#and proceeded to look Incredibly Done the rest of the time

[sweet-as-kiwis]

Accounting exam has me wanting to throw myself into the sea WHAT WAS THAT

[mister-mickey]

HALLOWEEN HEADCANONS (modern au) (Tw- drinking)

Darry

- wasn’t going to dress up because he was focused on other things, but pony and soda convinced him to dress up as Superman and he really enjoyed it

- he spent the early parts of the night handing out popcorn balls to trick or treaters, but later on he went to a Halloween party with Tim and Twobit

- At the party he got super drunk and ate a bunch of peach rings. Tim had to drag him home (which was insanely difficult for many reasons)

Soda

- dressed up as a cowboy, he actually took a long time getting his costume how he wanted it. He def goes all out for Halloween

- he helped Darry with the trick or treaters, but left early to go to a different party with Steve

- At HIS party, he didn’t really get drunk, but he had the time of his life babysitting Steve. At some point, Steve passed out and soda just sat next to him in the floor and ate chocolate and drank punch

Pony

- he wasn’t going to go all out, but soda wanted him to. So pony ended up dressed as a werewolf

- he and johnny went around town looking at peoples costumes and giggling. Later in the night, they got scared by Dallas who chased them through a field with a knife

- when Dallas was done harassing them, he gave them the candy he stole from some kids and disappeared into the night, pony and Johnny went home and watched scary movies with their new candy

Johnny

- Johnny dresses up as the same thing every year: himself. However, this year soda got out some fake blood and made him a little greaser vampire, and Johnny was giddy

- he hung out with pony most of the night, not trick or treating because they both felt too old, but just soaking everything in. Dallas chased after them with a knife, which was scary but he gave them candy so Johnny forgave him.

- all in all, it was a great Halloween for Johnny! He ate chocolate and watched Carrie with his bff and he’d do it all again

Dallas

- you might think he isn’t the type to dress up, but you would be wrong. He’s the type that LOVES to buy a cheap ghostface costume and scare girls, and that’s what he did

- he chased many, many, MANY people, ending with Johnny and pony because he couldn’t resist. He went to a few parties, but they weren’t wild enough for his tastes. He made fun of Tim while Tim was trying to drag Darry home, but regretted it when twobit tackled him

- he spent the rest of the night at the Curtis house eating candy and drawing on everyone that fell asleep

Twobit

- he took his sister trick or treating dressed as a wolf (she was little red riding hood) and guilt tripped many houses into giving him candy as well

- he got Tim and Darry to come to a Halloween party with him and they had a good time until he and darry got too drunk for their own good. Tim (also drunk) was roped into being the babysitter. When dally joined the group, twobit decided he deserved to get tackled

- when tim finally got them both at Darry’s house, twobit immediately started in on his Halloween candy and ended up getting incredibly sick. He passed out sometime after three am

Steve

- he did NOT want to dress up but soda made him and Steve ended up as a a bottle of mustard (soda was going to be the ketchup but he forgot so Steve is just mustard by himself). Steve came to the Curtis house to pick him up for the party and they had a blast!!!

- soda didn’t drink, but Steve did. He ended the night with his head in sodas lap while soda ran his fingers through his hair (Steve was too dizzy to stand)

- eventually, Steve woke up in sodas bed with him, both of them still in their Halloween costumes. Steve went straight back to sleep with a smile on his face

Tim

- Tim is the one that REFUSES to ever dress up. The last time he dressed up he was like seven (he was a pirate). He hasn’t trick or treated since then either because he thinks he’s too old for it.

- he made sure curly and Angela had plans for the night and then left to go to a party with Twobit and Darry. He proceeded to get absolutely shitfaced and was having a great time. Until he and his bros didn’t really want to stay any longer, then he realized that navigating a party (with two guys taller and heavier than you, and drunk) while you’re drunk is… difficult. He managed to get them outside when Dallas started making fun of him. They all ended so going to Darry’s house

- Tim passed tf out and woke up on the kitchen floor with a marker mustache

Angela

- she dressed up as an angel (obviously) and went to a party with her friends. She lied to Tim about it because he didn’t want her going to any parties.

- she was having a good time until she saw Tim at the party. Even if he was totally wasted, she was NOT sticking around and snuck away. She got home and hung out with curly

- her and curly ate candy and watched children of the corn

Curly

- he dressed up as Batman because I like to headcanon that he really likes Batman. He didn’t trick or treat, he mostly just harassed little kids all night. He egged dallys car and decided the night was over when he almost got run over

- he went home, poured his candy out on the coffee table, and ate it while watching tv. It wasn’t until Angela got home that they put something in to watch together. Curly have never seen children of the corn, but he was freaked out fs

- he woke up warm and cozy on the couch with Angela

[death---dealer]

I was wonderingggggggg what if reader gave noa oral?

Since you already did this with ceaser.

*shot down, deceased I've been risen from the dead to bless you all*

we talked about this guys. WE TALKED ABOUT ME BEING NASTY.

** BELOW IS VERY NSFW, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. THANK YOU. 18+ READ THE PROMPT AND BE RESPONSIBLE IN KNOWING IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE PROCEEDING. **

I think the first time that you decide to go ahead with it, even having explained to him what you were going to do, Noa would be a tensed ball of nerves at having your face so near something that was not well established within the Ape community, or at the very least, it was something not talked about or mentioned in public settings.

Wide green eyes watched in tense and flurried frenzy as your hands press against his chest, just enough to get yourself propped up and without warning, your gentle finger tips are running down his chest, resting along his navel for a moment. The sensation in the pit of his stomach is so tight he felt like he was going to unravel. From the navel, Noa admires how your cheeks are a bit red, trying to convince the haze in his mind that it was just the nature of the fire playing along your skin, but he can feel just how hot your touch is, even through his thickened fur. Downwards, you're a bit hesitant, not sure how he was going to react as you lightly grasp his cock. Absolute, no barred reaction here. Hips are in the air, Noa is baring his teeth at the sensation of you touching it, and not having himself inside of you, Noa hisses under his breath, drawing a hard breath inwards and letting it hold there as he waited for you to move again. He had no idea this was even possible, the sort of twisted knot that was sitting dangerously close to the pit of his stomach but he wasn't turning away, he wasn't pushing back, he was asking for more, silent at first before a tiny gasp leaves his lips once the sensation passes. You're quick to give him a few pumps, just to get him as ready as possible ( Also, hey, you're a tease so why not ), letting your finger drift over the head a few times just to garner him to show his teeth at you again, which funnily enough, in the throes of intimacy, you'll do the same thing every so often and it makes Noa go wild.

Suddenly, the weight of your body is gone from the straddling position you had chosen. Right off of him and he's left wanting you back, long arms raising weakly, eyes looking down at what you were doing at the flush of movements as you were readjusting yourself. I mean, he knows, but does he know? Noa's eyes are on you, never taking them away as you prop his legs open, fur rising on his shoulders out of anticipation as you dip your body between then and he takes a second to really admire that--- and OH-

You're fast to bring your head downwards, giving your mate a look, letting your eyes lock as your hot breath cascades onto the hot and sensitive organ as you grasp the base to angle it properly for you to do what you so desperately longed to, the fur that was near the base tickled your fingers and you allow yourself the moment to admire him so close. He's girthier than a human male, not as long but incredibly veiny, it is a few shades lighter than the fur that it was usually tucked into when not aroused. Your hungry eyes sweeping over the prominent vein that sat on the underside, tapering off closer to the tip. Just to show him how much you loved him, and that despite him being an Ape, he deserved this sort of affection, he deserved it from you. You give him a cursory lick on the under side, right along the vein that had gotten your attention in the first place, letting your eyelids flutter shut at the feeling of him twitching at the first placement of your mouth so near to him. He's incredibly fast to orgasm. Like, seconds after your mouth is on the head, barely even grazing with your lips to give him a taste of more, he's done for. immediately on your face, partially in your mouth. Didn't even have time to react properly to pull away. It's such a visceral cum too, like, teeth gritting against each other, he is holding onto the animal pelt underneath him for dear life, he feels like all the tendons in his fingers were going to snap under the pressure. You relish in the feeling of his thighs closing in on you, tightening their grip as his fur begins to brush your shoulder blades, his feet are straggling for something to hold on to and somehow end up on the small of your back and he's pressing you down, cum dripping off your face onto the animal pelt below. You make a note that you were going to have to clean it, but that seemed so forgotten when Noa made eye contact with you, eyes completely darkened with carnal want, his cock still in your hand, throbbing again at just the visual he was getting of you between his legs as he tried to collect his breathing, shooting inhales and exhales roughly through his nose before Noa finally lets his head drop backwards and he opens his mouth to say something. "Fast." You chuckled, swiping your mouth with your tongue to get just a taste of what he had just given you. You knew quick releases were normal, the first few times you two did anything, it was very brief and you expected it this time around as it was the first time you really delved into the realm of doing anything other than the most basic positions, followed by longer drafts of holding each other and engaging in conversations before you fell asleep against him. Noa only huffs out a response as you give a small thrust of your hand, asking if he wanted you to do it again. Wordlessly, he just nods.

Definitely becomes one of his favored forms of foreplay, sometimes even going as far as to only have that performed on himself rather than penetration. It just feels so euphoric.

Ah don't get me started ( actually please do ) about once he gets comfortable, perhaps two or three times after the first experience and Noa grasps at your hair for the first time. He's grasping it so tightly, dragging your eyes open to force you to look at him. He's hips shuffle forward as you make eye contact with him and moan against his cock. He's done for.

AH MY GOD. Your favored position is to have him on his back, it's just the most comfortable for you but you mention something one day about being on your knees and he does not relent the idea. In the middle of it that evening, he ASKS YOU IF IT WAS OKAY TO TRY THAT WAY.

And you do, licking your lip of the pre-cum that he had already given you. He is shaking like a LEAF as he brings himself to rise, suddenly flushed and afraid that he was going to loose his balance as you follow him out of the nest, bringing a small animal pelt with you to rest your knees again instead of sitting on the wooden thickets of the floor below.

This is really the first time that he's really looking down at you, often choosing to keep his eyes shut in anticipation of the impending pleasure but he wants to witness as you bring your sweaty body to your knees, shuffling forward towards his cock that was sprung deliciously in front of your eyes.

You don't even bother grabbing it - something Noa finds intensely interesting as you were so frequent to do that and instead, you just slide him into your mouth. His hands are at his side for the first portion of it, balling itself into a fist before relaxing again. His toes are curling and un furling before he does something unexpected.

HE GRABS THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD AND FORCES YOU TO TAKE HIS ENTIRE SHAFT INTO YOUR MOUTH. THE GAG? OHHHHHH The fur on his spine is prickling with satisfaction, almost transfixed in your saliva dripping down your chin.

Noa is not hesitant to cum in your mouth. ( Not his favorite, but it'll do if he can't get himself inside of you before he needs to. )

[innerthighfest]

Final Stretch

The quiet hum of the fridge was all that filled the air. The blinds weren't drawn fully, letting soft sunlight filter in through the cracks, casting a warm glow over the room. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful. At 27, He never expected to find himself at this stage of his life; Yet here he was, living alone and 9 months pregnant—a round, swollen reminder of the life he was about to welcome into the world.

He sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, just staring at the floor, feeling the weight of his stomach pushing him forward. He rubbed his belly. The baby, as if responding to his touch, kicked—soft but insistent. The movement startled him, making his heart race so early in the morning. The baby had been kicking more frequently lately, more forcefully now. It was running out of room.

He exhaled, trying to push the discomfort aside. The ache in his lower back and the pressure in his pelvis were constant. But today, for some reason, it felt worse. Everything felt more difficult. The simple act of getting out of bed now took more effort than it used to.

With a grunt, he slowly pushed himself to his feet. His legs trembled, and he had to grab the edge of the bed to steady himself. Every step felt like an uphill battle. His body, stretched to its limits and protested with each movement. He proceeded forward, the weight of his belly causing him to lean slightly backward to counteract the weight, his back aching with each awkward step.

The bathroom seemed miles away. He shuffled toward it, holding his stomach as if it might collapse under its own weight. His belly, impossibly round, swayed with every movement, and his hips were sore. It had become a task in itself to walk from one room to the next with no support.

He made it to the bathroom. His reflection stared back at him: His shirt clung to his skin, tight over the curve of his abdomen. It was strange to look at himself like this—so different from who he had been just months ago. His face was a bit flushed, and his hair a little messier than usual.

His breath caught as he felt another sharp kick. He winced, his hand automatically pressing against his belly. The baby moved again, more persistently this time, as if reminding him it was there. He let out a small chuckle to himself, the sensation comforting, but also a little overwhelming. "Hsss, easy now,” he muttered, rubbing his belly in soothing circles.

His bathroom routine had become increasingly difficult. Even brushing his teeth now required him to lean against the counter for balance. His swollen belly rested atop the sink's ledge, providing relief for his back.

When he was done, he turned slowly, his feet sore from the minimal walking he’d done so far. He made his way to the kitchen, each step slow and deliberate. It was hard to ignore the weight pressing down on him, making everything seem like such a monumental task. Reaching up to grab a cereal bowl felt like a stretch—his whole midsection pushed forward, the skin taut as he reached higher.

As he poured cereal into the bowl, the baby kicked again, stronger this time, and He stumbled back, one hand instinctively going to his belly. He breathed through it, trying to focus on the sensation instead of the discomfort it caused, but it was hard to concentrate. He had so much on his mind, and the baby’s movements only seemed to distract him more. He rested his hands on the countertop, trying to compose himself.

Every time the baby moved it sent a wave of emotion through him. Excitement, fear, hope, all mixed together. He couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel when the baby was finally in his arms, when he wasn’t carrying this incredible weight all in his heavily pregnant belly. But for now, it was a constant, like a ticking clock—reminding him with every shift and nudge that it wouldn’t be long before the baby arrived.

After breakfast, He slowly made his way to his desk. The chair loomed in front of him, and the thought of sitting down was relieving. His belly felt in the way, the roundness of it pressing against the edge of the desk as he tried to adjust himself. He had to tilt slightly to the side to avoid having his stomach pressed up against the hard surface.

He pulled his chair forward, his belly wedged firmly between his legs and the desk. His legs felt stiff, and he had to readjust several times before he was comfortable. It was nearly impossible to maintain good posture. The curve of his belly made it hard to find a comfortable position. His back ached, and the pressure on his abdomen didn’t help. Every time he shifted, it felt like the baby was going to kick him out of his chair.

He groaned softly as he tried to focus on the documents in front of him, but it was difficult. Every few minutes, the baby moved again, making it hard to concentrate. He placed both hands on his belly, rubbing it absentmindedly, hoping the baby would settle down. But each time, there was a strong nudge and a tightening of his skin. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes for a moment.

It wasn’t just the baby’s movements that distracted him—it was the overwhelming physical toll of being this pregnant. The discomfort, the constant awareness of his own body, the soreness in his joints—it was exhausting. His big baby belly felt hot to the touch.

He continued to rub his belly, feeling the baby shift inside. It was a reminder that no matter how hard today was, it would soon be over. The thought brought some comfort, even if the physical strain felt impossible to push past.

For now, though, He had to keep going. One step at a time, he had to keep going to support his baby. Even if he felt like he couldn’t do it anymore. He would. Because the baby was coming and his life would change forever.

But for today it was enough to sit back and let his hands rest on his belly, awaiting the next kick.

[deblklesb]

[I Want You So Bad — Ellie x Reader, Pt. 1]

[AFAB!reader, friends to lovers, fluff MDNI] (part 2 here)

Summary: Ellie likes you so much, and it's crazy how you don't even notice it.

a/n: omg i finally did it!!!! it took me too long, so sorry anon, but it's finally here!! its a two part thing, I'll post part2 soon! hope you enjoy it, please let me know if you do!

cw: fluff and pining. as always i don't want minors interacting.

not proof read | reblogs are highly appreciated

It's a painfully hot day in Jackson, Ellie is wondering how Shimmer is doing down in the barn and contemplating about going there to spend some time with her beloved horse. The sun gives everything an extra glimmer and the roads hold small puddles of fata morganas, amusing her as always - astronomy it's her main target of curiosity but physics it's there too.

While she fixes her shoelaces and checks her pockets for the keys, she also looks at the small handmade candy wrapped in a simple paper, standing on the bench next to her door. The grocery brings back delightful memories of when you runned up to her with the cutest smile, a hand in her direction.

"Ellie, I made this candy from a recipe I found in one of those books, took some for you", you had no idea how that gesture reached the Williams girl right into the heart.

"Oh, thanks…!" She looked down at the brownish treat. It seemed to be so tasteful and you were known amongst your friends to be a very talented cook.

"So, are you coming to the Tipsy Bison tonight?" You put your hands in your back pockets. Ellie could only see a part of your tattoo coming out of your short sleeve, wondering what the entirety of it would look like.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. If I can finish all my tasks", she would definitely drop them if that meant to see you.

"Okay, cool! See ya later, then", and just like that you left with a small wave and a sweet smile.

Inside, Ellie beat herself up for not asking something like "oh do you want me there?" to slightly make a move and test the waters. You would always leave her speechless, lagging, absolutely fumbling on her words to even put a goof full sentence out.

On this incredibly hot day, she thinks it's finally the time to maybe taste your candy. She hasn't done it yet because… Maybe because she was holding onto the mere fact that you thought about her and went out of your way to give her some handmade candy. It was such a sweet act, it made her daydream for days and literally kick her feet when laying on her bed that night, thinking about your pretty eyes and cute lips.

Deciding to save for that night, she finally heads out to the hot weather and bright sun. The sunglasses she found on a supply run unfortunately were broken, she could make good use of them now.

It didn't take long to reach the barns, the shadow of the roof presenting a hope to cool down. The horses seemed to not mind the heat that much, and today was bathing day.

"Morning, Els", Pedro, a 15 year-old boy waved at her. She smiled back, finally facing Shimmer on her usual spot. But the horse wasn't alone.

In the barn, a brush in hand, stands you. Mindlessly stroking Shimmer's fur in circles, your back is not fully out since you're still with a tank on but Ellie can finally see the rest of your tattoo; it's a big tiger, an image mostly on your back with just a paw sticking on your front, under the clavicle - the part Ellie could always see. Today, it moves as your muscles do the same and you murmur a random melody, eyes careful to put the attention on the horse's fur.

The brunette has to take a deep breath before proceeding into the barn, trying to pull out that chill, laid back facade to hide the way you make her almost melt into a puddle.

"Hey, see you got up early today" She has you stopping on your tracks to look over your shoulder, immediately smiling fondly when seeing her.

"Yeah, I got the bathing job today so I didn't want to leave it until later", dirt falls from Shimmer's fur as you brush it. She's not the dirtiest one usually, but after some runs between the last bath and this one a significant amount of dirt is coming off. "Where have you been putting her to, by the way?"

"Oh, we found an old ranch somewhere west and I decided to let her run around a bit. It made a big cloud of dirt around her", Ellie chuckles as she gets closer from the horse, patting her neck. "This big girl enjoyed herself very much"

"Well, that's good, though", you go back into looking straight to your front, oblivious to how Ellie's gaze falls on your tranquil figure.

She captures the bridge of your nose and your adorable cheeks, the ones she just wanna kiss all the time so badly. Your hair, away from your face today, your attractive lips and the prettiest eyes she has ever seen. With your back to the barn's door, you almost glow in front of the light coming from outside. Like a divine vision, straight out of a fantasy book, demanding to be worshiped by the auburn haired girl. She feels her chest tightening and that feeling spreading to her arms and stomach, like it always does when she's around you; a visceral need to touch you in any possible way.

Shimmer ruffs and bumps her snout into Ellie's face, almost like she's calling her back to Earth.

"Easy", Ellie chuckles again, now trying to hide the last moment. From who? She doesn't know, there's just you, her and the horses here, but she feels so exposed whenever she's around you.

"It might sound crazy, but I do believe these horses have personality", you suddenly comment, turning to grab a comb.

"Right?! Oh, Jesse keeps saying I am crazy, that they're just horses, but I do feel this too! One time Shimmer laughed when she saw me fall. Like, a horse laugh, but I swear it was a laugh", and just like that, Ellie's loosening up.

Your laugh fills the space as you stand next to Shimmer to comb her black tail. Now facing your back again, Ellie takes in how your back muscles press your dark tank top and how your waist seems to call her hands to grab it, hold you from behind close to her chest. The desire to have your scent consuming her mind is so strong, she thinks she might actually pass out.

This is getting so out of hand.

"So", she clears her throat, looking around for another comb to work on Shimmer's mane. "Are you going to be here all day?"

"Tipsy Bison at six", you don't even care to look back at her, focused on the tail.

"Do you ever sleep?"

"Yeah, very well, actually", you chuckle. "Tomorrow I have nothing in the morning, so I can compensate"

"Oh… I thought we could, y'know…", she's trying to collect the millions of thoughts running around her mind at the same time, trying to not fuck this up. "Have a sleepover one of those nights… When you're free, I mean… But we don't have to if you don't want it- it was just an idea"

"It's a great idea!" The way you smile, turning to look at her, has her heart clenching. It's so genuine and sweet, just like you always do whenever you see her coming around and go compliment her. Do you even know the way she loses balance at each one of those acts? "The last sleepover was so long ago. We should call Dina and Jesse too"

"Yeah, absolutely", she rests her head on Shimmer's neck when you turn your attention to the tail again, cursing silently.

The rest of Shimmer's bath was calm, you both kept talking about whatever. At one point, when Ellie was rinsing the horse's back legs, Shimmer just threw her tail on the girl's face, making you laugh out loud and the auburn haired girl look stunned.

In the end you both got out a little cooled down due to splashes of water, past midday after bathing all horses. It was easier with two people, after all.

"So, I guess I'll let you get going to change and go to work…"

"Aren't you coming to the Bison tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I'll pass by", she tried to sound chill and nonchalant, not revealing how she always planned to go there as long as she wasn't patrolling.

"Okay, see you there then!" And you fucking leaned to kiss her on the cheek, smiling while you waved goodbye and turned in your street, leaving Ellie dumbfounded.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

If a stare could create holes, Jesse and Dina would cause trypophobia in anyone. Ellie was sitting across from them on the table, holding a beer bottle so tightly that it could break at any giving moment. Standing next to the table was you, listening to their shitty excuses about not being able to attend to the sleepover, oblivious to their real intentions.

"Oh, I get it, it's fine. Guess it'll be just me and Ellie then", you shrug, smiling to the auburn haired girl. She smiles back immediately under your gaze. "We'll, I have to go back to behind the counter, go talk to me if y'all need anything"

And she stares at your back while you walk away, always looking so fine while handling the objects behind the long wooden table.

"You're welcome, by the way", it's Jesse who says it, smirking.

"I'd beat the shit out of you if we weren't in public", she groans, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, come on! It will be nice having her all by yourself for a night, uh? Then you can silently pin over her while pretending to pay attention to some random ass movie", Dina is looking up like she's pondering the scenario.

"Shut up", her hands start to sweat with anticipation, all the possibilities running through her mind.

What you'll be wearing, what you both will watch, if you are going to sleep next to her, if she'll be able to hold you close absolutely in a friendly way, if you'll laugh and have a good time with her. Ellie thinks about the tragedies implicated in being alone with you for the whole night, how embarrassing it can be, how she'll combust just by looking at you so closely, yet, so far.

"Stop overthinking. Just wear those flannels, she likes it"

"No, she does not!" Her face warms up, because of the alcohol, of course.

"She already complimented you ten times about that shirt", Jesse points out.

It was true, though. And each and every time, Ellie almost melted into a puddle in front of your chaste gaze. If you only knew what ran through her mind when she looked at you…

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

This was messy, and Ellie didn't know what to do anymore.

At some point of the night, you decided to play a game and Ellie just agreed - because what could go wrong? Not going far from the known route, you opted for a Q&A game in which each one asked a question and the other one had to answer it or respond with another question. It would be nice and silly, if the given situation wasn't hard enough for Ellie.

You were sitting in front of her, legs crossed on the couch, in a tank top and the smallest shorts Ellie has ever seen you on - which was cool, it was okay, she could manage that because she was already used to holding her shit together next to you. But everytime you moved around, for some reason, that night, she just wanted to pull you close once and for all. An inexplicable energy was emerging from the whole situation and she couldn't grasp it properly, but it made her restless.

Her hands tingle whenever you lightly hold her arm or her leg, she starts to wonder why you were so touchy generally, but tonight more than ever. An indescribable feeling comes from her guts each time you laugh and lean on. She might as well be going crazy.

So, it was already hard enough. But then you asked her if she was currently into some girl around town and that was the first time Ellie responded with another question.

"Why do you wanna know?" It sounded like she was caught off guard, and that bought your attention.

"I was just curious… But your answer makes me think that you actually are", you smirk, playful.

"I didn't say I was"

"Didn't say you weren't either", damn you for being clever.

"But that doesn't mean anything…" The auburn haired girl looked away, resting her arm on the back of the couch.

"Is it Dana?"

"No" Dana was another woman that regularly worked on the Tipsy Bison. She was pretty and polite, but Ellie wasn't interested in her - not with you around. And she was so desperate to direct the conversation somewhere else that she missed the way your voice changed.

"So there is someone, it's just not Dana?"

"Why are you so interested?"

Why were you so interested? It was because of the game, right? Your only concern now was the fact that Ellie didn't answer your initial question, so you had to dig to the bottom of this topic. That sudden sting on your stomach when thinking about Ellie pining over Dana was just the prospect of your close friend having a crush on your coworker and not telling you. Absolutely.

It probably had nothing to do with the way you were weirdly infatuated by Ellie tonight, with her hair on a bun and a halfway buttoned up flannel - with nothing but a top underneath it. Or how she seemed to glow under the warm light of her room and her presence brought the biggest comfort you've ever felt in weeks. Or how her lips seemed so attractive right now, calling for your sight when she nervously bit the bottom one. Little scars were splared around her face amongst the freckles, gifts from a bunch of branches that accidentally crashed into her face once, during a patrol.

"Because… I'm your friend and I would like to know when you're interested in someone. I mean, we tell this type of stuff to each other, right?"

Not all the stuff, Ellie thought.

"Yeah, I guess. Well, you actually have never told me something like that"

"That, my beloved, is because I have nothing to tell. You know it, I'm not interested in anybody as for now"

"Or for any other time on this town"

"Ouch!" You chuckled, lightly punching her shoulder. "You're not getting away from this topic. I'll name every woman our age and you'll tell me when it's the one"

The auburn haired girl tried very hard not to express any compromising expressions, especially after the list ended and you didn't say your own name.

You couldn't think of any other person that fit into the category, and that was odd. Because if there was someone, then it should be one of those.

"Oh, you're lying!"

"I'm not!"

"You just said 'no' to every single name"

"That's the reality of the situation"

"But there is someone?!"

"You said that, not me", she shrugged.

"Alright", you seemed resigned, looking away from her green eyes. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine"

A sting got it right into Ellie's chest. She liked you too much to let you be this way, but at the same time she didn't want to tell you. The amount of terrible things that could happen; losing you and your friendship was at the top of this list, and it was bad enough.

"It's not it, I swear", Ellie collected all the strength to softly hold your face; now she was doing it as your friend who didn't want to see you sad. She turned it so you could face her, stare at her eyes full of vivid green. "I swear, you didn't say the name"

"Okay", you sigh, trying to understand what was that feeling on your stomach that grew while her fingers still supported your chin.

"Now… Wanna watch another movie?" Her thumb caressed your face with tenderness, inside she hoped this made you less uneasy.

"Yeah", it got cold when she retracted her hands to reach for the DVD options you both picked for tonight. "You can chose it now"

[dividers by @cafekitsune]

[witchhaven]

Cream and Sugar

I've often found myself feeling like I've done something wrong, taking these dolls in lately. They've cleaned my floors, walls, and ceilings, and picked up after the clutter. I am clean, and I couldn't have gotten here myself. My senses are much heightened from what they were the day Heart arrived.

Yet, something feels unsatisfying about the way things are. I've done things for the dolls living here, yes. But even more, I've been taken care of. I cannot keep my floors, walls, and ceilings clean, and I have limited control over what objects I can include or occlude within my spaces. I've relied on these dolls arguably more than they've relied on me, I feel. I am their home, shouldn't I be the one providing? Perhaps I can make their tea sweeter, the living area cozier-

My monologue is interrupted by another knock at the door. Curious... this time, a pair of dolls has arrived. They look quite similar to each other, nearly the same, but each have seemingly inverted color schemes from each other. Where Cream has silvery white hair, brown eyes, and a brown cardigan over its light, airy dress, Sugar has brown hair, silvery white eyes, and a white cardigan over a similar brown dress. Both wear cute little black shoes over short lacy socks.

As per the past two dolls, I let them in myself. Currently, Heart and Apple are tending to the back yard, which means that there's no possible way that they could've heard the knock. Cream seems apprehensive, but Sugar seems to enthusiastically lead it in, taking in my main hall, now in beautiful condition, thanks to the other two dolls residing inside.

"It's okay, Cream, you felt it too, didn't you? That beckoning, leading us here! This place, this home... It's welcoming us!" It embraces its counterpart in a hug.

Cream whispers something into Sugar's ear, and in response, Sugar smiles warmly, gazing into its eyes. It nods back, proceeding to turn and guide it towards the kitchen. Ah, yes, the first place dolls seem to find themselves whenever they enter. As usual, there's tea fresh from the kettle on the stove, and enough teacups for each of the dolls. This seems to be the first time Cream has no hesitation, as it reaches for the cup and saucer, and Sugar pours it some tea. The two quietly enjoy each other's company as they wait for the warm beverage to cool, before taking gentle sips.

After gently leaving their teacups in the sink, they proceed to the living area, where they both sit down on the soft rug near the hearth. They lean on each other, and take in the warmth. It is nearing the middle of Autumn at this point, as is clearly evident by the warm orange hues displayed on the leaves of nearby trees, so it's not surprising that a sit by the fire could be incredibly comforting.

They stand up before long, and they find their way to a third bedroom. Inside are two beds, one for each of them. They spend some time relaxing inside. It's clearly been a very long time since they've had their own space to call their room. I'm happy that I can allow them that. I watch them take a load off on their beds, relaxing to the edge of consciousness, before I notice that Sugar has tears in its eyes.

I'm not the only one who notices, it seems, because Sugar is holding Cream before it has a chance to even wipe its eyes. The crying softens, but still remains as it lets its head rest on Cream's left shoulder.

"It's been so long... This one hasn't hasn't been somewhere it could call its own in so long..." Sugar sobs as Cream's consoling grip tightens around it.

The two stay like this for a long time. Sugar cries over the shoulder of its counterpart, and Cream holds it until long after its tears have died down. The two are now holding each other's hands gently as they proceed towards the door. It seems they have an unspoken agreement to get more tea from the kitchen. Sugar, now having composed itself leads Cream out of the room, and reaches the living area, where Heart and Apple have found themselves relaxing after the initial servicing of the back yard.

The processes of acceptance have already passed by the time they've reached this point, so it's not a surprise to any of them that there are new dolls, but still Heart asks, "Oh, hello. What are your names?"

"This one is Sugar, and this is cream! How about you?" Sugar warmly replies, as Cream kindly looks at the other two dolls, somewhat receding behind its counterpart.

Heart smiles, its expression softening further upon noticing Cream's demeanor, "This doll is Heart. It's nice to meet you, Sugar, and you, Cream."

"And I'm Apple! Cream, there's no reason to be scared. We're all friendly here, right?" Apple looks at Cream with a kindly concerned expression.

Cream whispers something to Sugar, who speaks up, "It's just as excited as this one is to meet you, but it's always been a lot more anxious. This one can help it communicate though, it's the least it can do, for all it does for this one..."

Cream looks surprised to see Sugar mention its appreciation for it, and its expression is met with loving warmth from its counterpart. I understand, they've been through thick and thin together, and though one may not realize how much it helps the other, they're invaluable to each other not on just a practical level, but emotional as well.

This is what I've been missing, isn't it? Perhaps, my existence and simple love is enough for these dolls. Perhaps, the only thing they need from me to feel cared for by me is my shelter, and a warm pot of tea on the stove. These dolls help me feel more complete by filling me with their lives, and I in turn help them feel safe by housing their lives.

I have facilitated these dolls living, and in turn, they've cared for me...

Perhaps, this is good...

This is actually the third chapter of a currently running Empty Spaces series. While it's written in a way that you shouldn't super need the previous chapters to enjoy this one, there are previous chapters in the story, which you can get more context and meaning from this chapter. click here to go to the previous chapter, or click here to go to the first chapter

[kaybug88]

Matt Sturniolo x Wife! Reader

December 1st:  “You ate Santa's cookies, the kids are going to be so upset.”

TW: Matt being a big back, swearing  Wc: 3.2k

Requested: Nope!

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

The Night had been so fun, but so unbelievably messy. Flour is now everywhere in the kitchen, frosting managed to get on the plastic covered counters, food coloring scattered around and. . . the rolling pin is nowhere to be found. Lovely.

Besides all of the mess, the cookies were Incredibly fun to make. It's nearly Christmas, and using an old recipe in your family, you just finished making too many Christmas cookies from scratch with the help of your six-year old daughter Delilah, and loving husband, Matt. She's a perfect representation of Matt, it's almost scary. She's got the same soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

You look over to your husband, normally neat and fluffy hair now a mess with flour peppered around in his brown hair. His eyes pinched and brows furrowed with concentration, the tip of his tongue poking between his lips as he adds the finishing touches to his Rudolph sugar cookie.

“That's quite the masterpiece you've got there.”

You chuckle as you pick up a piece of garbage here and there, and pick up the cookie cutters, placing them in a big metal bowl in the sink before walking towards the garbage to throw away the scrap pieces of trash. A beat of silence passes while you continue to pick up around the kitchen, and finally, your husband finishes his cookie In the process.

“Done! I'm finally done.”

He exclaims, jumping up in excitement. His eyes gleaming with pride as he places his special cookie on its own little Christmas themed paper plate. 

"Holy shit dude, calm your tits, it's just a cookie."

Chris says from the couch, looking over at Matt with an annoyed eye roll.

"Shut up, you're just mad you can't make a cookie as good as this."

Matt challenges, sticking his tongue out at his brother, not hearing the grumbles coming from Chris. You hold in a snort at the banter between the brothers and look at the cookie.

“Wow, that's actually really good.”

You compliment with a chuckle, picking the little plate up and admiring the cookie. He had clearly spent a lot of time on his so called 'masterpiece', and it truly does look very nice. Glancing at your phone, you let out a little yawn, the clock displaying ‘10:28 PM’. 

“It's getting late, wanna help me pick up?”

You ask, throwing away the last of the garbage while walking towards the sink to start washing the cookie cutters.

“Of course, Love.”

Matt says with a smile as he gets up from his seat. Walking towards the sink where you stand in the middle of washing dishes, he wraps his arms around your center from behind you, resting his head on your shoulder, the proceeding to nuzzle his face into the crook of your neck, his stubble stealing giggles out of you.

“What?”

He asks, pressing a kiss to your chin and swaying you two back and forth, preventing you from doing dishes.

“Your stubble tickles.”

You admit before laughter breaks free from your lips when he proceeds to nuzzle his face into your neck, just to hear that laughter. You can't stop the sweet laughter from leaving you until he stops. 

“Alright, alright, let's get these dishes done.”

He chuckles as he pulls away from you, leaving the places he held cold without his presence. He settles next to you, slightly pushing you to the right with his hip. You both let out a light laugh at the action before falling into a comfortable silence with running sink water and cleaning cookie cutters the only things that fill the empty air.

“She fell asleep really easily. You sure she's a lot at bed time?”

Nick questions with clear suspicion, walking downstairs from Delilah's room. For some odd reason, she always was super easy and gentle for uncle Nick, and 'always' is no exaggeration. She might fight when it comes to bed time with you or Matt, but god forbid she fight uncle Nick. Doesn't want to put her dishes in the sink when mom or dad asks, but instantly does it when Nick tells her to. Seriously, he's gotta' be some kind of kid-whisperer.

“Yeah, the first and last time I put her to bed, she was not having it.”

Chris scoffed from the couch, clearly frustrated that Nick was the favored uncle. A smug grin immediately took place on Nick's face as he walked towards you two.

“I promise she can be a lot at times.”

Matt sighs as he hands you a bell shaped cookie cutter, you take it from his hand and dry it, and place it in a big Tupperware you keep your cutters in afterwards. everything fell into a comfortable silence afterwards with Nick sitting beside Chris, and you finishing dishes With Matt.

The only soft sounds that are between you and Matt are the soft breaths leaving each of you, with the occasional yawn, and the final sounds of washing dishes. It was peaceful in all reality, but now, you could use some quiet time to wind down from the eventful evening.

“Tired?”

Matt questions quietly after your sixth yawn since starting dishes. You were simply drying off your hands while you give him a small yawn, clarifying your need to sleep.

“How about you go take a nice, long bath with hot cocoa while I chill with Nick and Chris?”

Matt suggests after drying his own hands and placing them on your waist. His lips are turned into a soft smile with his blue eyes shining with affection.

“That sounds lovely, thank you.”

You say, leaning your head up to press your lips to his own. You feel him smile against the kiss when you wrap your arms around your neck.

“Would you two get a room?”

Chris groans From the couch after looking over to you guys. Matt pulls away with a groan as he goes to prepare your hot cocoa, leaving you a blushing mess. You shake your head and let out a light chuckle to yourself as you go sit down at your counter, a smitten look on your face as you watch your husband prepare your sweet drink and separate a few of only the best looking cookies (besides his Rudolph, of course.) for you.

You get so lost in watching your husband do his work to the point where you don't even realize he's done with your sweet treats.

“Go enjoy a hot bath.”

He insists, handing you a small plate with three cookies and an insulated cup with ‘1# Hot Mama’ on it. The mother's day memory of when you got the goofy mug makes you smile to yourself. He presses A long kiss to your forehead before ushering you up the stairs.

You walk up the stairs without complaining, and immediately head for the bathroom in your guys’ shared room for some ‘you’ time. You nudge open the white bedroom door and make your way towards the bathroom. Setting your sweet treats down, you turn to open the closet and select a peppermint scented bath bomb, perfect for the mood you want. 

You set the bathbomb down on the cool counter and begin to run your bath, the water slowly getting warmer as it runs over your fingers. Once the temperature is to your liking, you stand up and dry your hand; the idea of lighting candles to set a nice, comfy mood comes to mind. 

Humming a holiday tune, you look over the selection of candles you've received over the years; mostly consisting of Bath and Bodyworks products. Picking up four winter candles, you choose Sweater Weather which is Sage and juniper Berry, Fresh Balsam, which smells of balsam and fir, Vanilla Bean Noel, which smells of exactly as you think would; vanilla, and finally, Tis’ the Season, which is cedar wood, red apple and cinnamon.

When You can't find a lighter, you let out a soft, annoyed groan. You check the Water height in the bath you make the choice to quickly run downstairs to find the lighter.

“Hey baby!”

You call to Matt, hearing him greet you while making your way to the kitchen. Once you get into the kitchen, immediately heading towards the junk drawer, and open it to find your trusty, little blue lighter. Letting out a breath you didn't even know you were holding, you turn to jog back up to your bathroom, but notice quite a bit of the Christmas cookies missing.

“Hey, make sure you save cookies for tomorrow night! We need cookies for Santa.”

You say, giving him a mom look before going back to your bathroom, happy to find the water at the perfect height. Placing the lighter on the counter, you turn off the water and begin to light candles, giving a pleasant atmosphere.

Taking a deep breath, which is followed by a sigh, you shut off the big lights above your mirror, leaving a soft warm atmosphere for you to enjoy. You smile softly to yourself as your eyes flutter shut, absorbing the calm atmosphere for just a bit before taking wooden bath tray and placing it on the cool material of your tub.

Next, you take your phone, Hot Mama cup, cookies and bathroom, placing them on the tray. Afterwards, you carefully undress, your clothes pooling beneath you. Letting out a soft breath, you step into the perfectly warm water; sinking below the small ripples caused from your movement, leaving just your head and arms above the tub.

Resting your head back, you pick up the bathbomb and unwrap the dusty rose pink ball. You carefully place it in the water, your ears picking up the slight fizzing noises. The need for music come up once the frizzing dies down, so as one does, you play your chill Lofi playlist. The soft beats fill the homey ambience, your body instantly relaxing.

Your bath was spent soaking in the pink hued water, with winter smelling air, enjoying your sweet treats and calming music playing; accompanied with a bit of scrolling on your phone. Your cue to get out of the bath is when you hear Matt saying his goodbyes to Chris and Nick. 

Sighing, you move the wooden tray a bit and carefully step out of the now luke-warm water. The water from your body drips onto the bath mat below you while you stretch your back with a groan. You reach to your right, your large Grey towel on one of the three hooks on the wall. Once dry, you put the towel back on the hook and put your fluffy white robe on, snuggling into the comforting fabric. You blow the candles out after turning the lights on and step out of the bathroom and onto the soft carpet of your bedroom.

You quickly turn back around to grab your phone before going through Matt's hoodies and choosing on what one to steal tonight. You end up deciding on a plain black hoodie and a pair of your sweatpants, throwing them on the bed as scroll some more on your phone.

Eventually when you've had enough scrolling, you get into your pajamas, hanging your robe back in its respectful place soon after. Stepping into the hall that leads downstairs, you're welcomed to the sight of your husband sitting on the couch, munching on more cookies. Hearing your footsteps, he looks up to you, giving you an idiotic grin. Placing his phone down, he practically skips up the stairs, just to see you, his beautiful wife. 

“Those cookies are really good, what'd you do different this year, hmm?”

He asks, placing his arms around your waist and rocking you two side to side.

“I don't think I'll tell.”

You giggle, placing your own arms around his neck. You notice a small bit of blue frosting on his nose, and giggle a little more at the sight.

“I can tell you really like those cookies, because you've got a lil’ somethin’ right here.”

You say pointing towards the tip of his nose, where he takes his thumb and wipes the frosting off, sticking his thumb between his Lips right after.

“Gross!”

You laugh as you try and push him away as he pleads in a joking manner for you to stay. 

“How many of those cookies have you eaten?”

You question after you both get your giggles out.

“Uhm, not many, I'm sure.”

He says, shrugging his shoulders. His eyes tell you that he's clearly not telling the full truth, getting an unconvincing hum from you.

“You better have left some for Santa.”

You say, playfully flicking his forehead as you walk back downstairs with Matt, and are shocked to see only about ten cookies left.

“Matt!”

You exclaim as you go to count the remaining cookies, including his Rudolph cookie, still isolated from the rest.

“What?”

He drags out and comes to stand next to you, seeing what you must be so upset about.

“Yikes, sorry.”

He apologizes, scratching the back of his neck and turning his blue eyes from the cookies to you.

“No more cookies, the rest are for Santa and Delilah.”

You scold, lightly flicking his forehead, getting a flick in return. You scoff at his actions and walk back upstairs to pick up the bathroom. Once you've arrived, you get to work. Putting lids back on candles and putting them away, taking your Hot Mama cup and empty plate of cookies downstairs, and finally putting the bath tray back in its rightful spot. Now that everything was in their correct spots and in order, you realized how truly tired you were.

“Tired, Princess?”

Matt asks from behind you, resting his head on your shoulder, arms wrapped around your middle.

“Yeah, I am.”

You yawned, feeling his chin rest against your shoulder. You close your eyes and lean back into his hold, content radiating off you.

“You go to bed, and I'll join you in a sec, does that sound alright?”

Matt asks, pressing a soft, gentle kiss against your neck, a smile taking over your lips.

“Okay, I love you.”

You mumble to Matt, eyes carefully closed with lashes resting perfectly in place.

“Alright, go to sleep. I love you too.”

He says softly, pressing a few more kisses to your face before letting go of you and off to do his own thing while you get in bed.

Eventually, you get yourself into bed, phone plugged in next to you with your teeth brushed and skin care routine finished. You let your eyes close with exhaustion taking over. 

The next morning, you wake Up to Matt big spooning you. A smile creeps up on your lips when you notice how comfy he was cuddled up next to you. The morning sunlight shines through the gap in your 

-

curtains, making you squint your eyes. You carefully move Matt's arms from around you as you get out of bed; wincing slightly when the bed creaks.

Once you're sure Matt hasn't woken up, you tiptoe out the room, wincing when you feel like you were too loud. Upon reaching your guys’ door, you cautiously retreat from your room, quietly and quickly closing the door behind you. 

Letting out a breath that you didn't know you were holding, you begin walking down the wooden staircase, and towards the kitchen. You're greeted with a cleaner kitchen than you left it last night. How sweet of Matt. The cookies are nowhere to be found, but a white bowl with a pink lid is set aside; figuring the cookies are in there (and Matt left them alone after you said to), you ignore it.

You open the fridge and scan for worthy breakfast ingredients. Sure, you have two dozen eggs, and some vegetables, but what can you make with that?

Omelettes of course. Duh.

So, you get to work. You grab with a fork, spinach, mushrooms, red and orange bell peppers, red and white onions, seasonings, bacon, minced garlic, cheese, hashbrowns and finally, the eggs. You take a look at your ingredients and let out a huff, this would be a lot of work, but, you're a hard worker. First step is to grab the rest of the necessary dishes, including a cutting board, a knie, a pan, medium sized bowls, a spatula and a knife.

You start going at it. You chop the veggies first and start lightly cooking them over a low heat, and while that's going, you chop bacon. You're doing this for a while, going back and forth between the veggies and meat, all while preparing your eggs, mixing in seasonings and whisking. Then when the meat and veggies are done, they're mixed in with eggs. By the time you're almost done, your little girl comes down the stairs, her hair in every direction and little fists curled up as she rubs her eyes. 

“Good Morning, Sweet Pea.”

You call to your daughter as you begin to cook the final omelette. Flip the eggs and walk over to your daughter, who's walking into the kitchen to see what'd for breakfast.

“Mornin’ momma. What's for breakfast?’

She asks after struggling a little to get into the barstool, and finally succeeding. 

“Omelettes, speaking of which, go wake your Dad for me, yeah? Thanks, Sweet Pea!”

You say, pressing a kiss to her right cheek before beginning to put away what you can. 

“Okay, Momma!”

Delilah chirps, skipping up towards your guys' bedroom. Chuckling to yourself, you roll Your eyes as you finish putting away extra veggies and throwing away trash. You glance over to the omlette and take it off, placing it with the others under the tin-foil. As you begin doing the dishes, Delilah comes skipping back downstairs.

“He said he'll be down in a bit.”

She answers, swinging her little legs back and forth.

“Perfect, Sweet Pea! Thank you.”

You say, pressing a kiss to her head of brown Hair, smiling when she lets out little giggles. You look up to the staircase seeing Matt walking down, fingers running through his own hair.

“Made you breakfast, Love.”

You say pleasantly, passing a plate with an omelette towards Matt once he gets downstairs, a ketchup heart next to the eggs. You hand Delilah her own while Matt comes his way around the counter, pressing a kiss to your head and hugging you.

“Thank you, baby.”

He says before going to his seat, smiling at the ketchup heart. Once you start eating your own omelette, you have to hold back a groan from the explosion of all your favorite flavors seemingly exploding on your tongue.

“This is real’ good, Momma, thank you!”

Delilah chirps from her seat as she finishes her little omelette. Matt smiles as she rushes to rinse her blue plastic plate off before coming to her seat.

“Momma, what if Santa gets lost coming to the house tonight?”

Delilah says, clearly very concerned about Santa's sense of navigation. Matt hides a chuckle while you bite the inside of your cheek to hold your own chuckle.

“I promise he won't get lost, he's been doing his job for a very long time and he takes it very seriously.”

You reassure after keeping yourself in check.

“But Momma! What if he doesn't like his cookies we made for him? I made the Santa hat just for him!”

You smile at her efforts to make sure Santa would be comfortable and safe getting to your house. After reassuring her once more, she's finally content to hop off her seat and rush off to play. Since she mentioned the cookies, you decide to check just how many are le-

“Matt Sturniolo.”

You say after lifting the pink lid to the large bowl. What you're greeted with is half of a Santa hat. Lovely. 

“I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention to how many I-”

He tries before getting interrupted.

“You ate Santa's cookies, Delilah is going to be so upset.”

You say going to put the lid back, and clean up your breakfast plate. Shaking your head slightly and biting back a smile, you can't help but try and come up with reasons Santa’s cookies are missing for Delilah.

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

A/N: So! What do we think? I know that the ending is disappointing (at least it is to me🥲) 

Tbh, the end was a little rushed because at the time of writing this I was super sick, overwhelmed w/ stuff, and I had to get through 13 other fics  ;v;

[mcyt-builds-contest]

The Dragon Egg Vault

Contained : The Dragon Egg

Series : Lifesteal SMP Season 5

Propaganda : It's built at spawn with the sole purpose of containing the server's dragon egg. All of the material gathering and construction were done in 6 days. It's HEAVILY booby trapped, to the point where it's basically impossible to retrieve the egg.

The castle of Time

Contained : LDShadowlady, ch!Mabel, ch!Olm, ch!Belial

Series : Avid Adventures

Propaganda : Built by the incredibly talented LeonSBU and... corrupted...? into a full time-warping dungeon by the command block genius AvidMC, the Haunted Castle is a location dedicated to LDShadowLady and full to the brim with traps, puzzles, and straight-up time travel. Its decor is both fitting and functional, and both versions of it are incredibly cool-looking -- to say nothing of the Abyss below! ...Oh, right, as for why it's a prison? There's a place called the Abyss in the lore of the Shrouded Isles, home to some of the most dangerous entities in existence. The dark god Olm was trapped there before being freed, where they then proceeded to unleash eras of terror on various civilizations, outright destroying an entire one and slowly corrupting the key people of another. The demon Belial was also kept there, and when forced out of this prison by Olm proceeded to wreak havoc on the citizenry of Cloud's Rest, which still bears the scarring and curses from his attack.  It's unclear or unknown what exactly Mabel, the Queen of Ghasts and boss of the Haunted Castle, can do... but whatever it is, it caused her to be considered so dangerous that she wasn't just kept trapped in the Abyss, but assigned three separate jailers and imprisoned further within the Castle of Time until, well, the end of Time itself. (Lizzie also very confidently declares that Mabel is an evil alternate future version of herself. I don't know what this implies. 🎶Haunted castle at the end of time!🎶

[whoreforhorror]

Kinktober Day Two: Sensory Deprivation with Hannibal Lector

Hannibal was the one who'd brought it up. He was curious to see the effects of sensory deprivation on a person up close, and you, his darling partner, were the perfect subject. He'd gotten everything all layed out and you were starting to suspect he's more excited about this than he's letting on. He'd spent literal weeks researching blindfolds and noise-canceling headphones and gloves and restraints. He'd looked relentlessly, only settling on the nicest silk blindfold and additional silk to bind you with. He found the absolute best noise-canceling headphones, ones that would work both with music and without. He'd done enough research that he'd even found gloves for you to wear too, so that you couldn't feel a thing with your own hands, of your own fruition. 

He'd made a whole night of it too, making an elaborate brunch that he delivered to you in bed, taking you shopping, and then taking you out for an incredibly expensive dinner, both of you dressed to the nines. After the day of pampering, he leads you to your shared bed, pushing you backward gently so that you're sitting on the edge. 

Hannibal grabs the silk red blindfold, kissing you as he slips the blindfold over your eyes and typing it behind your head. He kisses you once more, a quick but loving kiss to remind you he's there, and pulls back some. You can just slightly feel him moving away by the shifting of the bed. 

"Can you see, my love?" Hannibal says in a voice just above a whisper. Opening your eyes to look, and all you can see is the deep, nearly blood-red. The silk is smooth and cool against your skin and you can feel your eyelashes brushing against the material. 

"No, not a thing." You can practically hear the grin form on his face as you speak. 

"Good" He replies simply and comes back to you, placing the headphones on your head, over your ears. The world goes silent as he does so, you can't hear, you can't see. Already, your senses are heightened. Your smell, your sense of touch, you felt on edge and honestly a bit anxious for what's to come. It's one thing to imagine but to be sat here, deprived of the basic senses you'd grown so accustomed to using... it's an erotic, sensual type of fear, one that you can quickly feel yourself getting addicted to. Especially with Hannibal. 

His hands move to rest on either side of your face, each on your jaw, pulling you forward a bit and making your head tilt up just a little. He kisses you once more. A much longer kiss, filled with love and passion. Another reminder that he's still here and that you're in good hands, at least for now. 

When he pulls back, it's a long stretch of nothing. It was probably only a couple of minutes but it felt like ages, an eternity stretching on as you waited without sight or sound for Hannibal to do something, anything that you can feel. The time stretches on and on, so when you feel his hand back on your shoulder, you jolt with surprise as your breath hiches softly. 

Hannibal's hand slides down from your shoulder to your hand, taking it gently and guiding you to stand and walk a few paces forward, away from the bed. There's a short stretch of nothingness before he takes your hand again, pressing a kiss to the palm, then the inside of your wrist. His actions cause butterflies to flutter in your stomach as it flips, flustering you enough that you barely even notice as he slips the soft gloves onto your hands. You reach forward to touch him, but he grabs you gently by the wrist, bringing your arm behind your back and proceeding to do the same with the other. 

You feel the smooth, cool fabric on your arms, the silk restraints. He winds the material around and between your arms, tying them close together, tight but not restricting the blood flow. As his touch leaves you once more, you test the restraints just a bit, trying to pull them apart or twist and wriggle out. The restraints hold strong, your arms aren't going to be freed until Hannibal wants them to be.

Hannibal's hands make their way back to you once more, holding your face as if he were holding a precious Fabergé egg, his thumbs rubbing your cheeks gently as he holds you. His lips find their way back to yours, a moth to a flame, kissing you with a passion that grows from loving to fervored and hungry. He walks you backward, step by step, his lips never leaving yours until you hit the bed with the back of your legs, falling backward, a short gasp escaping you. The mattress cushions your fall, leaving you lying on your back, legs hanging off the bed at the knees, blinded, deafened, and bound.

Fem:

Hannibal's hands find themselves on your knees, spreading your legs a fair degree. His lips land on the inside of your knee, pressing a gentle kiss there too. One of his hands glides upwards, fingers hooking the bottom of your skirt and pulling it upward. The air hits your legs as your skirt moves up your lower thighs, up your upper thighs, up until it's just barely covering what it needs. Hannibal's lips trail up, following the hem of your skirt and peppering your inner thigh with short kisses. The butterflies in your stomach feel like a raging storm at this point, and your breath shortens as your face flushes.

Then, his touches disappear entirely. No kisses, no hand on the knees, no hand pulling up your skirt. You're left, lying on the bed with your skirt pushed up high enough that your panties peek out from beneath, the air brushing past your legs, reminding you of just how exposed and vulnerable you are right now. He's gone for several minutes now.

Sitting back, he's in an armchair in the bedroom, notepad and pencil in hand, observing you closely and taking notes. Every twitch, every change in breath, every single thing you do he takes notes on. Beyond taking notes, you can certainly count on him making sketch after sketch of these moments as he commits them to memory.

The longer he takes, the more you start to test the restraints and the heavier your breath grows, the anxiety and tension building and building, blooming into a combination of fear of the unknown and arousal from the lack of control or knowledge you have in the situation.

It takes seventeen minutes for Hannibal to stand from his chair. You're left in the dark, literally and metaphorically, unaware of where he is or what he's doing. He could be long gone from the room, he could be observing, he could be anything else under the sun.

A hand on your exposed thigh causes you to jump again, the long stretch of nothing leaving you on edge. His hand trails higher and higher, pushing your skirt fully up to your hips and pulling your panties to the side. You can feel the warmth of his breath before he presses a kiss onto your clit. He wastes no time starting to lick and suck, eating you out like you're his last meal.

Pleasure courses through your entire body, making you moan and writhe, the loss of your senses heightening every little touch of Hannibal's. You'd reach for his hair if your arms weren't bound. Your own pleasured moans and groans echo in your mind, the only thing you can hear. You've got no way of knowing how loud or quiet you're being either, adding a layer of freedom to the experience. Something so raw and unfiltered about not knowing or caring how you sounded, how you looked. 

One of Hannibal's hands slid up to your stomach, the other hooking across your hips to hold you down as he continued to eat you out. His tongue circles and zig-zags and licks in straight lines, each and every movement feeling like the only thing you've ever felt and the only thing you'll ever feel, and it's fucking mindblowing.

Your thighs and stomach start to clench involuntarily and your back arches off the mattress. Hannibal only buries his head deeper between your thighs, sucking and licking with more fervor than he had thus far. Your climax makes you see stars behind the silk blindfold. 

Your body falls slack onto the bed as Hannibal moves away from you again. Your dress's skirt is pulled back down to cover you properly, and Hannibal's lips are back on yours, kissing you once more with slow, gentle passion this time. You can taste your cum on his lips and it only serves to drive you crazier, wanting him to never stop. It was addicting. He was addicting.

Hannibal sits you up just enough to take the gloves and binding silks off your arms, gently laying you back onto the mattress as he gives you yet another peck on the lips. He takes the headphones off next, followed by the blindfold. Once everything is off, he gives you a charming smile.

"Hello again, my darling." 

Masc:

Hannibal's hands find themselves on your knees, spreading your legs a fair degree. His lips land on the inside of your knee, pressing a gentle kiss there too. One of his hands glides upwards, fingers around your belt, pulling it loose and unbuttoning the dress slacks you'd worn out. He pulls them off you gently, the air hitting your legs as your lower half is left in your boxers. Hannibal's lips trail upwards, peppering your inner thigh with short kisses. The butterflies in your stomach feel like a raging storm at this point, and your breath shortens as your face flushes.

Then, his touches disappear entirely. No kisses, no hand on the knees, no hands roaming your thighs. You're left, lying on the bed in your boxers, the air brushing past your legs, reminding you of just how exposed and vulnerable you are right now. He's gone for several minutes now.

Sitting back, he's in an armchair in the bedroom, notepad and pencil in hand, observing you closely and taking notes. Every twitch, every change in breath, every single thing you do he takes notes on. Beyond taking notes, you can certainly count on him making sketch after sketch of these moments as he commits them to memory.

The longer he takes, the more you start to test the restraints and the heavier your breath grows, the anxiety and tension building and building, blooming into a combination of fear of the unknown and arousal from the lack of control or knowledge you have in the situation. Your dick strains against your boxers with anticipation, practically begging to be released.

It takes seventeen minutes for Hannibal to stand from his chair. You're left in the dark, literally and metaphorically, unaware of where he is or what he's doing. He could be long gone from the room, he could be observing, he could be anything else under the sun.

A hand on your exposed thigh causes you to jump again, the long stretch of nothing leaving you on edge. His hand trails higher and higher, going to the opening of your boxers and pulling your cock free from its confines. You can feel the warmth of his breath before he presses a kiss to the underside of your shaft, just above your balls. He wastes no time running his tongue up it, wrapping his hand around and pumping before kissing your tip and taking you in his mouth fully. 

Pleasure courses through your entire body, making you moan and writhe, the loss of your senses heightening every little touch and lick of Hannibal's, the warmth of his mouth quickly becoming an addiction. You'd reach for his hair if your arms weren't bound. Your own pleasured moans and groans echo in your mind, the only thing you can hear. You've got no way of knowing how loud or quiet you're being either, adding a layer of freedom to the experience. Something so raw and unfiltered about not knowing or caring how you sounded, how you looked. 

One of Hannibal's hands slid up to your stomach, the other hooking across your hips to hold you down as his head bobs up and down, tongue running up the underside and him occasionally pulling back entirely to pump and stroke you with his hand. Each and every movement feels like the only thing you've ever felt and the only thing you'll ever feel, and it's fucking mindblowing.

Your thighs and stomach start to clench involuntarily and your back arches off the mattress. Hannibal only takes you in deeper, sucking and licking with more fervor than he had thus far. Your climax makes you see stars behind the silk blindfold as you cum down his throat.

Your body falls slack onto the bed as Hannibal moves away from you again. Your boxers are slid back on to give you a bit of decency, and Hannibal's lips are back on yours, kissing you once more with slow, gentle passion this time. You can taste your cum on his lips and it only serves to drive you crazier, wanting him to never stop. It was addicting. He was addicting.

Hannibal sits you up just enough to take the gloves and binding silks off your arms, gently laying you back onto the mattress as he gives you yet another peck on the lips. He takes the headphones off next, followed by the blindfold. Once everything is off, he gives you a charming smile.

"Hello again, my darling."

[dozyisdead]

Carlos -> Williams: My Thoughts

So, I will be attempting to separate this into sections to keep it less like a ramble and more coherent! The (attempted) sections will be as follows: 

Logan and his treatment at Williams and how that has changed their image

Alex and Logan’s Relationship (as I have seen)

Alex’s Position within the team

Carlos’s impact as a Driver and his connections

Alex and Carlos’s positions within the team.

1.Logan and Williams

   To start this off: Williams, after leaving the original family’s hands, has done better. That does not mean they’re doing good, but they’re doing better. That being said, Williams has been cultivating this “Lovable Underdog” image for a long time, but we’ve seen how that’s been far from the truth. I mean, looking back historically, look at how they treated Valtteri! Now, we see how they treated Logan. Yes, I agree that it was an amazing thing that Williams sponsored Logan, and they’ve given drivers like Alex great opportunities to get into/stay in the sport, but they are NOT what they present themselves as.

    Logan was plucked from F2 a year too early, like we saw with Nick De Vries, and that impacted how he got into the sport. F2 vs. F1 in a large gap, especially compared to the F4/F3/F2 jumps. It’s just not the same. Yet, they put a world of pressure on their drivers to perform in tractors. Alex has done so well because he himself is an incredible driver, but Logan was not on the same level. I think he’s improved tremendously and is definitely doing a lot better, but to put it simply he is not Alex, and Alex is not Logan.

   Now, onto how the team has treated Logan specifically. Logan has never been given the same upgrades as Alex at the same time. And yes I understand that funding and the cost of upgrading is a big part of that, especially in lower field teams, but it’s still an insane thought. After nearly 1 ½ years, they finally get the same upgrades at the same time, and you can visibly see how excited Logan was! But my main point in this is that Alex is treated better, beyond the scope of Drivers 1 & 2. It feels closer to Driver 1 & The Reserve. Not to mention the fact that Williams gave Alex Logan’s car after ALEX shunted his own car, then proceeded to shunt Logan’s car as well. And, though I might be wrong about this, Logan received Alex’s repaired chassis and parts from 2023. Again, I might be wrong but I've seen somewhere that that was the case.

   All of this is to say that Williams is lying, blatantly, to our faces. I understand that being at the level that you are in Formula One means that you have to think in the bigger picture, but the fact that they try to cover up all their bad actions and stick to the lovable underdog image despite evidence being everywhere really makes me despise them. I don’t hate Alex, or Carlos for that matter, but I hate their team.

2.Alex And Logan

   Alex and Logan seem to get along very well, and I believe that is due to the both of them being very down to earth and humble as people. Logan is incredibly sweet, he’s nice, and genuine in his actions. Alex is the same! He is very thoughtful, such as him going to Ferrari and teaching Carlos what to do after his appendix surgery. Alex is also so ready to speak to someone no matter what. I am a fan of the Korean Englishmen on YouTube, and they did an episode with Alex that I loved! He is genuine and just very connective with fans, and you can see how much he cares for his friends when it comes to being around them.

   Logan has been somewhat apart from the rest of the grid, and I think that’s due to what seems to be a slightly more introverted personality! I understand that, I can be the same at times, but Alex has really brought him out of his shell and I love that. Their relationship is a good one, even with all the bullshit that Williams does that could break that. Logan speaks well of his, and Alex supports Logan. I think Alex remembers what it’s like to be a rookie and be pushed aside a bit, kind of what happened to Logan, and saw someone he could help.

   Their relationship in general is one I love, and I’m not 100% sure how Alex and Carlos are going to get along, with Carlo’s personality. I will explain my thoughts on that more in a moment.

3.Alex in Williams

   We can all somewhat agree that Alex is Williams’ “Golden Boy” the way Max is to Red Bull and Charles is to Ferrari, but I don’t know if it’s that strong. I’m not sure how long Alex has signed with Williams, but I want to say he is with them for 2025v and 2026. That’s a long time, especially for F1. I mean, we’ve seen drivers be replaced mid season before, so 2+ year contract extensions is long in the grand scheme of things. I believe there’s a quote out there regarding Alex’s feelings about a potential dip in performance for one year if it meant an even better run for the year after that. And yes, I acknowledge that Gorge had a large part to do with Alex getting the Williams seat, but to keep a seat is heavily based on the driver, 99% of the time. (I’m looking at you Red Bull, demoting drivers mid season like it’s a hobby. And Williams, James begging for Esteban to come over and the only reason he didn’t and Logan didn’t lose his seat mid season was because Alpine blocked it.)

   Alex has received preferential treatment at Williams. And, I can understand it in a business sense. He had already raced for Williams for since 2022, so he had a year on Logan, not to mention he was at Red Bull and replaced Pierre, so he had a lot more experience and a win under his belt at DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters), and as a test/reserve driver for RBRH (Red Bull) and SAT (AlphaTauri) in the 2021 season. All of this is to say he had experience. More than what Logan had, which was none when it came to F1. I mean, even Oscar had half a year’s worth of experience at Alpine, despite the sinking ship that the team was. 

   Alex was viewed as a driver with potential because he has a lot of it. He is an excellent driver. His overtake at Montreal this year was amazing, and I've watched clips back multiple times of his driving. He genuinely has skill, and a lot more than he’s given credit for. From a purely business perspective, Alex is an amazing investment. But, like I mentioned earlier, Williams takes it to a ridiculous level. I mean, giving Logan’s car to Alex? When we all know that cars are tailored to specific drivers? It already wasn’t looking good in that aspect.

4.Carlos’s Impact as a Driver and his connections

   To put it simply, Carlos Sainz Jr. is a nepo baby. And before anyone gets offended, I do not necessarily view him badly because of that. It is just an aspect of his life that we cannot ignore. Carlos grew up with money and his last name has backing behind it that cannot be brushed over! No, he is not technically a Legacy driver because his father didn’t race in Formula One like Mick or Max’s fathers did, but he knows racing. He knows power and influence. And, as unfortunate as it is, people who grow up like that often interact with others differently.

   Carlos is very competitive and stubborn. It’s his personality, and we’ve seen that with the way he has interacted with other drivers on and off the track. Take him and Oscar’s relationship for example. I do not know exactly what happened, but I believe the incident was labeled exactly that, a racing incident. But, that didn’t matter to Carlos. There is a level of entitlement that all humans have, and the way you are brought up can change how much of it you feel you deserve. Carlos has a higher level due to his upbringing. But, there is no place for that on a track. I mean, look at Latifi. He didn’t seem to be very entitled, even with his family being the main sponsor behind Williams, but his family and money could not save his seat. Even Mazaspin’s backing couldn’t save his seat from that absurd and shitty personality and performance. I feel like the obvious exception to this has been Lance Stroll and Aston Martin, but Lawrence Stroll fucking partially owns the team. That’s a bit different than being a main sponsor.

   Within all of this, I have mentioned one thing that is the main driver behind F1: MONEY.

You cannot get a seat without money, unless you are the perfect amalgamation of all of the F1 greats and can outrace everyone on a goddamn Zamboni. Carlos Sainz Jr. brings money, and sponsors, which is something that Williams is in desperate need of. I mean, maybe not as much as Haas did in 2021/2022 and even now, but they need it. Upgrades are expensive, crashes are expensive, F1 is fucking expensive. So, his sponsors coming to the table has a big impact. I mean, again this is from a purely business standpoint, I would be begging him to join a team too. Mans has his own burger joint line. He’s got money to spare, and Williams is holding out it’s cup begging.

5.Alex and Carlos’s positions within the team

   With me mentioning before that Alex is the closest thing to William’s golden boy that we have, I absolutely have to address the issue of positions within the team shifting (or not) now that Carlos is joining next year. We all know that Alex has stated that he’s willing to sacrifice one season if that means the next one is infinitely better, and I respect that. That, along with the team’s visible backing of him, really makes it seem like he’s their version of Charles, just maybe not on such an insane level (Ferrari is a cult and Charles is both the LeaderTM and the SacrificeTM). With that being said, Carlos is also an impressive driver in his own regard. My earlier comments regarding his personality do not mean to discredit his skills as a driver, as he is an incredible one, but Alex is also rather impressive. Again, I would like to mention that the main comparisons that we have for Alex are Logan Sargeant in a Tractor And Old Parts, Nicholas Latifi (iykyk) and Max “The Dutch Lion/Super Max” Verstappen. That’s three very obvious extremes. Not to mention that the cars are different and that is an Important Point when it comes to comparisons. 

   Now, this is going to go back to Logan’s treatment at Williams. We see him being treated second to Alex in terms of upgrades. Alex got everything first, and even a new fucking car because he crashed his own. He was fully pushed into the 2nd driver seat. With their relationship, it was easy to do that because Logan didn’t have a huge name backing him, and Alex had experience and proved his skills. The issue coming up for 2025 is that Carlos is decidedly not Logan. He has a name behind him, has more experience behind him, and has definitely proved himself a worthy driver despite the absolute circus that is Ferrari. Like the man was more of an acrobat than a clown on a unicycle in regards to Ferrari, he made do with what he had. My main concern is are we going to see a repeat of Alex and Logan with the positions switched and Carlos becoming the golden boy, or is this going to be Carlos fighting the team and the rest of the grid. Or, alternatively, are we going to see Williams get their head out of their ass and rally around both drivers to give them a somewhat equal playing field. As much as that would be interesting to watch, I seriously don’t think that’s going to happen. I think it’s going to be shit show either way. As much as I wish Alex hadn’t been treated better, I do not want to see anyone else go through what Logan went through. If we see a shift to Carlos becoming the golden boy, I think that’s going to cause much more controversy for Williams, especially since we already know the team’s (and James’s) tendency to sacrifice. And yes I know every team does it (Looking at you McLaren) but that does not mean I am happy with it at all, in any way shape or form.

   The big point I’m trying to make is that Williams is going to have to make some major changes or face hell from either side. With Alex, his fanbase, which includes a bit of Lando’s and George’s as well, absolutely rioting at the slightest hint of bad treatment of the like that Logan received. Then, Carlos’s fanbase and family (again he’s a nepo baby with a family name), who despite a good portion being Tifosi (Yes I know that a lot of the hate that he gets is ironically also Tifosi, but they're specifically Lecfosi so it’s a bit different), will still love their Spainaird till death. Once a Ferrari driver, always a Ferrari driver, or something like that. Carlos is not one to back down as we have seen before, so it's hell either way. Williams just has a storm coming and I’m excited to see how they handle it (by excited I mean I’m hogging the door and letting James drown even if there’s plenty of space).

8/9/24 Edit: **With every goddamn new bit of information I learn about James Vowels I more and more wish I never knew who he was. What do you mean Mrs.Vowels and Rebbecca wished there were cameras? “I have a wave of emotion that floods my body. I cannot express how thankful I am that he’s here” You’re obsessed with him I hope you know that. Quoting someone online, “Everything I learn about James Vowels is involuntary.” You sir give me the creeps. Also HE'S BEEN LOOKING FOR THE PAST 8-9 MONTHS FOR SOMEONE NEW?? James I hope you step on and break every charger you own, I hope your pillows are always too warm and your bed too soft, I hope you get divebombed by Magpies the moment you step in Australia, I hope the geese chase you around the canadian paddock, I hope there’s seagulls holding your car hostage in Miami. I could go on and on.**

I would like everyone to keep in mind that I am in no way super knowledgeable about the sport, as I actually only truly joined right before Monaco 2024. I had yet to watch a full race or dive super deep into it, but I've learned a lot more. These are just my thoughts put in a way that is most organized to me!

[shallowbreaths]

This is Mary Vincent, she is the biggest badass alive! At 15 she was attacked, brutal raped, hit in the head with a hammer, she had her arms hacked off with a hatchet, and was then thrown off a cliff by the side of the freeway to die. Her survival story is the shit! She says she heard a voice telling her to keep moving or else others would die, so without arms she managed to pack mud into the wounds so she wouldn’t bleed to death, and then she proceeded to scale the cliff with no arms!! She was completely naked, she had severe head trauma, no arms, and they say she had lost 50% of the blood in her body. After scaling the cliff (which she says took her most of a day), she then walked 3 miles before seeing a car with two men that slowed down, but after getting a good look at her they sped off. To which this badass woman said, “I looked terrifying, I don’t hold it against them at all.” Needless to say, she survived. Before allowing herself to even pass out though, she demanded a sketch artist and provided such detail that the monster’s friend saw it on the news and immediately knew it was him and turned him in. Then she testified against the man, and he somehow managed to whisper to her, “if it takes me the rest of my life I’m going to finish what I started.” Oh yeah, btw, it was HIM that released that detail!

Her family could only talk about how it effected them, it was as if they didn’t realize that it was effecting her too. So she was homeless for a while and she obviously had trouble making and maintaining any meaningful relationships. Her attacker got charged with a long list of crimes and got the maximum sentence at the time…. 14 years! He was released for good behavior after 8!!!!

He then tried to sue her after his release, (as one does after brutally raping someone and then cutting their arms off), but the court threw it out. He then moved to Florida where he was an “upstanding member of the community, and great neighbor.” His neighbors said things like, “of course we didn’t like what he’d done, but life goes on.” Yuck! I know this is shocking, but the asshole killed again and a witness saw it. The police arrived at his house and he was covered in blood still. He tried telling some BS story. The woman he killed (a mother of 3) wasn’t highly thought of because she was a sex worker, that’s one reason why they are so often killed, it’s easier to get away with. SOOOO, Florida asked Mary if she’d face the monster again in order to testify to the man’s nature. This badass said, “Hell yes” and flew down. I really hope she whispered to him, “I’m here to finish what I started.” He was convicted again and put on death row. Unfortunately, God got him with cancer before Florida got to finish his story.

This isn’t about him though, he was a disgusting creep that doesn’t deserve a name. This is about Mary fucking Vincent, the biggest badass of all time. Because of this story, there are now laws instituting mandatory life sentences for certain violent crimes. This is about a woman who uses her experience to help teenagers who are sexually assaulted, even though she STILL suffers from such terrible nightmares that she has woken up trying to escape with such violence that she has literally broken bones doing it several times. This is about the woman who went on to have two sons who she says gave a clear and definite reason to keep going. This is about a girl who at 15 says she couldn’t draw a straight line but grew up to be an artist with no arms, who fashions her own custom prosthetics in order to do the things she wants to do.

I’ve never met this woman, but she is one of my heroes! She is magnificent. Fuck that loser who wound up rotting in a cell alone, it could have been a car crash or a tree falling that caused that damage, he is a gross and barely necessary tool that lead to forging something truly amazing. What she has done, overcome, and made from the pieces is so fucking incredible that she should inspire us all. She was NOT disposable, but how easily she could have been. All she had to do was close her eyes at the bottom of that cliff and go to sleep. I’ll bet she could have quit on herself a million times over the years since 1978, but Mary Vincent doesn’t quit. She took the unimaginable and turned it into art. She IS art!

In Mary’s own words, “This is the third phase of my life since that awful day. I went from victim, to survivor, to artist.” Hell yeah you did Mary!

[phantommaws]

It’s wipWednesday on Twitter and although I said no more sneak peeks, I just HAVE to put this up here. I haven’t touched this in a few days now but here’s more of the wedding chapter 🥰

Hange looked to the side upon hearing Onyankopon, seeing Falco approaching them. The young man was dressed in incredibly smart formal clothes; a simple black suit and he smiled with warmth and pride as he arrived at the end of the aisle. Clutched in his hands was a small white box, and when he stood before Onyankopon, Falco carefully opened it to reveal a pair of rings.

Upon gentle urging, Levi carefully grasped the ring intended for Hange and pulled it from the box; it was a simple band made of platinum that shone like a mirror as it caught the light. Levi gave a small sigh before gently holding Hange’s hand, clutching the ring as he gazed lovingly into their eyes.

“Hange, this ring is a representation of my love for you; I am yours, now and forever for the rest of eternity. It is the gift that lasts forever just as the ring itself has no end. Know that I am always going to be there beside you. I love you, always.”

Levi’s voice was gentle and filled with nothing but pure love and warmth which wasn’t lost on Hange. The platinum band effortlessly slid onto their finger, and they couldn’t help but admire the way that the sun reflected off the highly polished surface. It was simple, but that had been exactly what they and Levi had wanted.

“And now your ring to Levi, Hange.”

Hange took in a deep breath, hoping that it at least made them give off some kind of sense of courage, and proceeded to take the second silvery-coloured band from the box where it lay. They held it up as Levi offered his hand to them, and they almost felt giddy with excitement as they prepared themself.

“Levi, I give you this ring on this beautiful summer evening as a token of my undying love and appreciation for you and everything that you have ever done for me. It is my way of showing you just how much I love you; to show you that I am absolutely delighted to be the person who has the honour of calling you their husband from this moment until forever.

“May it serve as a reminder that you are always going to be in my heart, and that you are mine to cherish forever until the end of time for not even death itself shall part us.”

The ring slid onto Levi’s finger with ease, and Hange couldn’t help but gaze into their lover’s eyes. This was it, the moment for which they had been eagerly waiting for such a long time. Hange could only just hold back the excitement they felt, heart racing in their chest as Falco retreated to his space beside Gabi.

Onyankopon gave a smile as he looked at his two closest friends stood before him, their hands now adorned with the wedding bands that they had each chosen. Seeing their relationship blooming throughout the five years that he had known them had been incredible to witness, and he couldn’t help but admire the pure adoration that they had for each other.

“Levi and Hange, you have each expressed your unwavering love for each other in the most beautiful way through the commitment and promises you have just made to each other. You have kissed many a thousand times, maybe even more. But today brings the beginning of a new journey where you are not simply just best friends and partners, rather now becoming husband and wife. And, with this today, this next kiss is a promise with which you seal your marriage.”

Hange’s lips were soft, almost like silk against Levi’s own as they leaned in toward each other. His fingers teased the strands of their hair as he breathed in the slightly earthy scent of their skin. What he wouldn’t give to stay in this moment for the rest of his life, and time itself felt like it stood still as he and his now-spouse parted. Hange gazed at him with nothing but love, and it felt like a pleasant warmth settled in across his chest.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Tag list: @youre-ackermine

[ladykyriaa]

A KPOP (CPOP?JPOP?) Idol Jinshi X Doctor's assistant Maomao

Now on Ao3!!

how he fell (hard?)

The sound of cheers could be heard even outside the stadium. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the arena, all waiting for the performance of a lifetime. At least, that’s what they’ll tell their families and friends. In truth, it was probably to get a once in a lifetime chance to spectate the three dazzling shamelessly beautiful men about to perform. Celestial, just as the name suggests, is a group of three with looks that could rival even the Greek gods themselves.

Rihaku with his incredible upper body mass muscles like those of wrestlers, and yet possessed the gentle gaze and a nature that was less intimidating than that of a golden retriever. Rikuson, who had managed to captivate the girls for his “gentleman behavior” whenever he got out and about. To give an example, he once went trending over the internet for several weeks because he held open a door for a mother and child that had their hands full, and then proceeded to help them to their car. Lastly, Jinshi who had managed to not only catch the eyes of both men and women, but also those from the older generations. “He reminds me back to my younger days” is what they would say when asked while giggling and blushing like maidens in love. It was truly a sight.

the men had been together for about 4 years. Jinshi, of course has had the longest career out of all of them being that he started as a child actor. And now at 24 years old, he’s become one of, if not, the most sought-after celebrity by young men and women, their parents and even their grandparents. But of course, just because you’ve been trained from a very young age and have become basically the epitome of grace and elegance, doesn’t mean you’re not prone to accidents yourself.

How did this even happen? Jinshi questioned himself as he sat waiting in the ER. In all his 18 years of career, this was probably the biggest blunder he’d ever made. Even when he was found drunk and passed out in the park that one time couldn’t have been worse than this. No, maybe that was worse. The big boss certainly gave me enough grievances to last a lifetime. He looked at his presumably, no definitely sprained ankle and thought if he could ask for the rest of his schedules to be canceled. He deserved the break, did he not?

“Sorry for the wait.” A gentle, wispy voice called out as they entered the room. The man that entered look to be about 50-60 years old and had wrinkles all over his face, despite that he looked to be a gentle soul. “We’ll run over some tests just to make sure none of the bones are shattered. But at the very least, this is sure to be sprained. I’m afraid you’re going to have to cancel all your activities for the next month or so.” Well, Jinshi didn’t have any problems with that. He was actually quite glad with the chance of a proper break. His manager, Gaoshun, however…

“Maomao, dear. Please run some blood test for me.” It was only at that moment that he realized someone else was in the room with them. A thinly, pale freckled girl was holding a tray with what he presumed to be medical tools on it. Wait, blood test? Isn’t that-

“After you’re done you can change into the hospital gown that is provided. Someone will come and get you soon.” The Doctor said and promptly left the room. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the word blood test. Was it truly necessary though? Jinshi didn’t quite think so. In fact, “You know I can just tell you what my blood type is, we don’t have to run a blood test.” he gave his best smile that usually was able to get people, no matter who, the things he wanted. He was expecting some swooning, maybe a bit of giggling and blush. Disgust, however.

That was the farthest thing from his mind.

Huh? Why isn’t it working.

The girl, Maomao, looked at him like he was the lowest of low, worse than a caterpillar itself. In fact, Jinshi thought, she might look at a caterpillar with more fondness than she did at him because why isn’t it working?? She managed to school her expression into a flat one before he could voice out his indignancies, however.

“You know that’s not how it works” she said, unimpressed. “Now, your arm please.”

“Can’t we just skip this whole part? I think this is quite unnecessary, don’t you?” Jinshi was not one to give up, and so he’ll keep trying however many times he could. No one could ever resist his inhuman beauty. No one. And so, he smiled. The brightest and sweetest one he could.

The girl did not budge. Not an inch. Nada. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, “sir, are you terrified of needles by chance?”

He can feel his smile stuck in place. “Whatever made you think that?” keep smiling, keep smiling, just keep smiling. “Surely you don’t think, I, a 24-year-old man, am scared of a mere silver, do you?” just. keep. Smiling.

She shrugged, “You may be surprised, but it’s actually quite common. Depending on the severance of those fears, one might even try and ­­jump out the window.” She said with such nonchalance you would think she’s talking about the weather. Jinshi was honestly tempted to try. “Hm. How peculiar.” He kept his eyes on the window. He thought she may have noticed because she walked towards it and closed it.

“You know, you look quite familiar. And that’s saying something because I don’t even remember the faces of my colleagues two months into the job.” Mouth agape, He nearly scoffed.

 familiar? does being 18 years on tv only got him to the point of familiarity??

This is outrageous. Did their marketing team have not done enough?

He was sure if he were to ask the girl’s grandma wherever-she-may-be about who he was, then he was sure even she would’ve given a better answer than “you look familiar.”

It would’ve been better if the girl hadn’t known of him at all because hey, maybe she grew up without the internet because there is no way in hell he could’ve looked just familiar. That would imply that she didn’t even bother to pay attention.

“You’re all done.” What?

 “What?” he blinked out of his musings, only to realize she was already packing her tools except the hospital gown that was left for him.

“You’re done. I’ve gotten the sample.” Done? He looked down at his arm and sure enough there was a small bandage covering the part where he supposedly got injected. “Make sure to change into the hospital gown. Or do you perhaps need help?” She can not be serious. He could feel his face burning and judging by the disgust look that appeared on her face, seriously what is up with that. Maybe she took notice. “I can bring your bodyguard in.”

“No, no. I uh, I can do it myself” seemingly satisfied, she began to leave the room.

“Wait!” The girl stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Did uh, was your question only to distract me? From the injection that is. Was it a genuine question?” she seemed to ponder for a minute, thinking of the best way to answer him.

“Well, yes and no, I suppose. But it did work on you, didn’t it Mr. Jinshi?” and then without further ado, she left.

And maybe she took something else with her along the way, Jinshi mused to himself.

.

.

I AM CACKLING. THIS HUNK OF A MF. started because i cant stop imagining modern au jinshi as a kpop idol wtf.

Guys you dont understand i have AN EXAM ASSIGNMENT DUE TOMORROW. I've nEVER EVEN WRITTEN A FIC BEFORE. ALL MY LIFE. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME

oh my god this obsession has got to stop im being so serious rn

whoever came across this sorry excuse of a story i am so sorry but i wrote this in one sitting, literally no draft no thing. nada. I just wanted to get this out of my chest

finally i can continue my assignments. i think. hopefully.

[slytherinshua]

ANGELS

genre. fluff. angel au. warnings. death mentioned but not in a gory way? heavily implied heaven/hell systems. pairing. angel!heeseung x angel!reader. wc. 2.2k. request. no. a/n. this started out as based on the sacrifice mv, but it turned out so fluffy and so far from the mv that its barely based on it anymore.

You sighed, eyelids fluttering shut from the boredom. Your job was so repetitive. Look at someone's life, add up their crimes, decide whether they deserved to be sent up the stairs or fall down the pit. It was suffocating sitting on your seat every hour of every day, looking at the same landscape that you had known since the beginning of existence.

You had never had any problem with your job before. It was important enough, and as the head angel, who else would do it but you? But you started to wonder if you really needed to be the one for the task. These thoughts had been repeating in your head for days now, giving you plenty of time to think it through.

“Heeseung.” You murmured, gathering the attention of the lower angel who always stood guard by your stairs. He looked up and upon seeing you motion him to come up, he quickly proceeded up the stairs.

“Yes, my angel?”

“You’ve been down to Earth, right?” You asked. You found it ridiculous how you had been around since the start of time, yet you had yet to see that fascinating planet in person. You had your looking globe to see how the little habitat for humans was doing, but you had never really seen it.

Heeseung nodded, “I’ve been there many times.”

“Is it easy to visit?” Came your next question. You watched the angel furrow his brows, quickly coming to the conclusion that you were implying. You knew he would oblige you. He always did. That was what you liked most about Heeseung. He may not have been as glamorous as some of the higher angels, but he listened to you, really listened.

“Do you wish to go down?” He asked quietly, hesitant to raise his voice even though you were the only two people in the alcove.

“Don’t you think it would be… fun?” You pressed, resting your chin in your hand as you raised your eyebrows a little at the angel. 

“I suppose… Are you bored here?” He questioned and it made you smile. He was always so observant of you even when you thought he wasn’t paying attention.

“Very. This place never changes. Nothing exciting ever goes on. The most entertainment I get is seeing a particularly gruesome human come and beg to be sent up just to be thrown off the edge. That’s rather sadistic of me, isn’t it?” 

Heeseung chuckled, “Your job is one of the most boring. But it is also the most important. Are you sure you want to leave your post?” He asked. From his eyes you could tell what his actual message was. Will I get in trouble if you’re not supposed to do this and I let you?

“I’ll take full responsibility.” You assured him, a charming smile taking over your features and Heeseung’s breath became unsteady.

Heeseung had never felt this before. It was new, and different, but most importantly, Heeseung knew it wasn’t allowed. Heeseung had witnessed the phenomenon of human emotions firsthand many times. They were passionate and angry and they loved. Angels were only meant to do their job. They had no need for feeling. 

So why did your smile make Heeseung’s heart flutter? Why did he smile thinking about you? Why did he care for you?

Just being around you made him incredibly nervous that he’d mess up or do something he wasn’t supposed to. You stole all his attention without even trying. You were one of the head angels. You could get him cast out with just a word. Letting his guard down was one of the last things Heeseung should’ve done, but he couldn’t help it. With just a smile from you, he was willing to do anything you said.

And that was why he gladly took you down to Earth. He made sure that Jay took over your position for the time you were gone. The other angels would’ve surely noticed if humans stopped being sorted into heaven or hell. Jay was more than capable for the job, and once everything was sorted, Heeseung took your hand and led you down.

As soon as you landed, Heeseung had to tug at your wrist to get you to stop ogling over every human invention you could see. A mailbox didn’t deserve such admiration from you, one of the top angels. Heeseung stepped into the first clothing store he could find and handed you some clothes to change into. 

There was no way you’d be able to blend in as a normal person with your shimmering bright white robes. Though, people would probably assume you were either a cosplayer or were just ahead of the fashion trends, Heeseung realised with a chuckle. You stepped out of the changing room and Heeseung couldn’t hold in his gasp. Seeing you in jeans and a simple jacket took Heeseung’s breath away. You looked so… beautiful. 

“Do I blend in okay?” You asked and then smiled, realising your outfit matched Heeseung’s.

“You look amazing! Not-not that you don’t up there, but-” Heeseung cut himself off when he started to stutter and you giggled. Truthfully, you had never heard an angel stutter before. It sounded adorable, or maybe it was just because it was Heeseung.

There was something about just standing on this planet that made you feel so free. You felt your entire body tingling with excitement as you grabbed Heeseung’s hand, not even thinking about where to go, you just wanted to experience it all.

Your excited speed-walking eventually led you to a small cafe. Heeseung was sure it was the flowers that drew you in to pick this spot and he smiled. You were very consistent and very endearing to the lesser angel. Your giddy smile was so rare to see up there, and Heeseung was quick to try to store the picture in his brain forever.

“Do you want to order something?” He asked sheepishly, breaking you from your trance as your wide eyes were admiring everything you saw in the quaint shop, from the plants to the artwork on the walls to the lights to the people drinking their coffee. Everything about it was just perfect.

“How do you… order?”

Heeseung stifled a laugh, collecting himself a little, “What do you want off the menu?” He asked you, pointing to the black chalkboard on the wall with a variety of foods and drinks written down with their respective prices. You read through it for a second, and Heeseung could practically see the stars in your eyes as you landed on one drink.

“Triple Chocolate Java?” You almost squealed with excitement at how good it sounded. “Can I get that?” You turned to Heeseung and asked, wide eyes practically begging him.

Of course, the cafe did have it in stock, but even if they didn’t, with the way you were looking at him right now, Heeseung would’ve been prepared to go to any lengths just to get you your triple chocolate java chip frappuccino. He told you to find a table to sit at and wait for him as he ordered the drink. He came back soon with the large plastic cup and frozen chocolatey goodness inside. You didn’t waste a second in taking a sip, making the angel chuckle.

“Humans really know how to make dessert drinks.” You gushed, continuing to slurp through the straw as fast as you could.

“Don’t drink it too fast or you could get a brain freeze.” Heeseung warned, staring at you adoringly.

“Can angels get brain freeze, though?” You pondered and Heeseung admittedly shrugged, murmuring that he’d never tried on any of his trips down to earth. At this, you were determined to test the theory. 5 minutes and 1 large triple chocolate java chip frappuccino later, you concluded that angels could, in fact, get brain freezes.

“Oww…” You whined, bumping your throbbing forehead onto Heeseung’s shoulder. He smiled and stood still, letting you cling onto his jean jacket until the pain subsided.

“Are you okay, Y/n?” Heeseung asked softly, and you looked up at him, getting lost in his eyes that seemingly held the whole universe in them, the mesmerising colour of his pupils gently contrasting his silvery hair. He was beautiful. It was the first time he had ever called you by your name. It was always “my angel” before. You didn’t know that it could feel so… intimate. 

You shook off your wandering thoughts and fading brain freeze enough to give him a nod and small smile.

“Where to next?” You asked, already starting to walk in a random direction. Heeseung grinned and jogged to catch up to you, hand accidentally brushing against yours. He tried to pull it back, but you quickly laced your fingers with his and swung your arms gently back and forth.

“People will think we’re a couple.” Heeseung said a bit shyly. You didn’t miss his flushed cheeks and diverging gaze.

“Then let's be a couple for just today.” You said simply in response and continued to tug him along. Heeseung blushed and smiled, giving in to his urge to just embrace the moment. In this world, he didn’t have to be so cautious about the rules. If you wanted to be a couple for the day, he wasn’t going to be the one to stop you.

Your next excursions ended up involving a bookstore, a trip to a petstore where Heeseung had to practically drag you away from the kittens, another stop to get food since “everything on Earth is just so good”, and finally, you two found yourself on a ferris wheel ride. In one hand, you were holding a small bear plushie that Heeseung had proudly won you by winning a game of darts, and the other hand held Heeseung’s as if it was the most natural position to be in. You had gotten quite used to the way his hand fit in yours, bigger and more calloused, long fingers slipping perfectly to fit with yours. You were beginning to realise how much you loved everything about the lesser angel.

“If I stare hard enough, do you think I’d be able to spot my throne?” You asked absent-mindedly, gazing up at the now dark sky and the twinkling stars. You knew it was somewhere up there, though you weren’t quite sure where.

Heeseung hummed, “I think it’s too far away, angel.” You turned to look at him and he gave you another heart fluttering smile. The term was starting to feel more and more like a term of endearment and less a one of status. The way he put extra emphasis on it, drawing it out to describe more than just your power over him.

“What do humans usually do when this thing gets to the top?” You asked, recalling at least one human who had died from falling off the top of the contraption. You weren’t worried about a fall since your wings still existed, and were merely vanished at the moment.

“I think they kiss.” Heeseung answered. 

“Oh.” You smiled at the thought. Human love was expressed in such funny ways. You wondered how it felt to kiss someone or to be loved by someone. It seemed to be all humans ever thought about as soon as they got up to see you. They always brought up their loved ones, some with fond memories, some distraught. It was one of the things that seemed to be so unique about humans, what made them them.

The ferris wheel was creeping closer and closer to the top, and you decided on your decision. Just for today, you wanted to experience what a kiss felt like. So, as your carriage finally reached its highest point, you found yourself slowly leaning closer to Heeseung until you felt your lips coincide with his, slipping into place perfectly.

You finally understood why humans searched for love, why they were so obsessed with it. The feeling of kissing Heeseung was almost indescribable. Like a firework exploding or a flower blooming or clouds parting in the sky to make way for the sun to shine. It felt perfect but somehow so much better than perfect. Perfect was an understatement for the feeling, and even when you both pulled away, you found yourself searching for his lips again, for just one more kiss.

You found yourself eventually running out of breath and pulled away for good. Heeseung’s breath was a bit unsteady, as was yours. When you made eye contact, he smiled, triggering one of your own easily. This turned into laughter and then eventually, another kiss once oxygen had been regained. 

After the ferris wheel, you decided you had stayed for long enough, and you made your way back up. Jay looked unimpressed when he caught notice of your hand still intertwined with Heeseung’s. He didn’t comment on it, luckily, only giving it a quick once-over before he dumped you with the next list of freshly deceased humans.

Heeseung took his spot at the bottom of the stairs again, and you sat in your seat, almost as if the day had never happened. But with the knowing glances and growing smiles that you shared with Heeseung from that moment on, you knew the day would still live on in your memory for the rest of time.

↳  enha taglist: @kangtaehyunzzz,, @yeonjuns-redhair,, @ddeonudepressions,, @skz-minchan-enthusiast,, @delcakoo

[wishforged]

welcome to the very long postscript to Steal Ahead, a persona 5 fanfiction, that I doubt very many people will read in full but I have chosen to write anyway for my own self-aggrandizement.

before proceeding, please take note that in the following, I reflect on my writing decisions in some detail. reading these notes may color your perception of the story. if you prefer for the author to be dead, I'd advise stopping here!!

introductory thoughts

this fic is titled after a lyric in the song "Tape Song" by the kills.

pretty self-explanatory, right?

I started writing this fic because... well, that was 5 years ago and since then I've gotten a concussion at least once and my memory is kind of bad in general but I can still confidently say goro akechi is my favorite character in the world. a lot of post-vanilla fans might not completely understand the degree to which goro fans were imbibing copium before all the additional material royal gave us-- goro's story ended very ambiguously, and a lot of things about him and his relationship with Ren were left up to our little fujoshi imaginations to ruminate over and decipher. I couldn't help but want to give him a future in my own way.

I also really wanted to write a SUPER SLOW BURN LONG TERM YEARS-LONG EPIC AKESHU LOVE STORY!!! it ended up being a little different than what I envisioned lol but I think it's still true to my original aspiration, which was to create an intimate, realistic, friends-to-lovers dynamic between the two of them. I hope you enjoyed it...

one of my major influences was In Good Company by weialala. yes, it's a naruto fic, one that I've held dear for many many years. weialala's internal monologue for Sasuke and how she deals with questions about his life, as well as her take on Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, goes beyond Naruto canon in an incredible way that really influenced how I wrote Goro and the slow burn romance in this fic. I highly recommend checking the fic out if you're a naruto fan!! sorry if you're not and this revelation gave you psychic damage.

I outlined this fic pretty heavily, keeping a google doc with a timeline of events spanning the four years over which the story takes place. that didn't stop me from changing things and adding stuff up until the last minute, though. I also struggled to keep the timeline straight a lot because I made the questionable decision to start the fic two years after canon left off and I can be kind of dumb.

a look into my struggles/twisted mind. my outlines tend to be quite rough.

in the rest of this post I talk about several things in the fic, like Goro's disability and mental health, how Ren is portrayed, and the original characters, with some behind-the-scenes thoughts.

"redemption"

when it comes to characters who have Done Stuff Wrong, there is a lot of discourse to be had among fans about how they can Atone for their crimes. these arguments often touch a lot of nerves-- in my opinion, because our contributions to this discourse are influenced by how we think about crime and rehabilitation in the real world.

I live in a country where the carceral system is incredibly brutal and discriminatory, abuse of incarcerated people is routine, and the goal of incarceration is not rehabilitation but the infliction of suffering upon those deemed "criminals" by the state. this has shaped my beliefs about incarceration as a form of punishment. to put it simply, I am not a fan. and in a fictional context, I find the idea that a character in a work of fiction can "do their time" and have all their guilt and sin magically removed to be a cop-out.

this is just me and these are just my own thoughts of course. again, I think questions about crime and rehabilitation in fiction are influenced by our thoughts on these concepts in the real world. for that reason and many others this is quite a personal story that draws on my own personal philosophy in its telling (as half-baked as that philosophy may be bc im not a super genius who has all the answers). whether that is a flaw or a feature is up to you as a reader to decide.

in this fic I wanted to explore how to move forward after you have done something horrible. it was hard, because in this story and perhaps in life, there are no pretty answers and no perfect ways to make up for doing the things Goro did. I settled upon an "answer" that reflects one of my deeply-held beliefs: we do what we must after tragedy, and what we must do is move forward, rely on and be there for those we love, and try to do as much good as we can.

original characters

as stated in the tags of the fic, I wrote in OCs so goro could have actual relationships and friends. I tried to gift each one with their own unique personality and some depth! a lot of the OCs are women, maybe because I find it easier to write women lol. sometimes I feel like a lot of female OCs in fic can lean towards being misogynistic caricatures -- I'm not really blaming writers for this as much as I am blaming Society; fanfic deals in tropes and when you constantly see the trope of the bitchy secretary, the shallow seductress, etc. in the media you consume it becomes second nature to unconsciously replicate it, even if you identify as a woman. this is why IMO as a writer you need to make a conscious effort to do things differently (and read more books) although I'm sure there are a lot of ways I come up short...

one of my favorites is cleo which is funny because she only shows up for a handful of scenes in the last chapter lol, and maybe it's recency bias but I spent so long working on the last chapter she feels like my own child... I feel like her first name doesn't make sense for a Japanese-American person to have but I got attached to it lmao.

I actually do think I gave the Kato family too many problems, what with Kagami's illness and Taku's behavior -- I think I kinda reference this at one point by having Goro wonder what kind of a fucked up Dickensian family this is lol. I have some other self-critical thoughts on how I wrote them but I'll keep that to myself... still love them a lot though. I really enjoy messy but loving sibling relationships in fiction so I had to put one in here too.

(fun fact: like Goro, Taku was going to be Deaf, which is why Kagami comments that Goro is "like my brother" during her first appearance in chapter 1. when I decided to go another direction for Taku's character, I changed this to mean Goro and Taku have eyes that are the same color.)

shout out, also, to Hirakawa, who seems to be something of a fan favorite judging by the comments. she was a blast to write lol and I really love her relationship with Goro.

ren

I consider the Ren in this fic to be my Ultimate™ portrayal of him that is the closest to how I see him as a character. my most popular p5 work is The Next Time Around, an AU fic where Ren is an older adult that I wrote when I was a teenager (more than five years ago) (lol) (😔) and although I do have pride in/affection for that work and the Ren in it, he is a far cry from the way I imagine Ren today. (for one thing his name wasn't ren in that fic. lol)

being a silent protagonist, Ren is a tricky character to get right. I was very active in the p5 fandom space on social media for several years before I basically completely stopped paying attention to it, but like many others, in those early days I absorbed parts of others' portrayals of Ren into my own. I actually think that's quite a lovely thing about silent protagonists-- everyone in a fandom space kind of works to build the character together. yes, sometimes the portrayals that attain the most popularity are flattening or flanderizing, but ultimately, it's kind of fun to build a Frankenprotagonist. until you're writing a fic which prompts you to really sit down and think about what a true-to-canon portrayal looks like and how to make it also true to Yourself and what you really believe the character to be. (it's hard)

in Steal Ahead, Ren is superstitious and avoidant and quite bad at expressing his feelings. he's a charismatic anti-authoritarian, a middle child, and a neat freak with a strong, stubborn sense of justice. he's full of contradictions and flaws, and he's healing in his own way from the events of p5 proper, struggling with returning to a mundane life when for a short, glorious while, he was extraordinary. (hence the shoplifting subplot in chapter 2. fun fact -- that was originally supposed to be smoking but then I decided to change it. I forget why but I'm sure I had a good reason, probably. don't smoke, kids! or shoplift if you think you might get caught. kidding etc)

Ren argues and bickers with Goro quite a bit in this fic which I enjoyed writing. though they share many similarities, they're very different people -- I thought it would be only natural for them to clash sometimes, though they always come back to each other.

this Frankenren is composed of a bunch of headcanons, a lot of which were influenced by/shamelessly stolen from friends. I love him very much. thanks to everyone who helped me build my Ren along the way!

disability

goro has a disability in this fic-- single-sided deafness-- which I included because I felt it was unrealistic for him to have escaped from the engine room with no lasting consequences. I was pretty conscious of portraying it respectfully and realistically so I did my research on the condition. this source was helpful as a personal testimonial from someone who has this condition about how it affects their life.

by the way, goro's hearing aid in this fic is a CROS hearing aid, which is designed specifically for people with single-sided deafness.

one of my favorite moments in the fic is the brief conversation Goro and Ryuji have about their respective disabilities in chapter 2 -- it's short, because I didn't think either of them would really be enthusiastic about opening up to each other at that point lol, but it's nice.

I welcome criticism of how I handled this part of the fic from anyone in the Deaf community -- I'm not perfect and don't have firsthand knowledge.

mental health

obviously goro is not doing great mentally in this fic for many reasons. I have written a lot of goro-centric fics, but this one required really tapping into the headspace of a flawed person who has been traumatized & manipulated and is dealing with immense depression and guilt while recovering. like many (most?) writers I draw from my own past experiences and emotions while writing, which made this a particularly taxing fic to work on, and is definitely one of the reasons it took so long to finish 🥲

other than that I'd say one of the most difficult things was being realistic while avoiding melodrama, and portraying a real story of recovery/imparting positive messages without being too cheesy, which made some of the self-help book sections hard to write.

if you relate to goro's depressive thoughts in this fic, I hope it can be an affirming story for you. I also hope you're taking the time to reach out to people who can support you and practicing self-care.

the ending

I actually don't have a ton to say about the ending because I'd like to leave it up to interpretation. however, I will say that the ending is not the original one I had in mind when I started the fic. I'm not sure how people will react to it (if you've been following this fic maybe you'll just be happy it got an ending at all LOL) but I hope it didn't feel like it came out of nowhere.

concluding thoughts

compared to my other p5 works, this one isn't as popular even though I do consider it my best, which I will admit is disheartening. the release of p5 royal also created a new canon in which this fic does not take place, which I imagine certainly doesn't help. despite this, I got some lovely long, thoughtful comments and even occasionally saw people on social media discussing how they enjoyed this fic despite it being unfinished, which always made me super emotional. trust me, in those 4 years that this fic was lying dormant, each new comment motivated me to crack open the Google doc again and ultimately finish this work. let this be a testament to the power of comments and the ubiquitous egotism of fic writers. or writers in general, actually. thank you so much for your kindness!

if you actually read all of this, thank you again! I do like talking about this fic so feel free to ask questions or give feedback via my ask box, retrospring (linked on twitter) or ao3 comments.

I just ran a word count on this and it's like 2.5k words. good lord. bye

[practickles]

OMG Please, please, please! I NEED a Lee Rui fict! Maybe with Ler Toya or Kaito 😭💜 NO, NO, I GOT IT. LOOK, WELL, READ: You know the "Be the Music!" 2MV video right? Okay, I beg you, all the characters that are with Rui in the class, (Minori, An, Saki and Mizuki. Except the Kagamines <3) being lers. I BEG PLEASE. I don't have enough brain now to think about an argument/story so they can tickle Rui, but I beg (for third time JAJAJSJA).

----

"Punishment" Filled With Care

Fandom: Project Sekai

Lee: Rui Kamishiro

Lers: Mizuki Akiyama, An Shiraishi, Saki Tenma, Minori Hanasato

Ambiguous Passion Heart Class

Word Ct: 2.5k

Warnings: Tickles, gang tickles.

Summary: When Rui loses a competition, the rest of the Passion Heart Class fulfil their end of the bet and punish him accordingly.

I use both she/her and they/them pronouns for Mizuki here.

----

On occasion, Rui had a tendency to overestimate his own abilities. He'd never admit it of course, but it was a trait glaringly obvious to anyone who knew him. There was no doubt in the fact that he had incredible ability, dedication, and aptitude, but sometimes he could get in... a little over his own head. 

Be it the next great invention, the most daring new show, or the most thrilling stunt idea, Rui considered himself quite the creative visionary. He would do anything in his power to see a good idea come to fruition, as any worthwhile director should.

But now as he had quite literally been backed into a corner by Mizuki and An, with Minori and Saki eagerly awaiting on the floor close by, he found that just maybe people had a point when they said he could get overambitious. 

"Hey! Don't run away!" An chided with a smirk. "You agreed, remember? You lost. And the loser has to get tickled~" 

She had a point. Rui had, in fact, agreed. The five had participated in numerous games and sport events, tallying up individual wins and losses as they went. Rui’s fate had been sealed from the beginning when he so confidently suggested the punishment and then, despite his best effort, proceeded to fail miserably at just about every game. 

“Unless someone is too ticklish to take his own punishment.” Mizuki wiggled their nails at Rui, who squirmed and grew tense. “In which case this is going to be a looooong tickling for you~” 

Rui saw his only opportunity for escape. As Mizuki raised their arms to tease him, they freed up a small gap between themself and An. It was undoubtedly a desperate attempt and he wasn't even sure if he'd fit, but Rui had no other option. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before all but diving through the opening, knocking An to the side. 

Miraculously, it worked. He escaped. And while he may not be the best at games, out of the five, he was by far the fastest runner from the great advantage of his long legs and experience in evasion on foot. He grinned smugly as he ran towards the door. He couldn't believe it. He had a straight shot out of this mess. He was done, he was free, nothing could stop him now. 

That was until he took a particularly long stride, lost his balance, and went tumbling to the ground right next to Minori and Saki.

“Oh my gosh are you okay?!” Saki exclaimed, immediately jumping up and hurrying to Rui’s side, Minori close in tow. 

Mizuki let out a surprised yelp, and with An right behind, joined the two next to Rui. 

Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was his superior physical ability, (it was definitely the former) but Rui found he didn't feel any pain at all from the fall. The more pressing concern to him was the fact that he was now face down on the floor, well and completely surrounded by four people who, not a minute prior, wanted nothing more than to tickle him silly. 

“Rui?” An asked tentatively. “You good? Do you need anything? I think we have a first aid kit around here somewhere.” She glanced around the room for it but hesitated when Rui laid a hand atop hers in reassurance.

“No, no I'm okay. Don't worry about me, any of you. I feel just fine.” Rui assured, bending his arms and rolling his wrists to demonstrate. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” He began to clamber to his feet but didn’t even make it to his knees before being unceremoniously, yet still carefully, tackled back to the floor. 

“Not so fast!” Mizuki said. “We still need to make absolutely sure you're okay.” Those who knew them, which Rui did very well, could have picked up on the slight ingenuity and teasing lilt in their voice. Rui’s heart dropped at their next words as he realized exactly what was going on.

They adjusted him to lay his back on the floor and placed his legs so that they hung across their lap. “Yeah your arms seem fine but how about your legs? Can you move them?” They traced a steady finger back and forth across Rui’s calves, a silent warning of what was to come. “We might just need to check them to make sure.”

Rui began to let out a steady stream of panicked giggles. “Y-hes! Yes they can move just fine! Look!” He kicked out his legs to the best of his very limited ability. He sent a pleading glance to Mizuki to have even the slightest bit of mercy on him. “See! I’m okay! I can get up.”

“Well then, if they’re so healthy and strong-” An cut in, catching on to where Mizuki was going. “Then you won’t mind if we do this-” She fluttered her hand under his other knee, Mizuki giving her an encouraging look from her place across from her. 

Rui squeaked and shook his head rapidly, clamping his lips together. 

“Oh, you don’t mind? Perfect! Thank you!” An sent an insolent, flashy grin his way and continued her work on his knees. “Hey you two,” She nodded to acknowledge Minori and Saki. “We’ve got his legs covered, but do you think you could check his upper body and make sure he’s okay there too?” 

Saki smirked deviously and sat next to his head. “Yup! I’ve heard necks and armpits need to be checked especially well.” 

“Noho they don’t! They’re fine! I’m fine! Everything is fine!” 

“Perfect!” An said with a wide grin. “If you’re so fine, that means we can carry on with your punishment. You had us all so worried there for a second! I’m glad you’re feeling good enough for some tickles.”

The inventor tried to wiggle back and forth as a pitiful last ditch effort, but was promptly stopped by a restraining, but exceedingly gentle hand pushing on his abdomen. 

Minori spoke with a hint of nervousness in her tone, keeping her hand planted just above his navel and looking deeply into his eyes. “Are you sure this is okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Rui immediately flushed red. As much as he liked to pretend he was dreading his so-called “punishment”, maybe, just maybe, he had suggested it for a reason. He knew Minori was caring and selfless almost to a fault, meaning that if he said he wanted it to stop, she’d immediately oblige and call the others off with her. 

“W-well,” He stuttered. “Rules are rules, and I did agree to them. You’ve earned it.”

“Oooo, Minori, you got Rui so flustered he cares about rules now. Well done!” Mizuki reached over to her and enthusiastically offered a high five, which after a few failed attempts was returned with gusto. “Hey, you might wanna remember this, hall monitor~” She winked at An. 

Nobody missed the way Rui’s shoulders tensed at the teases, finally resigned to his fate. Four distinct coos rang throughout the room as an anticipatory grin overtook his features. 

“Aww,” Saki leaned down and blew a gentle breath across his ear. “Nervous? There's nothing to be scared of, you know.” She, without further ado, began to flutter her hands at his neck.

Already worked up from the teasing, there was no way Rui could even try to hold back the scrunching of his neck and the squeal that followed. 

Rui would consider himself well versed in the area of chain reactions, often being the cause of many himself. As a result, it was not much of a shock to the inventor that when Saki touched his neck and thus caused his incredibly dignified squeal, it served as a trigger to provoke the others too to descend their hands on their own assigned spots.

The key difference, however, between Rui’s invented chain reactions and the one he currently found himself involved in was that in the former, he liked to cause chemical explosions. In the latter, he himself was the very source of the explosion of laughter that left him at the sudden onslaught. 

The worst part of it all, he decided, was the complete inability to move. He was completely immobilized under four quick pairs of hands. Any attempt to kick his legs was met with a hand holding them in place and somehow even more intense scribbles at his knees and calves. If he tried to twist his body, he would be stopped by a pair of hands grabbing his sides to keep them still and squeezing them over and over. If he tried to push back or do really anything with his hands, his armpits would suddenly have an intruding hand very intent on visiting every inch of the skin. 

He cackled and writhed but with the small semblance of his mind he still had left, all he could feel was fondness for his friends. The friends who spent their day in playful competition with him. The friends so eager to give him his retribution but more so eager to rush to his side when they thought he might be hurt. The friends carefully analyzing every twitch and stir of his body language to ensure he was still comfortable.

Mizuki had always been the one who could break Rui out of his shell. It was as true in middle school as it was now. They knew exactly where and what he was sensitive to, well practiced from many days spent in playful arguments, both too prideful and stubborn to back down even when arguments devolved into fits of giggles turned cackles. She poked and pinched and scratched all over his leg until he physically couldn’t hold back even the smallest snicker anymore. Her muscle memory served her well as Rui fell further and further into his descent of joyful madness. Were Rui more aware of his surroundings, he may have heard smug words about just how weak he was to a few tiny tickles. Mizuki cared by knowing him. 

Minori looked a little shy, cautious, which was reflected in her tentative tickling too, Rui noted. Her fingers fluttered and danced delicately across his stomach, but never prodded or squeezed. She wasn’t rough or hard, merely light and coltish. She didn’t truly want to “punish” him, lacking the competitive streak the others shared but she more than made up for it with her surplus of determination to make him smile and laugh. Laugh he did as her touch caused the smallest giggles, a comforting contrast compared to the havoc of the other three. She cared for him by being soft with him.

Saki was giving it her all with a dazzling grin splitting her face. Her tickling was spontaneous but still carried an air of precision. His neck was subjected to a swarm of tickling fingers in a seemingly random pattern, but as it went on, Rui noticed Saki beginning to target the spots that made him squeal the loudest and scrunch in on himself the most. She seemed to be trying her hardest to get him to make the funniest reactions she could. Embarrassing, yes, but Rui couldn’t deny the soft warmth in his chest he felt at the realization that the entirety of her efforts were dedicated to making him as happy and as pleasantly overwhelmed as possible. Saki cared by being attentive and giving Rui exactly what he wanted. 

An was nothing if not energetic. Her good nature and enthusiastic attitude were infectious. Out of anyone there, she believed the most strongly in the concept that because Rui lost, that means he has to take his punishment. That did not, however, mean she wasn’t just as kind as everyone else. It was still vital to her that her squeezes vibrating deep into the muscles remained fun for everyone involved, especially Rui and she knew just how much fun he was having. How could she not with the pure mirth on Rui’s face? At one point, she had discovered a delightful little technique where she’d rapidly wiggle her fingers, suddenly pulling away and waiting anywhere from three to ten seconds before returning and repeating the process. This left Rui completely devoid of the ability to guess when her tickling would leave or return and making it hard to relax. An cared by keeping Rui lively and having fun. 

The four all had wildly different techniques and intentions but the one similarity between all of them was the same genuine smile adorning their faces and the love blossoming in their hearts, running through to their fingers just for Rui. He was so irrefutably cared for and Rui wasn’t sure whether that or the tickling was making him more giddy. 

Minori had taken to drawing shapes on his stomach, likely in an attempt to show a little sympathy. A star here, a heart there, a triangle somewhere in between. Simple, calming gestures. Rui was thankful for the slight reprieve. He liked trying to guess in his dazed state what the next shape would become. A simple game really but largely entertaining to both parties nonetheless.

Rui’s breaths were heavy and labored as he laughed himself what felt like half to death. He hardly noticed Saki’s gentle concerned voice telling the other three to begin to slow down and only realized what was going on when the mischievous hands on his body began to gradually slow little by little until they came to a complete halt.

“Wh-why d-did you stop?” Rui gasped out, cheeks beyond rosy and looking slightly disappointed. Beads of what may have either been sweat or tears of pure laughter ran down his flushed face. Despite what his raddled appearance may have suggested, he already missed the feeling of uncontrollable laughter. The constant stream of residual giggles still pouring from his lips was nothing compared to what he had just experienced. 

“You’re exhausted, Rui.” Mizuki giggled fondly. “You need a break.” She rubbed firmly across his leg, giving it the occasional reassuring squeeze. 

“Bu-” He barely managed to protest before his lips were met with Saki’s finger in a shushing motion.

“Nope! You, mister, are taking a break! We could get some snacks and all sit around and hang out together.” She pipped. “We care about you and we’re going to make sure you’re taken care of.” 

“Yeah, it’s important to cool down after exercise like that!” Minori added cheerfully.

An spared a final scribble to his kneecap before getting up and stretching her legs out. “You have as much fun as we did?” She smiled at his tired form still on the floor. 

“Mhmmm” Rui hummed, the fatigue quickly catching up to him as the energy and rush of emotions faded.

His confirmation of what they all already knew to be true granted every face in the room a smile soft with adoration for their worn out friend. 

They really did care about him. Maybe he should let himself lose more often. 

----

WOW. This took forever. No exaggeration; Months. I deeply apologize for that. Maybe as retribution, I'll put a ToyaRui fic on the to-do list, they've been eating my brain lately.