starts out about 10-20 years after Xie Lian leaves Banyue. While trekking through the dessert and rocky terrain further North, Xie Lian's bad luck rears it's head and he stubbles into a sex-swap array. In order to return back to a male body, he needs a lot of spiritual energy to break through the effect of the array. Which he, of course, does not have access to.

Xie Lian makes for a very pretty young woman, and in combination with his cursed shackle making his luck truly horrible, he ends up gaining the attention of kidnappers and smugglers wanting to traffic him (this isn't super prominent, but more of a background happening that Xie Lian is having to deal with). About 20-ish years pass of this, and while Xie Lian is having tea in a teashop in the North, a young man joins him, flirting and pouring him tea and ordering snacks for them both. Xie Lian soon needs to leave the teashop because he notices some bounty hunters or whatever that the kidnappers/smugglers keep sending after him for messing with their smuggling rings. The man, however, follows, saying it's dangerous and he'd hate if anything bad happened to Xie Lian (still thinking XL's just a pretty, young maiden who can't defend herself). Before Xie Lian can send him away, they start getting shot at with arrows, and run down the city's alleys dodging the pursuers. Once they escape the fight, Xie Lian removes the bandage around his neck to bandage a small wound on himself which reveals the cursed shackle there. It's then that the young man reveals himself as Pei Ming and Xie Lian says who he really is too.

The fight had piqued their interest in each other's martial abilities, so Pei Ming arranges a spar to test each other out. Pei Ming loses, by a lot, but insists on continuing to spar against Xie Lian so he can improve his skills. Xie Lian, not having had good company and an even better sparring partner in a long time, agrees to keep meeting with Pei Ming and they strike up an unexpected friendship. Throughout this time, Xie Lian remains stuck as female because, even if they are friends and Pei Ming has the necessary amount of spiritual energy, trying to transfer that amount of spiritual energy into Xie Lian in the traditional sense is likely to have negative side effects for both of them. Pei Ming, however, thought up a solution to their problem: dual cultivation, the process of which is to build up a great deal of spiritual energy between people slowly through the act of sex. Xie Lian, naturally, declines. Firmly. Repeatedly, when Pei Ming says that his offer stands if Xie Lian changes his mind. You see, Pei Ming likes pretty women, and right now, Xie Lian looks like a very pretty young woman with gentle smiles, which Pei Ming also likes.

(This is the part that I worry about with this fic (not enough to make me not want to write it, but wonder if I should even share it in case someone is hurt by my words and themes in it). Out of all my writing, this one is probably the most "problematic." I wanted to keep Pei Ming as in-character at the start of this as I could, and then slowly have him go through some character development. Because of this, he's sexist in his views of women and this is evident in his conversations with Xie Lian and his pov when I go into it. There is also Xie Lian's gender versus his sex since he was born male and identifies as a man, but through the effects of an array was unconsentingly turned female. He uses he/him pronouns throughout it all and Pei Ming also uses those pronouns for him, but Pei Ming also teases Xie Lian sometimes, calling him a "princess" or "beautiful young lady" and flirts with him as if he's actually a young maiden which Xie Lian always replies, reminding Pei Ming that he's a man. Pei Ming hasn't forgotten this and does respect Xie Lian as a man and his martial skills as a fellow man, thinking that it is unfortunate that Xie Lian's found himself in such an unlucky circumstance, but he does still flirt and tease Xie Lian a bit about his maidenly appearance. He's also attracted to Xie Lian "because he's such a pretty young woman right now." I haven't researched how ancient China was about gender and stuff because in the novels, it's already kinda established how people differing from the gender norm are viewed (Xie Lian saying “…No, Miss, please don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a hobby of mine” when Xiao-Ying saw him in the bridal outfit during the first arc and then other instances of similar things) so I've been trying to go off of that. Also, since it seems that there aren't the same modern terms for things such as "trans" or "gay" in the novel setting, I'm instead trying to explain things without using those terms and that is a bit difficult to do when the characters wouldn't know those labels exist, the characters and setting is at least a little sexist, and the people inhabiting the world view queer things as odd and need to be explained away. I'm also a cis woman (and a lesbian) so my views of things and what I find triggering are limited to my own experiences. Mostly I just don't want people to get hurt by my writing if I explain something or depict something in an insensitive way. If I do ever post this work or share more about it, I'd put trigger warnings on it, just so people know what's in it and can avoid it to take care of themself if needed.)

Now, back to the actual plot: Xie Lian and Pei Ming continue to keep meeting, sparing, and spending time together as friends (that Pei Ming keeps flirting with Xie Lian throughout) over a number of decades and Xie Lian starts falling for Pei Ming, cherishing him as a friend and becoming interested in more. Xie Lian knows, though, that Pei Ming is only interested in his female body and will never want Xie Lian beyond male friendship or het sex. He has some angst about it, but decides that he's just happy being Pei Ming's friend and will just have to figure out how to be content with that. Pei Ming, though, virgin-killer that he is, clocks Xie Lian's desire for him even before Xie Lian realized it and has been dialing up the flirtations and trying to seduce Xie Lian.

Eventually, after about 50 years, Xie Lian snaps and hauls Pei Ming in for a kiss which Pei Ming is very happy about, his seduction plan working. They start a little affair, Pei Ming taking it slow, as he has, and letting Xie Lian take the lead on the limit of their physical intimacy as Xie Lian slowly starts being open to more. Throughout their affair, Xie Lian is insistent that they remain friends. He makes Pei Ming continue to talk to him and treat him as a male friend and not just another lover on his long list because he knows the affair will eventually end and he wants to be able to still be friends with Pei Ming when it does.

Finally, Xie Lian feels comfortable enough with his desires for Pei Ming and worked through enough of his training that forbid it, and decides that he wants to have sex with Pei Ming. Xie Lian tells Pei Ming and Pei Ming sets it all up. So, they dual cultivate, Xie Lian gets his male body back--which he is very happy about--and Xie Lian thinks that's the end of their little affair. After that, Xie Lian slides back into his role as Pei Ming's friend, not overstepping into lover territory thinking Pei Ming would be uncomfortable with it since he expressed that he's only attracted to Xie Lian's female body, not men, in the past. Pei Ming, however, is struggling with the fact that he's still attracted to Xie Lian even now that he's male again. In fact, he's seeing how much more at ease Xie Lian is now that he has his preferred body back and thinks that it makes him even more attractive (being comfortable and confident in your own skin is attractive after all). He's having a bit of a gay/bi panic, but knows he's attracted to Xie Lian even if he doesn't understand why and so he keeps flirting with him like he has. Xie Lian just thinks Pei Ming is naturally flirtatious and that that's why he's continuing to flirt with him, not that he's actually still interested. Since Xie Lian still has feelings for Pei Ming, but thinks that Pei Ming would be uncomfortable if Xie Lian acted on those feelings, he diverts the conversation whenever Pei Ming starts coming onto him.

Pei Ming eventually makes it clear that he desires Xie Lian as a man even if he doesn't understand it himself or what it means, but wants to continue their affair. Xie Lian agrees to continue it as well, surprised by it, but happy to still be able to be with Pei Ming in this way. He still thinks it's inevitable that the affair will end eventually, but is happy to keep being with Pei Ming for as long as he wants him.

And, this is where I've written up to. I have a vague idea of where this will go, but not super concrete and I don't know exactly how to end it or what to do with Hua Cheng because I love Hua Cheng and I want him to be happy but how can I do that if Xie Lian is with Pei Ming? 😭😭😭 I've been playing around with the idea of polyamory, but am not sure if that would contradict some other elements I've included. I'll figure it out eventually as I keep writing, though. The answer will come in time. Just gotta have faith in that.

As for the idea of where I want it to go: Pei Ming and Xie Lian are going to continue being lovers and maintaining their friendship. Pei Ming is going to start messing around with other men, trying to figure his whole "attraction to Xie Lian" thing out. Xie Lian will be vaguely aware of this since, as part of being friends, Pei Ming tells Xie Lian about some of his sexscapades. Xie Lian just listens with a fixed smile, humming and nodding when Pei Ming expects repeating in his head you asked for this. you asked for this. you asked for this. because he did ask for it since this is what Pei Ming talks to his friends about and he wants to stay as "friends who can talk about personal things" in Pei Ming's eyes and not seen as "lover who will be jealous about other affairs so don't talk about them to lover."

After a bit of time, Pei Ming decides that if he's going to sleep with a man, he should just sleep with Xie Lian since he's a better choice than the other no-name men that Pei Ming was fooling around with. Xie Lian is much more handsome and beautiful and kind and overall just more attractive, is Pei Ming's objective opinion. And stupidly sexy. Pei Ming thinks Xie Lian is ridiculous levels of sexy for someone who's been a virgin with no experience in any matters of the heart and flesh for centuries. So, Pei Ming goes to Xie Lian more and more to hang out as friends, spar, and have sex.

Slowly, over the course of a few decades (and, wow, Pei Ming keeping the same lover for decades!? It's longer than Xie Lian expected, but he's not going to question it. Maybe it's different because they're both immortal??) Pei Ming stops telling Xie Lian about as many of his other lovers he's had, the number of stories about new ones dwindling. Xie Lian is torn between bringing it up like he did when they first started their affair and he basically said "Pei Ming, stop hiding this from me. We're friends, so talk to me even if you think I won't like it" and just letting Pei Ming stop telling him about his other affairs since he really doesn't like hearing about them. He decides to keep his mouth shut for now, but maybe bring it up in the future.

Pei Ming, however, has not realized his stories about new lovers has lessened because he has not realized that his number of new lovers has lessened. Or his desire to get more new lovers. He still has casual flings, but no where near the amount he had, more and more of his wants being fulfilled by Xie Lian. After so many centuries of the same casual flings and numerous lovers, why would he think it would suddenly change just because he started sleeping with Xie Lian? He doesn't, so he doesn't notice it.

Until someone points it out.

I think that it would probably be Ling Wen or Shi Wudu when the three of them are hanging out in the Mortal Realm and an attractive young woman that has definitely been Pei Ming's preferred type walks by, and might even flirt with Pei Ming a bit, before going. Ling Wen and Shi Wudu exchange a look, completely expecting for Pei Ming to now ditch them to chase after the pretty lady and used to it, but then, Pei Ming...doesn't. He turns back to the two of them to return to their conversation, continuing with the topic they were talking about before the woman walked by, and doesn't spare her a second glance. He doesn't even make a comment on her beauty one way or another. It's like he doesn't even care. (and he doesn't. In his mind, Xie Lian has become the epitome sexy and all things desirable, and that woman is not Xie Lian.)

So, Ling Wen or Shi Wudu (or it could even be Shi Qingxuan, idk yet) make a comment about it since it's so out of character for Pei Ming to not chase a pretty lady. prbly goes smth like:

"Aren't you going to go after her?" "After who?" "That girl. She was clearly interested in you" "She was?" "Didn't you think she was pretty? She's your type, isn't she?" Pei Ming turns around in his seat, to look at the lady, thoughtfully. "...Yes. I guess she is quite pretty. ...Definitely what I usually find attractive..." It's then that it starts donning on him, and he looks back at his two friends. "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I SLEPT WITH A WOMAN!?" Ling Wen: "Am I supposed to keep track of all your affairs? I'd never get any work done if I tried to do that."

Pei Ming, suddenly having a deep crisis trying to remember the last time he had sex with someone who wasn't Xie Lian, stands and says he has to go, leaving in a hurry. Ling Wen and Shi Wudu let him go without fuss, used to being ditched by him in favor of sex and think that's what he's going to go do--have sex with some woman. Pei Ming, however, is in no mood to have sex and realizes he really can't remember the last time he had sex with someone other than Xie Lian, and that it's been at least decades since then.

Without really thinking anything through, Pei Ming goes to find/confront Xie Lian still panicked about this sudden paradigm shift. Xie Lian is completely confused as to why Pei Ming showed up, looking outraged and was calling him a seductionist (if anyone has any other names that PM could call him, let me know, bc I'm having a hard time thinking them up. all the ones I can think of are targeted towards women, which, wtf?? why are all the seduction insults about women??) and asking "What have you done to me!?!?" Pei Ming basically ends up spilling out how he's only slept with Xie Lian as of last few decades and he's okay with that and wants to keep sleeping with Xie Lian and is okay if he only sleeps with Xie Lian, and that he thinks he's in love with Xie Lian. Xie Lian's smile is growing bigger and bigger the longer Pei Ming is essentially ranting about the fact that he's in love with Xie Lian, giddiness bubbling up in his chest.

Finally, when Pei Ming pauses, Xie Lian calls out gently, "Pei Ming, I love you too."

idk how the rest of that conversation goes, but they get together more officially. I don't think Xie Lian would want Pei Ming to promise to be monogamous and not have any other affairs bc a part of him doesn't believe that Pei Ming would be able to keep that promise. Instead I think he'd make Pei Ming promise that, even if they are essentially in a monogamous relationship, to tell him if he sleeps with someone else or has a dalliance with someone else because he'd prefer to know than have Pei Ming hide it from him and go behind his back. He fell in love with Pei Ming thinking the other man would always be having affairs and other lovers, after all.

From here, things are really not clear in how I want this to go because I've thought about it so much and have multiple ways that I like. I think the more I right this au out, the clearer it will be, but, anyway. Either they just become serious lovers, or they could even get married. I kinda like the married version, but there are some problems with that. I'm wanting things to continue with canon up until at least a little after Xie Lian's third ascension, so people--especially Ling Wen and subsequently Jun Wu--not knowing that Pei Ming and Xie Lian got married is unlikely. I might be able to make it work, but it'll probably take some mental gymnastics. Another version has Pei Ming's revelation after Xie Lian ascends, right after the Mount Yujun mission. I do like Pei Ming and Xie Lian being together for a while before his ascension bc when people in the heavens find out (*cough*Feng Xin and Mu Qing*cough*) they would be like "Your Highness, you can't be in love with Pei Ming, he'd never be able to commit to someone. That's a horrible choice" and then Xie Lian could be like "Well actually we've been together/married for like 50 years now, so..." and everyone just being floored that Pei Ming could commit for so long and Pei Ming just shrugging and saying "It's true." I think that'd be fun. idk, we'll see where this fic takes me.

One thing I do know is how Xie Lian's third ascension and the Mount Yujun case goes. Ascension: Pei Ming is super busy with a lot of things in the north and so he isn't in the Heavenly Capital when Xie Lian ascends, nor will he be able to return for, like, a week or so. He does hear about it though, and dials up Xie Lian's private communication array like "Hi, babe! Congratulations on the ascension! Sorry I'm so busy right now, I'll make sure to be back up as soon as I can so we can celebrate in private *wink wink*" Xie Lian, also doesn't want to rely on Pei Ming to fulfill his debt, so he doesn't ask or tell Pei Ming about it.

Mount Yujun Mission: When Ling Wen tells Xie Lian about the mission in the north, he thinks that Pei Ming arranged it, and that this is his way of helping Xie Lian with his debt since he knows Xie Lian wouldn't like it if he just paid the whole thing off. Or, that the Heavenly Emperor gave him this mission bc he's Pei Ming's spouse and so it's kinda technically in his jurisdiction? Either way, he's fine with it. He's helped Pei Ming with missions before, so this will just be the first time it would be counted under his name. (reminder: the heavens have no idea that Xie Lian and Pei Ming are together or that they even know each other) Since Xie Lian knows that Pei Ming and his junior officials are all super busy right now, he doesn't ask them for help, and figures he shouldn't drag others into a "family matter." Fu Yao and Nan Feng still show up bc Ling Wen still insisted on asking. The mission goes about the same, but when he realizes that the ghost causing the trouble is one of Pei Ming's old lovers, he does feel a bit awkward about it. He also calls up Pei Ming first when he's fighting the dead brides asking about his past lovers, but Pei Ming is also in the middle of a fight and tells him to ask Ling Wen.

Anyway, things wrap up pretty close to canon. idk yet what happens with Little Pei and "General Hua" since Xie Lian and Pei Ming are together, so... 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I'll figure it out when I figure it out.

When they're all in the communication array talking about the mission, Pei Ming will actually show up to the conversation and politely ask Xie Lian how the mission went, wondering how much damage control he needs to do to make it up to Xie Lian for dealing with his crazy ex. But Xie Lian is "The mission is complete. What else is there to say? :)" "...Are you sure you don't have anything you want to say to me?" "There is nothing to say :)" Pei Ming is still feeling nervous but, lets it go. When the topic of Hua Cheng is brought up, Pei Ming says "Of course, Your Highness ran into Crimson Rain..." feeling exasperated once he's sure Xie Lian isn't hurt having long been dealing with Xie Lian's luck and strange circumstances happening because of it.

I did want canon to continue to about the Mid-Autumn Festival before things get revealed. Also, I think Pei Ming and Xie Lian's back and forth about Pei Xiu after the Banyue Arc would be way funnier if they were a couple. Xie Lian would be all "Babe, I love you, but little Pei messed up and needs to punished" and Pei Ming would Know He's Right, but still not like it and so the meeting in the Palace of Divine Might still happened, but Pei Ming and Xie Lian are basically an old married couple arguing their family affairs in front of the entire Heavenly Court without explicitly saying it's their family business. They'd be professional about it, and so it'd go much the same as canon. Which leads me into one of my favorite parts: How Xie Lian and Pei Ming flirt. When they're flirting, they always use each other's proper titles and formal language. Very formal language. The spout proverbs and simpering compliments and thinly veiled innuendos coated in flowery language that keeps escalating until one of them snaps and jumps the other. It's a game, really--a competition to see if they can get the other to break first. Which would just make their interactions in canon even funnier because they would have to use formal language and titles with each other in order to be professional. But, it's like a pavlovian response at this point. When one of them starts using overly formal language, the flowery and suggestive language just falls from their lips. They would have a really hard time reigning themselves back in and not just running back to Pei Ming's heavenly palace to fuck after the meeting because Jun Wu told Xie Lian to stay back and they thought they'd be free after this. They definitely meet eyes that say "later" in mutual understanding. I also want to see Pei Ming freaking out over Hua Cheng kidnapping Xie Lian from the Heavenly Capital. Especially since Pei Ming was in charge of security at the time.

Another idea I've been playing around with for this recently is Xie Lian being demisexual and Pei Ming being demiromantic. I haven't looked into those terms much so I'm not sure how accurate they'd be for this version of the two, but from what little I do know about those terms I think they might fit. Obviously, since I'm not using actual terms in the fic body itself, I wouldn't put them there, but I do think it'd be worth looking into to see if I should add those elements in.

Ahhh....So many ideas... I don't know which ones will make the cut. This became so long! And, yes, if you ask me about my other wips, they will also be long, rambley messes. I'm writing these like I'm talking to yall, spewing my ideas for your brains to read. If you want to know how I even came up with this idea, just ask, and I'll go into it, but idk if anyone would be interested and this is already so. long. If you have any other questions about this au, feel free to ask them as well 😊

And, yes, asks are still open about my wips and anything else as well, really.. There's not really a time limit on this particular ask game since I'm just wanting to get them finished. So, I guess it's only over once they're complete. If you want to look at the wip list, it is here.

[thebaddexample]

FILM THEORY: DEATH RETURNS TO INANIMATE INSANITY!! BUT IT'S NOT TACO OR LIGHTBULB!!

Warning, spoilers and possibly cringey or bad writing, but it's 1am for me so eh

(First off, shout-out to my mom for coming up with this idea for me to make a theory on- You're the best :3)

(Second, thumbnail by me :])

(Thirdly, I might rewrite this during the day at some point because I'm really tired, but had to get this out before I slept bcs I'd forget to otherwise)

(Fourthly, I know that this isn't a completely original idea, and people have done it already, but I wanted an excuse to make a theory and there's evidence, so I thought "why not?" It'll make people upset with me if I'm right, and I get to pretend to be Film Theory for a bit. It's a win-win!)

(You are legally required to read this post as MatPat's voice /silly /j)

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With the horrifying tweet that Brian made last Saturday, there's a lot of people (including you, probably) worried about who will die in the finale, the harsh battle between whether we say "bye" to a bright light, or "so long" to our sour cream schemer. My answer? Neither!! Object show community, inanimate fandom... whatever we call ourselves! I'm about to present to you why our beloved (and somewhat recently hated) host is going to be the death of the season.

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First of all, the trailer (and @inanimateinsanityfan 's recent tumblr post "invitation") has somewhat implied that the focus of the movie, the A-Plot at least, will be around Cobs attempting to get to MePhone4 somehow, whether it be luring him up to Meeple Headquarters or trying to get down to him. We've seen from previous episodes that Cobs wants him dead, but it's hard to tell if he's changed his motive, since we haven't seen him since Episode 13 "Mine Your Own Business". However, he has been consistently sending his newer MePhones to eliminate MePhone4, as 5C clearly states in Episode 6. The newer models have features like tracking (much like MePad) and knife hands (NOT like MePad), which MePhone4 doesn't have, which should in theory have made him easier to kill.

Speaking of the abilities, the MeLife function is only ever used by MePhone4, or at least we only ever get to see him do it. Why? Well, I have an idea but that's a theory for another time. The point is; MePhone4 seems to be the only Meeple product with the ability to bring people to life, and has all of the contestants on there as far as we know. This means that, unless there's a creative solution to perma-kill one of the contestants, MePhone4 needs to die first for any perma-death to occur in the first place.

And hell, removing the regeneration ability as a whole would be a great way to cap off the season, to establish that there's no more retrying and that everything is now set in stone. And even if we do get that damn FOURTH season (bonus points to whoever gets the reference), it'll at least spice things up with having, say, MePad as a host instead, leaving the spot open for someone else to claim and have an interesting story arc of their own.

This shot already pulls up a parallel between MePhone4 and MePhone3GS, and though 3GS isn't really confirmed dead, they're definitely not gonna be alive any time soon. The parallels could imply that MePhone4 is destined to a fate similar to 3GS; no longer in service, probably broken, and maybe even killed of by Cobs himself.

In addition to this, all of the other MePhones we've seen have all died; MePhone4 technically died with 4S and 5 in the Season 1 finale "Journey Through Memory Lane", 5S and 5C were introduced and immediately killed in Season 2 Episode 6 "Let 'Er RIP", and MePhones 6 and 6+ were also immediately killed upon introduction in Season 2 Episode 8 "Theft and Battery". The MePhones all have something in common, and that is unavoidable and quick death, much like real iphones honestly.

Does this mean that MePhone4 will have to die as a result of MePhone's faulty creation? No, but there is a pre-established pattern with each of the MePhones that goes as a cycle, perpetuating Cobs' cruel style of doing things; he creates something, claims it's his favorite for a year, then makes something a little better and throws the pre-established bond away to die, and rinse and repeat.

But hey! That's just a theory!

An Object Theory!!

Uh- what's the opposite of "greetings and salutations"-?

"Goodbye and see-you-laters!!"

[minecraftbookshelf]

Life Series Scarring Headcanons: Part 2

All the disclaimers and explanations are on Part 1, so if you haven't seen that one yet, I recommend hopping over there real quick.

Some of these do get a bit...graphic? Specific? Something along those lines. I kind of split the middle ground between Video Game and more realistic injuries. (Did I spend way to long thinking about specifics of murder and death for this? I plead the fifth.)

This one is Grian, ImpulseSV, InTheLittleWood, and LDShadowLady

Lessgo!

Grian

Third Life: In my mind's eye Grian has always turned to look at the sky after his leap from the cactus ring, so the death blow was to the back of his head.

Last Life: Scott killed him when the late-game reds banded together to hunt down Grian and Joel. The other members of the alliance dealt damage, but Scott got the final hit in. Grian was fleeing at the time, so the scar is on his back, above his wings.

Double Life: Because sonic booms don't leave external evidence so much as they remove your insides from anything vaguely approaching a solid state, there isn't a scar as such from this death. There is a mark though, mid-mass. (it is not concentric circles, that's just what I put on the diagram to mark the location)

Limited Life: Fall damage again, based off the "camera angle" the general vibe I got was that Grian could have tried to catch himself on his hands as he fell. From that height, it was futile and there are faint marks on his wrists where the bone poked through as well as the actual death blow to the side of his forehead. Bird Man needs to stop falling off things fr.

Impulse

Third Life: Bdubs shot him after Scar gave him a clock in the most infamous backstabbing in the series to date. Usually when Bdubs shot someone I place the mark a bit lower, but they were on a bit of a hill at the time.

Last Life: In what was something of the fashion on the Last Life server, Scott shot him. He was trying to flee when he was shot, so I placed the mark at the base of his skull. (If only they were able to wear helmets)

Double Life: Pearl killed Bdubs with a blow to the front, so Impulse has a fainter scar from that death.

Limited Life: In the new contender for most infamous backstabbing in the series (poor Impulse has some rotten luck here) Martyn pretended to go along with the "disarm and fight it out" plan only to turn on them and seize the victory. Impulse wasn't wearing his armor, so the final blow was a sword through his torso that severed his spine.

Martyn

Third Life: Martyn died in the Battle of Dogwarts, to an arrow from Scar. Due to how helter skelter the melee was, I opted to have it be an off-center shot that tore the side of his neck, so it is not a clean mark. (It mirrors Ren's on the opposite side)

Last Life: He was blown up by his own end crystal, (probably triggered by a potion Scott threw) which was placed level with the top half of his body and he was literally right next to it facing it. He didn't even have time to try and shield himself with his arms.

Double Life: He died when Cleo took fall damage while fleeing from Pearl and her dogs. This is one where I took some creative liberties and opted to have the fall damage interpret as a tree branch that Cleo landed on with the full force of their own body weight, impaling herself by accident.

Limited Life: Whether going with his time ran out or Grian smote him, either way it is a death by lightning and the scars are lichtenberg figures down his chest and arm and a little bit his back. The smitey-lightning always goes for the heart, so he and Scott match now. (it also leaves a mark on the sole of the foot when it exits the body and enters the ground, but that doesn't show on the diagram.)

Lizzie

She has only perma-died in one season, even though she has technically been in two. In Last Life she ultimately died to fall damage while trying to fight back and escape from BDubs when he betrayed the other reds. Her scar is hidden by her hair.

-

Part 1

Part 3

[lulublack90]

Prompt 15 - Posion

@jegulus-microfic February 15 Word count 991

Previous part First part

“Kreacher!” He called out as he entered Grimmauld Place. The house elf appeared at his side with a crack and bent low in a bow. 

“Yes, Master?” 

“Where are my parents?” He asked, praying they weren’t in the house. 

“They at the country Manor, Master.” The elf answered. 

“Good,” Regulus nodded. “Keep them there as long as you can. And if they try to return, tell them I have said I need the house.”

“Yes, Master.” Kreacher bowed again before disapparating. 

Regulus stumbled to the kitchen. He needed a drink. The fire had parched him. He summoned a bottle of butterbeer, removed the cork and took a swig. He immediately spat it out, coating the table in sticky spray. It tasted like poison. Gingerly, he sniffed the contents of the bottle. Yep, that wasn’t butterbeer. He poured it down the sink and got water instead. 

He wouldn’t have long before he was summoned, so he tried to collect himself. He’d have liked to find Evan and Barty and check on them, but he wouldn’t have time to track them down. He assumed Evan had taken Barty to his house rather than back to Barty Sr. 

He dropped his glass when his left forearm suddenly shot through with burning pain. He was being summoned to Malfoy Manor. 

He cleared away the mess he’d made and left the house to apparate. 

Voldemort was in a rage when he arrived. He was storming around the formal dining room with the ginormous mahogany table. 

“We have a spy! Someone has tipped them off about our plan!” He spun when Regulus entered. “Come here, Master Black.” Regulus didn’t hesitate and strode straight to Voldemort’s side. Clawed hands shot up and dug into his face as Voldemort drove into his head for the second time that day. 

This time, he pulled Regulus’s mind apart slower, still painful, maybe more painful than before, but he lingered in each memory, looking for any signs that Regulus had told the Order something. Regulus had those memories well hidden, and because of his mother’s relentless drills when he was younger, he was always on guard for legimency attacks.

“My Lord,” Lucius Malfoy spoke, unexpectedly coming to Regulus’s defence. “It is doubtful that he could have told anyone when the attack was happening. We were with him when he found out we were going today, and it was you yourself that put the charms on Grimmauld Place, stopping owls and patronuses from leaving or entering the property.” Voldemort dropped Regulus’s face.

“Yessss, I suppose you do have a point.” He hissed. “I want whoever revealed our plans to the Order found, Lucius.” 

“Of course, my Lord.” Lucius bowed deeply, reminding Regulus of Kreacher. Lucius wrapped an arm around Regulus’s shoulder and steered him away towards Narcissa. 

Narcissa fussed over him, straightening his robes and smoothing his shirt collar before he batted her away. 

“Leave him be, Narcissa.” Lucius hissed through his teeth at his wife. Regulus ignored them, looking around the room as he silently counted how many death eaters returned and which important names were left. A lot were missing. 

Bellatrix came smashing through the door, throwing a fit, Rabastan following close behind. Evidently, Rodolphus had been captured. 

She stormed towards Voldemort. 

“My Lord! They have Rodolphus!” Voldemort stopped any further words from escaping Bella’s mouth by flicking his hand out and wrapping it around her throat. 

“I do not care about your husband. I want to know who betrayed me!” Bellatrix clawed at his hand as he squeezed tighter, his face twisting into a sneer. Nobody helped her lest they incur Voldemort’s wrath themselves. When she stopped struggling, he tossed her onto the floor, where she gasped, trying to force air into her bruised throat. 

Regulus felt the mirror in his pocket heat as James tried to contact him. He had insisted they add this charm to the mirror rather than have the caller’s voice call out. This would be a dead giveaway if, like now, whoever had the other mirror tried to get in contact. He had to ignore the caller, even though his fingers itched to open the small compact. 

When it was clear that no more death eaters would be coming, Voldemort began digging through all their brains, looking for the traitor. He found nothing, which only incensed him more. 

“Where are Rosier and Crouch? I don’t recall them being in the later part of the attack.” Regulus stepped forward, putting on his best aristocratic mask. 

“Forgive me, my Lord, but Bartemius was injured, and I told Evan to get him away from the battle.”

“And what gives you the authority to give those orders, young master Black?” Voldemort’s red eyes seemed to glow as he questioned Regulus.

“You yourself told us that Bartemius was useful to our cause, and I determined that you would prefer that his father not found out he was there.” Voldemort’s face split into an approximation of a smile. 

“And that is why we have missed you greatly since you have been away, dear Regulus.” He turned to the rest of his congregation. “You see, Regulus here sees the bigger picture. We may have lost this battle, but we shall still win this war.” Cheers erupted once Voldemort had finished his speech. “You may leave me. I require time to plan our next move.” The death eaters hurried from the room, whispering amongst themselves, trying to guess who the traitor could be. 

Regulus positioned himself amongst the exiting death eaters and left quickly. 

As soon as he was locked in his bedroom and had cast silencing charms, he pulled out the small silver mirror and whispered. 

“James?” James’s image immediately showed in the mirror, replacing his own. 

“Reg! Reg, are you alright? You didn’t answer!” He sounded panicked, his eyes overly bright. Regulus felt a tightening in his chest as the need to be in James’s arms took over. 

“Can we meet?”  

Next part

[klbwriting]

Adventures In Atlantean-Sitting

Chapter 1

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: violence

Summary: Atlanteans have attacked a coastal surface city, framing Orm for the attack. In a bid to keep Orm secret and the council off his back Arthur gets the help of YN, a metahuman with tracking abilities, to track Orm and let him stay with her while they figure out the real attacker. Orm is not too pleased about having a babysitter.

Notes: here is the second fic! I hope you enjoy! This will be posted in the evenings (for me at least), comments/critiques are appreciated

Traveling the US had become almost fun to Orm after the last year. He had explored national park, lakes, even got all the way to Alaska to see the northern lights. Anything that the country had to offer in nature he had done. Now he was ready to try maybe giving the less natural world a shot. That's what first led him to Coast City, shining on the California coast and one of the nicer cities in the country if the magazine Orm had read was correct. Being here he believed it. It was big, but not overwhelming, there was good food, the people were decent, and he even found a cheap place to sleep while he visited, something he didn't always have. For the first few days it was wonderful.

Then the attack happened.

Orm hadn't been exactly where it happened but he had seen the emergency vehicles, saw a green metahuman flying that way. So Orm went the opposite way. He had to keep his head down and out of trouble or else get sent back to Atlantis and that sandy prison he spent four years in. No thank you. Instead, he went back to his room, sat down and watched the news on the television. He had held no great love of the surface but seeing the destruction that was happening did not sit well with him now. Then he saw the attackers clearly. He was sure no one without enhanced eye sight would be seeing this clearly, thank Poseidon, but there were at least three Atlantean highborns with energy rays shooting randomly at buildings, creating as much smoke as they could. It was a confusing strategy. Why just make a mess? Was this some kind of warning? He knew Arthur wasn't the brightest man in the world...or even in a kindergarten class...but he had better sense than to do this. This was rogues, someone sending a message. Orm just couldn't fathom what it could be. He got up, going to the adjoined bathroom to get a drink and noticing the cup he had this morning was gone. Strange, they must replace them daily. How wasteful. He shrugged some and went back to the main room, turning off the TV and deciding on a nap instead.

"You found what at the attack site?" Arthur asked the council, looking at the documentation of evidence. Green Lantern had reported an Atlantean weapon found in some rubble, but the DNA that was on it couldn't be possible.

"The tyrant king Orm Marius's DNA was used to activate the weapon," councilwoman Yavon spoke. She looked pained at the statement. "It appears that he not only escaped his prison, but he also survived the attack against you with the Black Trident." Arthur sighed. This made no sense. Orm was in Coast City, Arthur knew that, but he had spent a year just walking around the country, being completely nonthreatening. He even seemed happy sometimes. What had changed? Arthur frowned more.

"How is his DNA even able to activate these weapons still?" he asked. The council shifted nervously, like they had hoped he wouldn't be smart enough to ask. People underestimating his intelligence would never not be annoying.

"It seems that some of the weapons' caches in that part of the ocean had not been updated to remove his ability to use them," council Horath spoke, sounding bored. Arthur glared at him.

"Are we keeping you from something councilman?" the king asked, wrapping his fingers around Atlan's trident. The councilman sat up a little straighter.

"No, your majesty, I am just glad that finally the escapee slipped up. I have been warning this council that the former king has been living, traveling the North American continent for a year now and everyone ignored my warnings. Well here you are, plan as day, seeing that he is in fact alive and now has found weapons to attack the surface with," he said. Arthur sighed. He couldn't hold off Horvath any longer. This was too much to argue with.

"Yes councilman, I see that we have gravely mistaken your warnings, what we thought was paranoia was insight into a criminal who was cunning enough to hide in plain sight. We will not make that mistake again," Arthur said. Horvath seemed satisfied, a haughty grin on his face. Another councilman, Orlan, stood up.

"Let me send my son after the king, he is a general with the battalion in that part of the ocean, Orvex will be able to find him and bring him to justice," he said. Of all the council member Orlan was the worst. He was constantly trying to undermine Arthur or wrestle just a little more power away from someone else. It was aggravating and unnerving and Arthur knew he had to be careful with the handling of this situation..

"Let us not jump to such things just yet. Sending a general to the surface with a small army may concern the people there. They might take it as an act of war and we don't need them trying to find Atlantis and drop a nuke on us Independence Day style," Arthur said, drawing blank looks from the others. God he missed his wife, Mera at least was starting to understand his references. "I know a metahuman on the surface. She has incredible power, she will be able to track down Orm and even subdue him, all without get the military involved. She lives around where the attack occurred and I'm sure she knows the area enough to know where he might be hiding. I just need the DNA evidence to take to her. She will use that to find and captured my brother." He could see Orlan seething at his son's big moment being taken away but Arthur needed to make sure that Orm didn't do this. If he did Arthur would cart his tantrum having ass back himself, but if he didn't he needed to warn his brother that someone knew he was alive. And was trying to use him to start a war with the surface.

[xlucygraysongbirdx]

have a scorbus something... snippet? scene? not even sure, but have it anyway!

"What's up with you?" Scorpius asked from his bed, placing his quill down to give Albus his full attention.

Albus halted in his tracks, not realising that his out-of-character behaviour had been so noticeable. He slowly removed his robes as he shrugged. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Really?" Scorpius said, only a hint of annoyance in his tone. But his eyes were soft and full of concern. "Because you've been practically avoiding me all day and acting out in classes, which is when I know something is going on in your mind. And you don't have to tell me, but please don't straight up lie to me and tell me you're fine when all the evidence points to you not being fine."

"I want to tell you," Albus started, losing his confidence almost as quickly as it came. He could barely look at Scorpius.

"But?"

Albus sighed. "But I don't want you to look at me differently." Scorpius raised his eyebrows, urging Albus to go on. "Because I like the way you look at me. You look at me with this softness and this innocence and if I tell you what's going on, it might change the way you see me and no longer look at me like that and if you want me to be honest with you, that might kill me."

"What if I promise not to see you any differently?" Scorpius had this look of concern on his face now as he shuffled around, feet on the floor, perched on the end of his bed.

"You can't promise me that."

"I can promise that you're my best friend and whatever it is that's troubling you also troubles me, so we can figure this out together, Albus."

The way Scorpius said his name made his knees go weak. It made him want to tell him all his secrets, like the way he was foolishly in love with him. And before Albus knew it, words were spilling from his mouth.

"I like someone," he started. If Scorpius was surprised, he didn't show it. He only watched him intensely. "And this person, they're great and kind and funny and so smart and way out of my league, and I shouldn't feel this way about them but no matter how hard I try, I just can't unfeel these things. It's like they put a spell on me and every day, I wake up and I can't stop thinking about them. About you. Because it's you, it's always you, and you're there with your soft eyes and careful smile and you have me in a chokehold."

Albus was pacing back and forth now, his legs needing to move as fast as his words were. Scorpius stayed silent, watching him gather his thoughts and blurt them out. "And I shouldn't feel this way because you're my best friend, I cherish that more than anything, but the tragic truth, Scorpius, is that I can't stop thinking about kissing you!"

The room was silent as the words Albus blurted hung between them. He stopped pacing, barely able to look at his best friend. His eyes were pinned on his socked feet, when two more feet appeared in his line of vision.

Mismatched socks. A direct opposition to Albus' black socks.

"Then just do it."

Albus' head shot up, green eyes meeting grey.

"What?"

"Just do it." Scorpius repeated, not an ounce of regret swimming in his eyes. "Get it out of your head."

Scorpius usually struggled with eye contact, but he held Albus' eye like his life depended on it. Albus' heart was beating so fast he was almost sure he would pass out soon enough. He couldn't be hearing Scorpius right, surely his brain was playing tricks on him.

But there was his best friend, standing in front of him, daring him to kiss him.

"Do it, Albus, before I do."

Without a second longer to think, Albus' hands were on Scorpius' cheeks and he was pulling him close until their lips connected. It was desperate and messy and Albus almost pulled away prematurely, but then Scorpius' hands were on his hips, pulling their bodies closer and their kiss deepened as he tilted his head slightly to the side. It felt like a lifetime, a lifetime of pure undiluted joy, of everything he had ever wanted.

They slowly pulled apart, but their bodies remained close together, eyes locked and breathing ragged. Albus' skin was on fire where Scorpius' fingers gripped at his waist. Albus realised then that this wasn't just a silly crush, but that he would burn the world down for this boy in his arms. He would fight wars and travel oceans to see him smile, he would climb mountains to see him happy, he would duel anyone who made him sad. Scorpius was the only thing that mattered to him.

"Now you can stop thinking about it," Scorpius said, his breathing still not caught up with him. "And the next time you do think about it, you can just do it."

His eyes widened.

"I mean, if you want to do it again, that is."

"Absolutely," Albus whispered, barely finding his words.

Scorpius grinned, his smile brighter than ever and Albus couldn't help but mirror it, his heart now lighter. Scorpius gripped his waist tighter, pulling him impossibly closer and just before their lips met again, Scorpius mumbled, "now it's my turn."

[eddiegettingshot]

they wanna do vertigo, then do vertigo. kim and shannon from the present are actually the same person. shannon from flashbacks before she left was actually the real shannon. however, part of the reason she left eddie was bc she fell in love w a rich man who owned a huge chain of apartment complexes - tim nash. they were v happy together until she found out this man makes extra money by cutting corners on following and maintaining fire safety regulations in these apartment buildings. he tries to earn her sympathy by explaining the resentment he feels towards firefighters and fire safety as a concept as a result of his parents attempting to force him down that path. he also really hates his brother, bobby nash, for ending up the perfect firefighter tim could never be. shannon tells him she's going to the authorities w this info and to whine about his inadequacies to someone else. in a rage, tim murders shannon. when trying to remove any evidence she'd been there, tim decides on a plan to deal w shannon's husband and son. he finds a woman that looks exactly like shannon - kim - and convinces her to pretend to be shannon when the school eddie is considering for chris makes contact. then he orchestrates a fake death for kim!shannon. kim resumes her regular blonde life only to run into eddie randomly a few years later. when he notices her but doesn't seem suspicious, she decides to shoot her shot bc she fell in love w him during those few months they spent together. at the same time, meeting amir has led bobby down a path of thinking more about his past and the fire that changed his life only to discover his estranged brother tim owned the building and many others that are similarly dangerous for the inhabitants. by this point, eddie is growing suspicious of kim and how uncanny the similarities between her and shannon really are, as well as how much she seems to know about his life. he finds shannon's jewelery and clothing - none of which is what kim typically wears - and realizes the truth. kim comes to find eddie at the fire house where he's arrived early bc he's been avoiding her - they go to talk on the roof. having discovered bobby's designs against him, tim comes to destroy bobby's firehouse and new family. bobby quickly surmises what's going on and calls in every resource he can before evacuating the firehouse - unfortunately no one knows eddie and kim are there. eddie and kim are having a heated fight on the roof as he confronts her and reveals what he knows. the resources arrive and trap tim in the firehouse so he runs up to the roof - her argument w eddie, the growing flames, and tim's arrival startle kim and she falls off the roof, dying on impact. eddie is horrified but has come to terms w shannon's loss as well as the reality of their relationship in the process. tim uses the chaos as an opportunity to take eddie hostage and absconds w him in one of the engines - the season ends.

this is. literally a masterpiece.