#at least its almost easter and then i will finally get to see him and also shut the fuck up possibly:)

[dubacheryking]

the urge to gush abt bf(???) an talk abt how much i like him vs my innate desire to keep as much of my life away from my workplace (aka the only people i talk to most of the time) FIGHT

[apollodarling-writes]

HUNTING GAMES

cws : dubcon, somnophilia, creampie, levi leaves the game, murder, code-breaking, i went over the word limit a little bit, implied manipulation and threats, dating sim! levi, levi gets a bit ummm sadistic?? at the end, college! reader, im still not happy with it but its been so long since ive updated, if i missed anything please let me know.

commissioned by anonymous.

MDNI.

there was a new otome game that had been all the rage recently. characterized by its cutesy, college-life approach, lurking beneath each syrupy-sweet word and blossoming friendship was a sinister undertone. the objective of the game was to achieve the best possible ending for the route you choose, however each love interest was desperate for your love, making said objective increasingly unattainable the further the plot progressed. you’d downloaded the game when your friend had shown you one of their favorite love interests, finding yourself hooked on the stoic culinary arts major, levi ackerman.

levi ackerman was the first route you’d ever chosen. although, in the beginning, he wasn’t too keen on raising your intimacy level. while looking at forums online, you realized that was just how he was. levi was harder to please, and by far one of the most dangerous and volatile love interests in the game. he wasn’t afraid to annihilate any other character to get what he wanted, and knew how to cover his tracks. it was hard to tell when he was on the cusp of snapping, what he liked and disliked, and where he was when he wasn’t pestering you about something trivial.

once you finally manage to get your intimacy level up to the point where his obsessive tendencies begin to show, his personality does a 180… with you at least. he’s more affectionate, gives you gifts for your daily check in — most of it being food he’s cooked just for you, and you find that he’s easier to fluster, stumbling over his words and a faint blush spreading across the apples of his cheeks. levi is still the same when he interacts with npcs, maybe a bit more on the protective and stand-off ish side when youre around. with love interests, however, levi is more hostile than ever.

you’d failed levi’s route many, many times, and had finally just achieved the good ending when you’d stumbled across something regarding a secret route of his. naturally, you wanted to see it to completion, but for some reason it just kept going. growing tired of this secret route, you chose to switch to another love interest.

this love interest in particular was very sweet, docile almost. armin seemed harmless enough, and you found that you enjoyed this route more than you had levi’s. although, after a little while, you noticed some easter eggs hidden in the back that made you feel a bit uneasy. there was a silhouette in the background of each interaction, watching everything play out, as well as a few npcs that seemed to disappear or avoid you altogether. the more you played, the more uneasy and afraid armin looked.

you noticed that armin’s eyes were often glancing around, his sentences shorter when the silhouette was more prevalent, and on a few occasions, he’d outright ignored you. once, you’d found him beaten and bloody in an alleyway outside of the boy’s dormitories, appearing half-conscious and you’d chosen the option to patch him up. after that, your intimacy levels skyrocketed and he was back to normal.

just before the two of you exchanged a kiss during one of the date events, the screen glitched and suddenly armin laid in a pool of his own blood. armin’s face became pixelated, which was unusual for this game since it was known for its graphics. was this part of the game? your heart skipped a beat, gooseflesh rising on your arms as levi entered the place armin was just moments before.

levi’s appearance glitched in places, the blood spatter on his face seeming to drip and become more realistic. that… wasnt supposed to happen. did the game have a bug? you think you see levi’s brow twitch, his lips tugging into a frown, but you cant be sure.

“[name]… why did you leave me?” levi is uncharacteristically upset with you, his face scrunched with what seems to be a mixture of frustration and hurt. “i thought you loved me.”

you knit your brows, trying to exit the route; to your horror, youre unable to leave. levi grows increasingly upset the more you click the button, “why are you on his route? can’t you see that youre mine? we’re made for each other!” he shouts, his voicelines glitching in places.

“why can’t i leave the damn route?” you grit out, one hand gripping the hem of your shirt. “what the fuck is going on?”

levi’s face falls, a far away look in his eyes as you are finally able to exit armin’s route. you groan, leaning back in your chair as you thread a hand through your hair. “is this part of levi’s secret route?” you wonder aloud.

after that, you didn’t touch the game for days. you searched forum after forum, site after site, searching for answers. why did levi suddenly appear on armin’s route? surely, it was part of levi’s secret route… right? your gut told you otherwise, but a game character being sentient? that was something that only happened in fanfiction, and certainly not to you.

a week had come and gone before you even thought about touching the game. you were busy with work, college, and still hadn’t found the answers you were looking for. maybe you’d be able to find them in-game… but what if levi kills another love interest? what if they don’t come back when the game resets? what if —

shakily exhaling through your mouth, you release the tension in your shoulders, cracking your fingers as you hover over the next love interest’s route. she was a very bubbly love interest, her smile bright and contagious enough to have one of your own tugging at the corners of your lips as you right-click on hange’s route.

the two of you interacted quite well, your natural dialogue choices furthering your intimacy level. hange was known to be a relatively easy route — not much reading between the lines, or even guesswork. she was very upfront for the most part. you found yourself forgetting about your secret investigation, genuinely losing yourself to the interactions between yourself and hange.

you only started getting suspicious again once you noticed the silhouette in the background once more. hange seemed to notice too, but she was more composed than armin had been. you squint as the silhouette flickers, your pulse thrumming in your throat as you quickly stutter out, “levi, leave hange alone or i’ll never play your route again.”

the silhouette rushes to the screen, stumbling over its words and blubbering about how it just loves you so much and can’t live without you! the anonymity fades, leaving levi in its place, and you realize that levi was more dangerous than you’d initially thought. hange is quick to take her leave once she notices the look in levi’s eyes, and you attempt to as well. levi’s anger flares up once more at the sight of your cursor clicking the exit game button.

“[first name] [last name], stop trying to leave me. why don’t you want me anymore? you can’t make me love you and then leave. you’re so cruel.” levi’s digits grip his collar, tugging it away from his throat as if he couldn’t breathe. “i-i learned things about you, for you — i tried my best to be the man you wanted, so why are you choosing other people?! am i not enough?!”

a chill shoots down your spine, cold washing over your body as your stomach tightens. you tuck your fingers into your palm, beginning to feel as if you were glued to your seat. how did he know your last name? you don’t remember putting that information in at all… maybe it was from your email? maybe the developers had a third-party thing going on?

levi becomes more frantic the more he speaks, pleading and begging for you to love him again. “i was your first route! you put the most effort into me! you can’t just leave!!” you have a creeping feeling that he’s looking at you — unlike most games, levi seems to lack a blank stare, and instead seems entirely focused on you.

“there’s no way he’s sentient.” you mumble to yourself, pressing a quivering hand to the damp skin of your forehead. “i’m just…. im just tired and stressed. yeah… i should just go to bed.”

you stumble out of your chair, body on autopilot and mind reeling as you put your monitor in sleep mode and push your chair under your desk, trudging over to your bed in disbelief. you tuck yourself in, and just before you’re able to fall asleep, you hear levi speak.

“you look so cute when you’re sleeping…” you hear his shaky breaths — the utter glee in his tone, as if he were more than content just to watch you. dread and unease fill your stomach as you realize you can’t ignore this anymore.

you shoot up in your bed, chest heaving and eyes blown wide as your gaze snaps to your monitor. could he see you? could he hear you? were you going crazy?

you slowly make your way over to your monitor and pull up your game, levi dreamily staring back at you as if you’d hung the stars in the sky. “are… you sentient?” your voice wavers as you ask this, fingertips digging into the hard plastic of your desk.

levi stills, his idle animation unusually stiff. for a moment you wonder if you should check yourself into the nearest hospital, but then, “you finally noticed… oh, baby, that makes me so happy— i’ve been trying to get your attention for so long!”

it’s your turn to still, your body going rigid and exhaling shakily. oh, you were royally fucked. if he was sentient, could he leave the game? god, you hope not.

“i’ve been watching you for so long! i even learned about your parents and your siblings for you! i know your address, the names of your friends; i know your all favorites, i know that you have a dog named rufus, i know that you like to listen to music while you clean —“

levi drones on and on, going over everything he’s learned about you during the time he’s been watching you. your breathing grows heavy and erratic; sinking into a primal state of fight or flight, you hurriedly try to uninstall the game from your computer, but it seems levi had already anticipated this. the screen glitches, flashing white as levi appears in different places — duplicates, different routes, pictures of you, npcs that went missing, hastily written notes all dedicated to you.

deciding that deleting the game wouldn’t work, you opt to unplug your computer. the screen stills for a moment, going completely black before a variety of coding begins to type out on the screen.

“leave me alone!” you shout, your voice cracking as you rip your monitors and pc off of your desk, throwing them across your room. they bounce off your dresser, knocking a few trinkets and such off, sending them clattering to the ground. you notice the coding slows for a moment, eyeing the shattered hardware scattered across your bedroom floor. “you’re just a game!! i don’t actually love you!”

“you’re wrong!!” levi’s voice is distorted and distant — glitching out in some places, or manifesting as a multitude of voices, some higher, some lower in pitch. “you love me — you do! i know you do!”

you panic, the cortisol and adrenaline running through your veins clouding your sense of judgment as you rush to your kitchen and grab a trash bag, picking up a baseball bat from a closet on your way back to your room. you hastily throw your setup in the bag and grip the bat, swinging the metal bat back and smashing the contents of the bag until you feel safe and can’t hear the whirring of the code any longer. you stumble back onto the edge of your bed, staring at the bag as you strain your ears for any signs of levi. heaving a sigh, you wipe the sweat from your brow and gather all the miscellaneous pieces of your setup that were strewn across your floor, placing them in the bag.

you feel disconnected from your body as you bring the bag outside, opening your garbage can and tossing them in. a drop on your face shocks you out of your stupor, but you realize that it was only a drop of rain. your fingers tremble still, your breathing still erratic as you try to calm your racing heart. how was any of this even possible?

you slowly trudge back inside your home, entering your room and collapsing on your bed. this must be a bad dream. it has to be; there’s no way that this could happen. you lie awake for awhile, your mind spinning round and round again. thoughts come and go, never staying for too long, and you forget them immediately after they depart. the events of the night had worn you out, your eyes growing impossibly heavy, drifting off into a deep slumber.

outside, the monitor screen flickers to life. code rapidly pans down the screen, sparks flying as a hand slowly peels out. carefully, levi drags himself out of the game and into…. wait, why is he in a trash can? surely, his beloved wouldn’t…? with haste, levi tracks his way inside your home, brows furrowed with quiet rage. how could you just throw him away like that?

levi takes his sweet time cleaning up, lathering himself in your products and sniffing your towel before drying himself with it. he runs his fingers along the countertops, walls, and doorframes, trudging along to your room as he admires your home. it isn’t long before he finds you sleeping soundly atop your bed sheets. levi’s breath instantly catches in his throat, his heart racing in his chest as he approaches your slumbering form. you were even prettier in person.

carefully crawling onto your bed, the pads of his fingers tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, trailing down to your shoulders. his eyes wander to your exposed flesh before flickering back up to your lips. one kiss couldn’t hurt, right? carefully leaning down, levi molds his lips to yours; his heart nearly stops the moment he tastes you. one kiss isn’t enough. he needs more! levi unbuckles his belt and ties your hands to the headboard, then drags his hand along your chest, swallowing thickly as he feels his pants tighten.

levi quietly positions himself between your thighs, burying his head in your neck as he leisurely grinds his cock into you. biting his lip to muffle his whimpers, he lifts your shirt, baring your breasts to his greedy eyes. levi immediately latches onto one, his tongue swirling around the erect flesh as he works your pajama pants to the side.

“need to taste you, baby.” he murmurs. levi kneels between your thighs, his tongue slowly lapping at the arousal that had begun to leak from you. he takes but a moment to shimmy his pants down far enough to fist his cock, slowly pumping it with his free hand. the man softly groans into your folds, a sleepy whine parting your lips in response.

as he continues lapping at you, levi feels his stomach tighten and stops all movement. he waits for the feeling to subside, then aligns himself with your entrance. he shallowly thrusts into your cunt, slowly working his way inside and bottoming out with a broken whimper. levi’s mind spins at the way your walls grip him — the feeling almost as if he were made to fuck you, as if you were made to take him. his fingers grip your hips as he attempts to control himself, pressing both of your legs further out for easier access.

it isn’t long before levi loses himself in the feeling; it is his first time after all. his hips snap into yours, whimpering and whining through gritted teeth all the while, and you slowly begin to wake. levi’s eyes roll back as the feeling in his tummy snaps, not once stopping as he pumps you full of his cum.

you let out a confused moan, your eyes slowly adjusting to see levi’s fucked out face gazing down at you. “f—feels so good…” he whispers, slotting his lips to yours. you attempt to shimmy away, but it was to no avail; the asshole had tied you up. you attempt to fight him off, but it’s to no avail as he’s stronger than you and has shackled you to your bed.

waves of unwanted pleasure course through your body, forcing soft whimpers and whines from your lips as levi unknowingly rocks his hips into the places that have your eyes rolling back. gazing down at you with something akin to reverence, levi presses the pad of his thumb to your clit, slowly circling his name and bringing you closer to your climax.

“cmon, baby.” levi groans, feeling your walls tighten around his cock. “cum f’me.”

you simply shake your head in response, screwing your eyes shut and murmuring through a whimper, “go fuck yourself.”

levi only chuckles at your words, seemingly amused, and lifts your hips; the man slings an arm around your lower back, one hand gripping the meat on your hip, and forces you to meet his thrusts.

nothing seemed real at the moment. you were unable to stop levi from leaving the game, and now the man was taking advantage of you. you suppose the only good thing in this situation is that despite it all, levi was going to make you cum.

your back arches as your fingers dig into your palms, your cunt pulsing and fluttering as your eyes roll into the back of your head. a high-pitched whine erupts from your throat, levi smirking victoriously at the sight beneath him, and you relinquish control; melting into his hold, you wordlessly beg for more.

you didn’t know what would come after this, nor did you know how you were going to fight your way out of it. the only thing you knew is that this felt good. somewhere deep in your mind, you knew you didn’t want this, but had decided to relish in the feeling of being desired for the time being.

[roguemantis]

md episode 8 predictions

(THIS IS JUST WHAT I THINK WILL MAYBE HAPPEN AND ISN'T PARTICULARLY BASED ON EVIDENCE.)

Will be called something along the lines of "Absolute Zero" (i already said that on twitter but shhhh)

We'll see a comeback from V in some form; if she is dead, she'll probably have tried to leave some impact in order to help the team in the long run

NUZI KISS!!!!!! I'll be honest, as much as I want a season 2, a nuzi kiss would be much more impactful if ep 8 closed off the series as a whole (in my opinion) since it'd be their first and only kiss ever... I dunno, it just feels more intimate that way, but that's just me.

We find out more about Nori, her past, and form some kind of relationship between her and Uzi

Expanding on the last bullet (and if a season 2 does come), khan's development as a good father could continue, and nori's development as a good mother could start and mainly continue throughout the second season.

Uzi goes kooky insane!!!!!! (inevitable tbh)

J does something!!!! as much as I love this show a lot of characters get wasted, J being one of them, and I want her to have some sort of impact on the series, especially if they do decide...

...that they're gonna kill J off. I'll be mad if this one happens, but I have a gut feeling.

N snaps. We've seen a small peak of him getting mad in episode 7, and it will be so satisfying if he fully snaps in episode 8.

J finds out the truth about her entire existence and is absolutely crushed by it. Think about it: J has based almost her entire being on serving a company and devotes a good chunk of her loyalty (at least) to one person, that being Tessa. You mean to tell me that the show that likes screwing around with its characters' emotions isn't going to eventually make a character like this find out that not only is the purpose she devoted herself to a lie, but the woman she sought validation from most has actually been dead for years with her skin being used as Satan's human cosplay?

Small easter eggs/parallels to the pilot. Some examples I thought of are: j being given a branded pen by another character as a gift, uzi healing another character's nanite acid injury (maybe n's), v making balloon animal shapes with sentinel parts, the railgun blows up and kills lizzy, or khan euthanizes uzi with a wrench.

Anywho, that's all the predictions I can think of right now. I'll probably come back to see if I was right.

Regarding season 2, though, whether or not I can anticipate one coming is largely going to depend on the ending of the finale. If the world frickin ends or something, then there's no way liam wouldn't be planning on ending the series there. If there's some sort of godforasken cliffhanger, though... that'd be a different story.

[phenomenalgirl9]

Jeong Yunho x Reader: Hair Do?

Summary: Parenting a child alone is tough. Yunho mostly manages the most but problems arise when his daughter comes home crying that her friends were laughing at her hair style. Lucky for him, you, a hairstylist were his neighbours.

A/n: Yunho.. 🔥... Dad Yunho...🔥🔥🔥 There's an easter egg which you would find if you've read my other Ateez fics (its a certain character). Anyways send an ask if you figure it out.

_____________________________________

"No papa. This looks so bad" Sarang whined. And Yunho felt like hitting his head on the faucet as his 5 year old sat on the sink, whining about her pigtails. "Sarang-a I told you that day to get a pretty hair cut instead. Daddy doesn't know how to do hair" he tried to reason with her. "Daddy needs to learn doing hair. When Sarang does not know something daddy says learn. Daddy learn!" She said. He just nodded and said "okay, if Sarang listens to daddy today, then daddy will learn"

She seemed to ponder on the thought and finally nodded. Yunho finally managed to leave the apartment on time. He smiled at his neighbour on his way. 

"Hi Sarang" she chirped. "Hi Y/n unni!" She replied, grinning. "ah. Um. Mr Jung, can I… um" Y/n fumbled.

"Yes?" He said confused and then noticed Y/n looking at Sarang's pigtails and he scratched his neck shyly. "May I?" Y/n asked and Yunho immediately sighed in relief and said a small "sure".

Y/n place her bag on the ground and kneeled down to Sarang's level and started fixing her hair. After being done, she pulled out her phone and showed it to her and Sarang cheered in joy. The two walked off and Y/n watched them with a smile. 

She walked into her apartment to find her best friend Mika on the couch. "What took you so long?" She asked, to which Y/n explained what had happened.

"So that's the cute child and the hot neighbor you always talk about?" 

"Cute child, yes, but I never said Mr Jung is hot," you said. "So you're telling me he isn't hot?" She said, while following you inside your room. "Of course he is.." you answered and she went "hah!". "Mika. No." You warned. "Fuck. Yes" she said. "His wife died!" You said, trying to make reasons. 

"Yes, four years ago" she said. "How do you know that?" You asked in surprise, "you've told me!" She defended. "Y/n, he could be interested in you. And what's with this Mr Jung?" She asked. You shrugged and said "I don't know, he just calls me Mr L/n" you said and Mika shook her head. 

_____________________________________

In Office 

"Dude you were almost late" Seonghwa chided

"At least I'm not late," Yunho said and walked off to his work. 

Later at lunch Seonghwa found him watching hair tying tutorials. "What's up? New demands?" He asked. "She wants daddy to learn how to do hair," Yunho said. Seoghwa laughed and patted the younger's head. "What's up?" They both looked to see Wooyoung. "Nothing just a dad tryna meet his daughter's demands" Seonghwa said as the third male sat down. "Are all the meeting materials ready? This one is really very important" Wooyoung asked Yunho who nodded and said "I think we'll get the deal, if everything goes well-" and before he could complete his phone started ringing. "It's Sarang's school" he said and picked up the call. He spoke for a while and hung up. "I didn't know they had a half day today, I missed the notice, the meeting is in 20 minutes. Fuck! What should I do?!" He said, holding his head. "Wait. Wait. Let us think" Seonghwa mediated. "Hey! My girlfriend could help out, she's free today!" Wooyoung said. "Would she really?" Yunho asked, he knew Wooyoung's Girlfriend, she had helped him on many occasions before. "She loves kids and she loves Sarang. I literally fell in love with her after I watched her babysitting Kyungmin. She was so-" Wooyoung was interrupted by Seonghwa, "We know, we know, call her, please" 

"Oh yeah" Wooyoung said and called his girlfriend. "Hey babe, can you pick Sarang from her school and look after her?..... Okay… Okay! Thank you so much babe!" He hung up and said "Yunho, send her the school details and tell Sarang's class teacher" Wooyoung said and Yunho nodded. "I owe her a big one," he said. "Don't worry about it" Wooyoung assured. 

_____________________________________

Near school

"Are you here to pick up Sarang?" The teacher asked. "Yes," Mika replied, "Wait. Sarang?" Y/n asked in shock. "Mika, Wooyoung's friend's daughter's name is Sarang?!" Y/n asked, still in shock. "You know Sarang? Oh my god! Yunho is your neighbor! How come I never thought of it?" Mika said and as Sarang came running calling "Mika sukmo (aunty)!!!" And hugged her legs. "Y/n Unni?!" She then noticed you, "Hello Sarang" you said, patting her head as she smiled widely at you.

"So I got sukmo and she's unni?" Mika grumbled. 

So, Sarang, Mika and you walked to your apartment and had fun, eating, watching Frozen when Y/n's doorbell rang. 

"Dude I still can't believe you call Y/n, Ms L/n" Wooyoung said as he walked inside your house like its his own, even though its his first time visiting your house.

"Where is Sarang?" He asked. You pointed towards the couch where Sarang was watching Elsa sing Let it go. "Was she good?" He asked and you replied "She's a very good child, Mr Jung. You're a good father" you said. "I think we can come on a first name basis now? Call me Yunho?"  He asked, offering a charming smile and you returned it.

"Right? I never knew Yunho lived here" Mika said as Wooyoung added how shocked he was to know that you were Yunho's neighbor all this while. And the two of you shook your heads. 

_____________________________________

Few days later in the Morning

"Morning Yunho" you smiled, "Morning Y/n" he said as your eyes met and you both offered a smile. 

You were in the kitchen when you heard whines from outside, you went up to the door and opened it, because the voice sounded like Sarang.

"Daddy promised a nice hair style!" She stomped. "Sarang please, daddy has important work in the office" Yunho, trying to yet again reason with his 5 year old and looked at Sarang. His eyes almost cried for help but he was too shy to ask for it right away and he looked away. 

"Yunho, why don't I fix Sarang's hair and drop her. I don't have work yet so I'll manage" Y/n said.

"No, I can't ask that of you, '' Yunho said grimacing.

"Yunho. It's not a big deal, styling is my job and I am free" she assured him. He took a sigh and glanced at his watch, and said "okay. Thank you so much" he said and kneeled to Sarang's level "is it okay if Y/n does your hair and take you to school?" And she nodded excitedly. "Be a good girl okay?" He said patting her head and after thanking her again he was about to walk away when Y/n stopped him as saud "you can ask for help if you'd like. You don't necessarily have to be alone" to which Yunho nodded. Y/n took Sarang in and quickly did her hair into a pretty double braid. "Unni?" Sarang called as you made her braid. "Can you do my hair everyday?" The baby asked. Y/n didn't know how to react to that and said "we'll ask papa about that okay?" And Sarang nodded. Dropping Sarang to school was not even a hassle. You were driving back, when you received a call and went to work. 

_____________________________________

"So you do her hair everyday now?" Mika asked and you nodded. "You all also have dinner together while watching Tangled with his 5 year old" she asked yet again and you nodded. "What are you two?" She asked again and this time you said "We're just friends Mika. What do you mean?". "Friends?! Friends don't eye each other like that?! Yunho sighed when he saw you laugh at Mingi's joke. You should have seen his face when Mingi gave your ice-cream order when you were in the washroom and claimed he knows you as well as I do" all this information seems too good to be true. 

"You read them wrong. Cause how come we spend so much time together and he never made one move on me?" You said and the two of you shut up. That was when you heard the very drunk Wooyoung giggle. Yes, Yunho and Mika invited you to their monthly friends' get-together dinner. You already knew Mingi through Mika, and you met San and Yeosang as well. "He likes you~" Wooyoung said and giggled from the back seat. "He is just nervous because being with him also involves Sarang" he said in a sing song manner. "But Sarang loves her and Y/n loves Sarang!" Mika told her drunk boyfriend. "That's what we told him,'' Wooyoung said and passed out, with a dumb smile on his face. Thus, a plan was made 

A few days later, in the evening you walked up to his foor and when he opened you asked "Yunho, do you wanna go out for dinner with me?" 

"I would but Sarang is not home, Mika invited her to have a sleepover with her niece and nephews" he explained. "Yunho, I am asking YOU out" you repeated, almost taken aback, now you felt nervous, were they wrong?

 "Oh. Um. su-yes. Yes. Lets I- I will see you in fif-fifteen minutes" he stuttered and bowed and closed the door. 

You smiled to yourself and muttered "cute".

You and Yunho walked to a near by snack bar and ordered. "So you know Mika since college?" He asked and you nodded. "We met in our elective art class in the first week" you said. "And Mingi?" He asked. "I met him through Mika and we became good friends" you said smiling at your fond memories. "So when did you both… um… get together?" He asked and you choked on your food. "Hey! Are you okay?" He got up and came to your side immediately patting your back. "Me and Mingi? Where did you get that idea from?" You asked, finally looking at him. He was taken aback and fumbling with his words, man he was so cute when he got nervous "No- he just. The way he reacts, it's just-" he was interrupted by your laugh. "Yunho, no. We aren't a thing, it's just a thing he does to tease Mika cause she declares she knows me better than my mother. Besides, why would I ask you on a date if I were with Mingi!" You said squinting your eyes. "We're on a date?" He repeated  "wait Yunho, I thought I made myself clear when I asked you out. Fuck. Did I make you uncomfortable?" You asked. "No. But thank you for clarifying. I'm glad you asked me. Sorry my senses have blunted, I haven't done this in a while, since I got together with my wife." He said smiling. "What was your wife like?" You asked, "she was really brave and kind and one of the most amazing women I met. She loved me and Sarang" he said. "You love her alot too" you said looking down at your hands on the table, almost feeling bad for your decision and yourself. You felt Yunho reach for your hand and said "this feels nice, thank you. I have been meaning to ask you out on a date but I was chickening out" Yunho admitted, making you smile and blush. "You know, dating wasn't really an option, with Sarang and work, together." He said. "She's a very sweet girl and you've been doing such a good job with her. But you do know that you deserve to get out there too you know, let loose a little bit. You're not alone and I would love to help you with Sarang" you said, your sincerity shining in your eyes and Yunho smiling at you. "You are a blessing to me," he said. 

He was surprised how you do it, how you understand him and Sarang so well, before you know they became a daily part of your life as you become theirs. It's been 4 months and now Sarang has a drawer in your closet and her Mr Dolphin for when she naps at your place. You also had a drawer in Yunho's closet for things you might need or left when you spent the nights over. It took him 3 more months and an almost beating from Mika for him to get the courage and ask you to be his girlfriend. It's beyond saying that you said yes and Sarang was more than happy to have her Y/n unni over more often. 

Soon that dreaded day came on Yunho's life, his wife's death anniversary. He was shocked when he found some daisies on the dining table, your ex-wife's favorite flowers. He almost cried when you offered to go with him to her grave. You stood there that day and promised her to love Sarang as your own and to make sure these two are always taken care of. You felt glad that Yunho brought you with him, somehow this year, Yunho didn't cry, didn't feel broken, he thought the wound his ex-wife's passing brought him will never be healed but it is little by little with you. He held your hand and promised to never let go of you to never let anything hurt you. 

A few weeks later you received a call from Sarang's school that she wanted you to go get her. You talked to your boss and took time off to pick up Sarang from school. Her eyes were red hair was a mess, there was chewing gum stuck to her hair. Seeing her state pained you, she was so quiet, you called her name twice but she turned her head away, indicating she doesn't want to speak yet. All you knew was she had a fight in school, according to her homeroom teacher. You reached your apartment building and slowly slipped into Yunho's apartment with Sarang in your lap.

You made her sit on the couch and finally asked in the softest voice you could muster "do you wanna talk Sarang? You don't have to, you can just tell me what you need me to do for you?" You reached out for her and she let you hold her shoulder. She looked at you with her big eyes filled with tears and then rushed into your arms, her little hands hugging your neck.

"They said mean things about ma, dad and you. They said I look hideous and spoiled my hair" you did have the chance to look earlier but now that you see the gum was stretched across a few sections of her hair.

"Don't cry baby, it can be fixed, you are the prettiest girl that there is out there" you said, "do you want me to call daddy?" You asked, reaching out for your phone and she vigorously shook her head no. "No no, daddy will scold me for fighting" she started sobbing into your shirt again. "Sarang, love, daddy won't scold you, but if you don't want it, I won't call him. But you will tell him once he comes home okay?" You said and she nodded.

"Can you fix my hair?" She asked, sniffing hard and smiled and nodded. You had your stuff and hair kit in your purse as you just came from work so you pulled them out and took her to the washroom. You first gave her a warm bath and then untangled her hair, minimally chopping the parts with the gum. Then giving her a hair cut her hair was shorter than before now. The smile she flashed at you when you said it was done was priceless. "I look pretty," she said and hugged you. By the time it was 7pm both your and Sarang's nerves were wracking. The clock turned 8 but still no sign of Yunho, while he should have been home an hour ago. It was after 9 when you were preparing dinner that Yunho walked in, he looked tired. "Hi" he greeted you with a back hug and hearing the door Sarang walked in. "Sarang didn't go to the day care? You brought her straight home? Did you get off early or somethi-" he stopped when he looked at Sarang and just said "Y/n can you step out with me for a moment?" You turned around in confusion and nodded. You put the stove in low heat and walked out with Yunho, he looked like he was fuming that was something so unlike him. Of course you've had misunderstandings and quarrels but he never looked this mad. "You cut Sarang's hair" Yunho asked, "Yes she wanted it and needed it. Sarang will-" before you could complete Yunho interrupted you raising his voice "You couldn't even asked me or tell me? How could you just decide she needed it?!" He asked sternly. "I-Sarang-" you mumbled, "You can't just decide these kind of things! You're supposed to ask me, you're not her mother" he said and his eyes went wide so did yours. Tears stung your eyes and Yunho saw the hurt behind them, but it was done, the words were out there, already been said. "You're right, I'm not" you said and rushed to his apartment to gather your bag and phone and walked out. "No Y/n- wait" he tried to say but he had said enough and you were done listening, walked into your apartment and threw off the bag on the couch and crumbled down in tears. How could he say that, you loved Sarang, you knew you were not her mother, but she loves you and you love her as if your own. You love him like nobody else. 

Yunho cursed into his pillow, he had two important people in his life, and he hurt one of them, he hurt the person he promised he'd protect. "Daddy why are you crying? Where is Y/n unni?" Sarang asked as she walked in his room, the room him and Y/n shared for the past few months. He didn't even notice he was crying until Sarang pointed out. "Daddy messed up bad Y/n will hate daddy now" Yunho said. Suddenly something struck Sarang's mind and she started telling Yunho what had happened today at school as Y/n has told her to. Yunho was stunned, he burst at you even without knowing why you did what you did. He felt more guilty, he remembered from the time that he and you went for your first date. He couldn't let you go, he won't! He will win you back. 

Mika almost threw a bottle of tomato sauce at him when she saw him. Thank god Wooyoung calmed her down so they could talk. It's been 3 days since the fight, he and you ran into each other yesterday, you greeted Sarang and walked away, not even sparing a glance towards Yunho. So the plan was set, Mika forced you to get dressed and go to this cafe she wanted to take you too. You were sitting when she said she'll come from the washroom. Suddenly, you see a very familiar figure run to you and instantly cling to you. "I missed you'' she said, "I miss you too Sarang. Why are you here? Where is Yunho?" You asked. "I came running to you Mommy" she said and you choked on your saliva. "What did you call me?" You asked shocked. "Mommy. Sarang's Mommy" she said, hugging you and you held her. "Yes, Sarang's mommy" you heard the voice from behind you, and looked behind to find Yunho sitting on one knee and your eyes went wide. "Don't worry I'm not proposing, not yet, not for marriage I mean-I" he stopped and took in a long breath. "Y/n you have been an immense support of me for the last 9 months, and I stick to my words, you truly are a blessing to me. I know what I said was offensive but I never meant it. Today when I asked how Sarang would feel on this matter, the smile on her face said how important you are to her, not only to Sarang but also to me. I see a future with you. So, here I have a promise ring and a promise, to never hurt you, to try my best to be your comfort and pillar as you are for me. I promise" he said, eyes on you, he was really sincere, you shook your head and just rushed to hug him. The truth is, you missed him like crazy, the past few months, you've grown used to being and even sleeping with him so you couldn't even sleep properly at night without the warmth of Yunho beside you. He immediately wrapped his arms around you "I'm taking that as a yes?" He said, just to make sure and you lighty punch his chest and laugh. "Sarang" you called her and extended your arm and she joined you two. "Finally!!!" You heard and found Mika, Wooyoung and Mingi with little poppers and Yunho slid the ring on your finger. 

Yes, you finally moved in and Sarang was so happy. You both divided chores, sometimes Yunho would do your part if he sees you stressed. Of course his monthly haircuts were now given by you, he'd even let you dye his hair. Sarang was happy to have a mom now. 

_____________________________________

So here you are with your bridesmaids Mika and Flower boy (Mika and Wooyoung's son) walking down the aisle to get wed to the love of your life. His eyes glisten as he saw you walking towards him, his best man, Wooyoung beside him and Sarang the ring bearer with him. You were ready for your forever. 

It's been 3 years since and today, it's your wedding day. It would have been a year ago but you had a difficult time convincing your parents. They were originally a bit apprehensive towards the idea of marrying 'a man who has a child' but when they finally agreed to him and Sarang, then saw the three of you together they agreed, they just wanted you to be happy. 

_____________________________________

Masterlist

[lunerna21]

***I'm going to apologize now this is probably a long post but I just need to vent about this masterpiece of an event!***

I can full heartedly say Glorious Masquerade is giving me life again 😌

JUST EVERYONE BEING SUPER FUNNY AND NICE TO THE MC BUT I CANNOT STOP GUSHING ABOUT EVERYTHING INVOLVING THIS EVENT!!

FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE HOW MUCH OF A SWEETHEART DEUCE IS TO US!

DEUCE SPADE IS SOMEONE EVERYONE NEEDS IN THEIR LIFE HE IS JUST ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AND I LOVE LOVE LOVEEE HIM

*cough* *cough* Unlike ANOTHER person who is a cheeky asshole who should learn from Deuce (I’m kidding I love you too Ace you stupid bastard)

The Grim and Malleus banter back and forth is fucking hysterical from us freaking out about not knowing who Malleus was previously to messing around ITS SO GODDAMN PERFECT

AND MALLEUS BEING SO INTERESTED IN SPENDING TIME WITH US LIKE ALCHENFIENDJ I LOVE YOU MALLEUS!!

(And Grim being protective of us 🥹❤️)

And Idia trying to convince Grim to sit in his lap 😂👏🏻

SEBEK ASKING AZUL TO SIT IN HIS LAP SO HE CAN BE CLOSE TO WAKA SAMA!? CRYING AT HOW SERIOUS SEBEK WAS!

I’d like to imagine we were sandwiched between Rollo and Malleus MY GOD THE TENSION BETWEEN THEM WOULD IGNITE THE WHOLE TOWN

Also, was anyone else crying and cringing deep DEEP inside when they keep saying so many good things about “The Righteous Judge”!?!

LIKE I WAS SEETHING AT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE COMPLIMENTED HIM AND KEPT GIVING HIM PRAISE

LIKE NO GRIM YOU ARE MORE GALLANT THAN THAT CREEPY OLD MAN PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT

IF ONLY THEY KNOW WHAT THAT MAN HAD DONE I HATE HOW OFTEN THEY COMPLIMENT HIM I JUST WANNA LAUNCH MYSELF THROUGH THE GAME AND DESTROY THAT DAMN STATUE

......But at least they're giving tons of lore, easter eggs and praise for both Esmeralda and Quasimodo (BECAUSE YOU KNOW THEY ACTUALLY DESERVE IT)

But Rollo just trying to convince us that there shouldn't be magic or mages....

…..Rollo honey noooooo that’s not how I see it

I mean yes, we’ve been through so much goddamn shit with the overblotters (CROWLEY AND ALSO ADEUCE ALONG WITH GRIM, I LOVE YOU GUYS BUT LIKE WTF) but to the point of subjugating people to potentially lose their magic permanently?!

Something they’ve probably worked hard for? Nah, that’s not okay

I would love to learn more about magic anything beats the curriculum in schools here in the US

THEN SEEING HOW MALLEUS ALMOST PASSED OUT FROM THE FIRELOTUSES!? THAT HAD ME REELING LIKE MALLEUS DRACONIA HIMSELF!? LEAVE THAT MAN ALONE!!

YASSSSS SILVER AND SEBEK! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!! MALLEUS HAS THE BEST GUARDS

BUT ONE FUCKING PART HAD ME ON MY KNEES READY TO FIGHT ROLLO!!

CARD SOLDIER!? CARD SOLDIERRRRR!?!

MY BOI IS BECOMING A MAN

MY BOI IS BECOMING A MAN

MY BOI IS BECOMING A MAN AND I CAN'T STOP BEING HAPPY FOR HIM EVEN THOUGH HE'S IN THE MIDST OF DANGER

…But anyway I’m getting psyched to see the last two parts cause this event is FULFILLING MY HAPPINESS ITS TOO MUCH

And Malleus Draconia….My sweetheart…❤️❤️❤️

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH HE IS JUST TOO MUCH I LOVE THIS MAN!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I cannot wait for the next part of the event, IM DYING TO SEE JAMIL AND RUGGIE BOND OVER USING OTHERS TO KEEP THEMSELVES SAFE!!

Now let me go daydream scenarios with all these lovable people while I wait for the next part, AND FINALLY WATCH THE FIRST PART OF STAGE IN PLAYFUL LAND! (ACE TRAPPOLA I NEED TO SEE YOUR SPOTLIGHT)

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone~~~!!!❤️

[seraphjewel]

Star Trek Prodigy Season 2 thoughts

This show is everything I love about Star Trek. It may be produced by Nickelodeon, but it doesn't dumb anything down just because it's "for kids." I love how none of the main characters are humans, which not only takes advantage of being animated to give us cool alien designs, but also acts as a great visual for Starfleet's ideals. It's visually stunning and the writing is superb. It gives a season-spanning story while also making time for those wacky space shenanigans we expect from the franchise. It's funny, it's creative, it's heartfelt, it's emotionally powerful. The season finales for both the first and second season had me in tears.

Aside from adding to the chorus begging people to watch season 2, I'm just going to share some thoughts on this season. I tried so hard to watch it slowly but it's easy to binge. I'm now watching through it a second time. Cut for spoilers.

As a fan of the older Trek shows, I love how much the show clearly loves older Trek. We saw it a lot in season one, but since season 2 has the legacy characters in more prominent focus, it's more obvious. They are written with such loving care, every part of who they are is nailed down perfectly. There are so many callbacks and references and small touches that are scattered in the dialogue and visuals. Amazing Easter Eggs for Trek enthusiasts-- and another reason to go back and watch, to find ones you didn't notice!

This season made me much more interested in Chakotay and Wesley as characters. I was pretty ambivalent toward them both when watching their respective shows. I didn't find Wesley annoying, I just didn't care for him one way or the other. So having him return as this slightly unhinged Time Lord made him so much more appealing to me as a character. The fact that he was willing to go to some extreme lengths in order to get the timeline just right was some fun gray morality. I also liked that he seemed like he wasn't always sure when he was in the timeline. It reminded me of Mantis in the Guardians of the Galaxy game. And that made perfect sense coming from someone who could jump through multiple timelines just through thought. Wesley was complex, intriguing, and I'm so glad for him and his actor. He deserved it.

In a similar vein, Chakotay was one of the least interesting Voyager crew members to me. This isn't necessarily his fault. He was going up against some pretty big personalities, like the Doctor, Tom, B'Elanna, Seven, and Janeway. I also don't think the writers really knew what to do with his character. But again Prodigy wrote in some depth and complexity. They actually identified what tribe he was from. Watching the episode where the Protostar crew finds him made me want to write fanfic about Chakotay. That's how good they were at making this guy interesting for me! I loved seeing his slow descent into isolation and bitterness; I loved how almost insecure he was at times; I loved how he took command and led the crew. I'm a fan now and I want to go back to watch Voyager for him.

The season also made me a Janeway/Chakotay shipper. I saw the episodes in Voyager where they were feeling things, but personally I'm glad that they never crossed that line. There are way too many stories with female leads that act like they have an obligation to give her a romance, when the same would not be true if the lead was a male. In my opinion, it was better there was no definite love story for Janeway on Voyager since that was going against expectations. As Prodigy season two told its story, I was definitely picking up on strong love vibes between Chakotay and Janeway. I was convinced they were separated lovers, and when they were together they couldn't keep their eyes or hands off each other. It was excellent visual storytelling. I wanted them to be together at the end. For someone who didn't ship them before (I was more into Tom/B'Elanna), I'd say that's a big achievement for the show.

To sum up, I love this show so much! My only request is they try to incorporate Deep Space Nine somehow. #SetCoordinatesforSeason3

[emetoandotherthings]

The Teachers' Curse

A/N: Honestly this is the first thing I've written in so so so long.. I don't really even know where it came from but 🤷‍♀️ Also apologies cause there's a lot of build up, but suck it if you don't like it. Just cause they're so wonderful I'm dedicating this to @lickstynine and @its-a-goddamn-heartbreak

______________________________________________________________

         The teachers’ curse. That’s what they’d all joked about in uni. The last week of term and the first week of the holidays – rule them out because with everything that needed done, you’d be exhausted and every bug, virus and eager bacteria comes after you. Jude had laughed about it with all the rest, until his probationary year began.

         After 8 weeks, October had brought a tired, run down feeling; December heralded a cold – but then, who didn’t get a cold in December? Jude was beginning to think that it was a whole load of rubbish, until he had to content with a 13 week term, coinciding with a pedagogical enquiry and a final profile to prove that he was actually good enough to be a teacher.

         With only 7 school days to go until the Easter holidays, Jude woke up with conjunctivitis – all scratchy and inflamed. He’d ended up with drops that Eden almost had to pin him down to put in, and forced to wear his glasses for the entire week.

         With 5 days left, a throbbing incessant pain in his ear had made itself known as his class worked with the percussion music specialist. The rest of the day, he’d felt like someone was trying to sharpen a pencil inside his ear canal. By 3pm, the glands in his neck had blown up and swallowing was a challenge. Eden had dragged him to the emergency out of hours doctor and the result was a 3 day course of antibiotics. Jude tried to laugh it off as just one of those things, but secretly he wondered whether it was the teacher’s curse creeping up on him. At least he’d be finished the antibiotics by Friday and would be able to have a drink in the evening when the holidays arrived.

         The thrumming had faded to a stop over the next few days, along with the sandpaper scratch in his throat and the only thing that lingered was a tiredness that made it almost impossible to drag himself out of bed on Friday morning.

         “Last day!” Eden’s voice was far too cheery for so early in the morning.

         “Thank the Lord…” Jude sighed, rubbing both hands over his face as he placed both feet firmly on the carpet. Eden was packing books the size of paving slabs into his backpack.

         “I’m in lab today,” he explained, as Jude dragged a shirt over his shoulders. “I’ll try to be back for you getting home – first evening of the holidays!”

         “I am very much looking forward to being back in bed…” It was just 6 hours – then he’d be done, he’d have some downtime. It’s not that he didn’t love teaching – he did! He loved the kids, hearing their stories, seeing their learning click into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle… but anyone who claimed working with children was easy definitely hadn’t spent time with 30 at once.

         Last days were a grand waste of time. For start, nearly one quarter of his class were absent; the rest were as mad as a box of frogs – unable to settle to anything for longer than five minutes. Jude was only glad that it stayed dry so the afternoon was filled with spare part outdoor learning; an activity which required supervision, but not a great deal of teaching or attention. He was only too pleased when the bell to end the day rang, and he could wave goodbye to his learned for the next two weeks. Jude had sat at his desk for nearly 10 whole minutes just willing himself to move before he geared himself up to go home.

         He was determined to only make one trip from his car to the flat, so he clambered up the stairs with three bags trying to pull his arms from his sockets. He was struggling to get the keys from his pocket when the front door swung open from the inside.

         “Jude!” Eden looked scandalised at the number of bags his boyfriend was carrying; he swooped forwards and grabbed some of them.

         “Eden…” He hadn’t expected him to be home. “I thought you’d still be in labs.”

         “It’s your first evening of the holidays!” Eden strained under the weight of the tote bags. “I wanted to spend some time with you.”

         “I’m not sure I’ll be that great company,” Jude answered, dumping the last of his bags into their hallway.

         “Oh shush,” Eden said, disappearing into their kitchen. “I was more thinking…” His voice continued from the kitchen and he re-appeared at the doorframe, two beers clutched in his hand. “A drink, a takeaway and some Netflix… No lesson plans, no profile – just relaxing.” Eden was holding out the bottle of beer, a quarter of lime squeezed into its neck.

         “Sometimes you’re the most beautiful thing on the planet,” Jude couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face, accepting the beer bottle.

         “Only sometimes?” Eden’s eyebrows disappeared up under his fringe.

         “Always,” Jude sighed. “Sorry…” Eden grabbed Jude’s free hand and dragged him into the living room; he’d brought several blankets and pillows into the room. “Oh, Eden…”

         “I thought we could make a bit of a nest,” Eden suggested, “food, drinks, not having to move…”

         “What did I do to deserve you?” Jude mused as Eden pulled him to the sofa, noticing that Eden’s cheeks had flushed pink. “Thank you.”

         Jude had barely drunk half of his beer before he dozed off, his head lolling backwards against the sofa and the beer bottle tipping forward precariously. Eden gently extricated it from Jude’s hands and let him sleep – he needed it.

         Jude’s head was heavy as he woke up, he felt sluggish and groggy; he opened his eyes and stretched. Eden was curled next to him, a book in his lap.

         “Sorry,” he muttered, rubbing his hands across his face. “How long have I been asleep?”

         “About an hour and a half,” he put his book on the arm of the sofa and stretched his arm around Jude’s shoulder. Jude loved how well he fit into the crook of Eden’s shoulder. “I ordered food, it’ll be here soon.”

         “You’re an angel,” Jude said; he was so tired he didn’t feel like eating, but he would – if only to make Eden happy. He grabbed his beer from the table and took a swig, it didn’t taste as good lukewarm, but that was his fault for falling asleep.

         “Food’s here,” Eden announced, his phone buzzing to let him know the delivery driver was at the door. “Do you want another beer?”

         “Why not?” Jude shrugged, he felt bad – Eden was doing so much for him, yet he couldn’t help but feel the only thing he wanted to do was crawl into bed. He tried to waken himself up a bit, sitting up straighter and stretching his arms above his head.

         “Here you go,” Eden reappeared, carrying some pizza boxes and more beers. He set down one of the boxes in Jude’s lap before settling beside him.

         “Aaw, you even got pineapple on mine!” Jude smiled as he opened the lid of his box.

         “I thought I could allow for your transgression just this once,” Eden opened his own pizza. “I’m starving, I don’t know what it is about labs that always makes me so hungry.” He pulled a slice of his pizza up and devoured it hungrily. “Oh, and I’ve got cookie dough for afters.”

         “You’re amazing,” Jude grinned, though even the muscles of his cheeks felt tired.

         “Come on,” Eden nodded towards Jude’s pizza. “Tuck in.”

         Jude managed three quarters of his pizza before he felt the strain of his waistband against his stomach. He wanted more, it tasted so good and he felt more awake than he had since he got home. He swigged more of his beer as he rested the pizza box on the table and leaned back into the pillows and blankets surrounding it.

         “Man, I’ve got a food baby,” he rubbed his hand over his stomach.

         “Me too,” Eden replied. He’d finished all of his own pizza and had curled his arm around Jude’s shoulder again.

         “Shut up!” Jude joked, scanning up and down Eden’s slim frame. “I don’t know where you put it!”

         “I dunno,” Eden shrugged, “perks of having a fast metabolism.”

         “If only!”

         “You’re perfect just as you are,” Eden said; and then they were kissing. It was warm and soft, and Jude loved the way they fit together, as though they’d been made that way. When they split, Jude stayed closed to Eden, he felt like home. “Right,” Eden spoke after a while, “let’s put something on to watch, you choose.” He handed across the remote.

         “Anything?” Jude asked.

         “Anything you want,” Eden smiled.

         Jude’s eyes were drooping, even though he was the one who’d chosen the drama they were both watching. He’d finished off his beer but now his mouth was feeling oddly dry; his waistband was still digging into his stomach and that discomfort was beginning to radiate deeper than his skin. He could get up and change, but that felt like too much of an effort.

         Yet as the time ticked by, and the first episode turned into the second, Jude’s attention was even less on the tv and much more on how the discomfort from his waistband had turned into a weird bubbly ache in the pit of his belly. It felt rather like the time he’d gone sailing and despite the calm water his insides had been sloshing around with every moment. A cold, goosebump sensation kept cropping up on his exposed arms. He tried to shuffle himself on the sofa, wanting to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, but the movement only served to make him feel worse. He slid the empty beer bottle in between the arm of the sofa and cushion and rested his now free hand onto his belly. It felt soft underneath his hand, but he could still feel the bugle of his full stomach. He took a few deep breaths and tried to surreptitiously move the waistband of his trousers, hoping that would give him some relief.

         It didn’t. In fact, it got worse. From the slightly sloshy, swishy feeling, it progressed into a more churning sensation – like his stomach had been set to spin cycle. He slowly tried to massage his fingers into his flesh, but the ache gurgled and deepened. Jude thought he’d done a good job of hiding it, until Eden raised his eyebrows and fixed him with a strange look.

         “Are you okay?” He asked, his hand straying towards the remote.

         “Yeah, yeah,” Jude lied, but with one look he could tell Eden knew he was lying. “I dunno, I guess, I feel a bit… queasy.” Almost as soon as he said it, his stomach burbled under his hand. “I’m probably just tired.” He wanted to pass it off as nothing, but the discomfort was growing with every passing second. Eden grabbed the remote and paused the tv, he sat up straighter and seemed to survey Jude. Then he stretched out his hand and pressed it against Jude’s forehead.

         “You don’t feel warm,” he said quietly, frowning slightly. “Hang on…” Eden hoisted himself from the sofa and padded across to the main light; Jude blinked as the light turned on. “You’re a bit pale,” he commented, “maybe we should have an early night?”

         “You wouldn’t mind?” Jude asked quickly. “It’s just, you’ve gone to such an effort…”

         “Jude, if bed is where you need to be, then I’m happy to be there with you,” Eden answered, sounding so genuine that Jude could have cried. “And we can have cookie dough for breakfast.”

         “Thank you,” he said, sighing.

         “Come on then,” Eden crossed to the tv and switched it off, before turning off the lamps one by one. Jude shuffled forwards to the edge of the sofa, but as he moved a rush of heat swept across his body and his stomach twisted in such an uncomfortable manner that he froze where he was perched. He took deep steadying breaths, not liking the sudden shift. “Jude?”

         “H-ulp!” The hiccup burst from his lips before he could stop it, and he couldn’t stop the groan that followed or the way his hand had gone to his stomach.

         “Jude?” There was a sense of urgency in Eden’s voice now; he’d crossed the room in a few strides and was kneeling to the side of him, his hand resting on Jude’s knee. “Jude?”

         “Oh god…” Jude groaned. “I don’t feel well Ede…”

         “What’s wrong? Tell me,” Eden’s voice was a comfort, but the spin cycle in his belly seemed to have reached terminal velocity.

         “My – my stomach,” Jude muttered, trying hard not to open his mouth too wide.

         “D’you feel sick?” Eden asked. “Shall I get a bucket?” Jude squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling through his nose.

         “Mmmn, no,” Jude shook his head slightly. “Jus’ give me a minute, I’ll be fine.” But nothing felt further from the truth, the sweeps of cold and hot alternating with rapidity.

         “Are you sure?” Eden didn’t sound sure at all, but he squeezed Jude’s knee gently. Jude didn’t reply, he was far too busy willing his stomach to stop clenching in such a disconcerting way. He didn’t know how long he’d spent just trying to breathe, until he felt hot liquid creeping up the back of his throat – and at that point, he felt the inevitability of it.

         “’m gonna throw up,” he managed to force the words out.

         “Right, I’m getting a bucket,” Eden said firmly.

         “No – no,” Jude reached his hand and grabbed Eden’s to stop him moving. “Help me – to the toilet…”

         “Jude, it’d be easier…” Eden refuted, but Jude was already pushing himself up, his free hand cradling his belly. “Okay,” Eden grabbed Jude’s arm to support him, as his legs had the same quality as a newly born foal.

         “Oh god,” Jude slurred, the movement had made everything ten times worse. His stomach contracted and he felt the rush of liquid barrelling up his throat. He slapped his hand to his mouth, hoping to prevent what he knew was coming. “Hmmmllk!” The heave was so strong that Jude lurched forwards.

         “Jude!” Eden’s tone was anxious as he began to pull Jude more forcefully. Jude’s head was swimming, all he could focus on was keeping the contents of his stomach down.

         “Hmmrrk!” The next heave was stronger, and Jude felt liquid hit the back of his teeth, his cheeks puffing out dramatically. He fought to swallow, they were nearly at the bathroom – he had to make it. Jude felt his chest tighten and his stomach squeezing more powerfully, he tried to force his feet to move faster but his legs had lost the ability to be useful in movement.

         “H’kkrrrk!” Jude had no power over his own body anymore, it was doing what it needed to do. His legs had crumbled under the weight, Eden’s hand had released as he fell and he scrambled forwards, but not quickly enough.

         “H’kkkkrrrgggllll’uuuuurrrrggglll!” A spray of warm, bitter liquid burst from Jude’s lips, coating the toilet seat and splashing onto the floor. He had to ignore it, pulling himself closer to the toilet bowl, disregarding that he was kneeling in his own vomit. He’d barely had a second, hardly enough time to draw breath, before his stomach contracted again. “B’hhhrrkk-luuurrrk!”  It came with such force that the puke hit the back of the toilet seat and sent splashes back into Jude’s face.

         “Oh Jude,” Eden’s voice came back into focus, Jude hadn’t realised that all he had heard previous was the rebellion of his own body.

         “Urgh,” Jude groaned, learning forwards to his hands pressed on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. He could still feel his stomach contracting, gearing up for the next assault. “S-sorry…” He choked, his voice thin.

         “Jude, don’t be silly,” Eden brushed Jude’s hair away from his eyes, then placed his hand in between Jude’s shoulder blades. This simple action seemed to signal the start of the next round.

         “Hrrrr’uuuullllkrrrrggggll!” A wave of thick, bitter liquid forced up his throat and flowed forcefully into the toilet bowl. He could taste the hops of the beer and the tang of the pineapple, and this made him retch harder.

         “Oh Jude,” Eden rubbed Jude’s back firmly, feeling the muscles tense under his touch. “You should have said you were feeling this bad.”

         “Wasn’t-“ Jude choked, spitting in order to try and rid his mouth of the taste. “Hit me all at – hrrk – once!”

         “Here,” Eden retrieved a cloth and ran it under the tap, before kneeling down next to Jude and wiping gently at his face. It was something so simple, but it nearly brought tears to Jude’s eyes. “It’s okay,” Eden’s words were soothing, “it’ll be alright…”

         “Feel – hrrk – awful…” Jude spit the saliva pooling in his mouth out, but that gave way to another heave that brought up a further wave of sick.

         “You’ll feel better when it’s out,” Eden reassured him, rubbing his back again.

         “Urrghh…” Jude groaned, his knees were beginning to protest being pressed against the cold tile floor; he tried to re-adjust himself, kneeling back and straightening up. His body didn’t like this, sending more sick charging up his throat and splashing into the water of the toilet bowl. “Pineapple doesn’t – hllk – taste as good on its way up…”

         “Glad to see you’ve not lost your sense of humour,” Eden quipped dryly.

         “Not the only thing I’ve lost,” he muttered. He was hoping this was a lull; his stomach wasn’t straining and contracting now, all he could feel was a slow churn in his gut.

         “You feeling better?” Eden knelt down beside him, brushing a hair away from his face. “You’re not as ghostly pale anymore.”

         “Think – for a bit…” Jude answered, he put his hand gently to his stomach – it didn’t feel quite as tender as before. “Not sure I’m completely – finished…” The last word hung slowly in the air.

         “But just now?” Eden asked and Jude gave a tiny nod. “Right, for now, let’s get you cleaned up and into bed.”

         “But –“ Jude started, but Eden cut him off.

         “I’ll get a bucket, put it next to the bed,” Eden’s words were so self-assured that Jude had to listen to him. “We’ll get you in something comfy and tucked up so you can rest.”

         “Okay,” Jude agreed, there was no point in arguing with a determined Eden.

         “For some reason, I don’t think we’ll be having cookie dough for breakfast,” Eden chuckled.

         The mention of food made Jude heave dryly again; he gulped down some air and shook his head: “No, I think not…”

[nobodysdaydreams]

ALL ABOARD TO TRUTH TOWN🚂 , WHERE FICTIONAL STORIES ABOUT SHINY BUTTONS, DONUTS, AND ROBOT UPRISINGS ARE MORE FUN THAN CUTTER'S STUPID SLOW CLAPS, HERA ALMOST DYING (she BETTER not), AND DOUG'S JAIL TIME AND ALCOHOLISM THAT I TOTALLY PREDICTED (good for me 🥰) (or my reaction to episodes 38-40 of Wolf359)

Also: Whiskey boy needs to chill, seriously. Are we sure Doug is the one with the problem?

Welcome back dear readers. Thanks again for your patience. Excited to continue with my season 3 reactions!

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom

Episode 38: Happy Endings

I'm gonna be doing chores while I listen to these three episodes, so sorry if the notes get a bit brief.

This Hilbert and Doug morality debate is funny because it's literally one actor debating with himself.

I'm sad Hera can't be a part of the group.

"2am"? How is it 2am? You're...you're not on earth. I understand keeping up with a schedule, but it's still a little weird, what time zone are they following?

The way Hilbert talks about Sam... it's like he has this shred of humanity left inside him that he's just gotten used to ignoring.

And Hilbert, I have a clear answer to your little "trolley problem": the decima virus is CUTTER'S property. He put that in your contract, or have you forgotten? Do you seriously think that man will be using it for the good of humanity? Because I don't.

I also feel like the "No one gets a happy ending/ there are no happy endings" think is foreshadowing. But I hope I am wrong.

"This wasn't here last time"

IS THIS THAT WEIRD DOOR???? FINALLY! Bah-ha just shove him in! At least it’s not the airlock which is what I was expecting.

Hm. Do not like the dark. Uh what. Also. Isn’t he supposed to be alone? Totally alone? And shouldn’t it be an emergency?

Dentist chair from hell? Nope. Don’t like it.

Recorded message? Oh gosh not the slow claps…Cutter no doubt. Of course he does a dramatic dark room, and the lights go up on an evil chair...he was one of those kids in school who at recess would find insects and torture them for fun, wasn't he?

Easter egg? Cutter, this is the worst easter themed scavenger hunt I've ever heard of. Where are the chocolate bunnies? The jellybeans? The message of hope, love, and rebirth? But I suppose I should expect nothing else from the man who ordered the killing of three people on Christmas. Makes you wonder what Cutter has against holidays. Did mommy and daddy not give someone enough presents?

“The other crew has... gone away like last time” Cutter you suck. Seriously his villain mode does not have an off switch.

What does Cutter want with his brain? An old friend made this for him?? Is it the dude he killed or is it the Pryce person he wrote the book with? Makes me wonder where his mysterious friend is hiding. In the shadows at Cutter's right hand or six feet underground with a knife in the back? Not sure which is worse. I guess we'll see.

THEY CAN SCAN HIS BRAIN AND GET THAT KIND OF INFO? That...but...I...as someone who knows slightly more than average about how the brain works, Cutter needs to learn how to make better use of his tech. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how much better his evil plans would go, if he focused on THAT instead of...oh I don't know...investing his money into elaborate dark rooms with evil dentist chairs and slow clap videos?

Also "Hera can't detect these secret rooms" HOW. HOW CAN SHE NOT THAT'S AN AWFUL IDEA: She flies the ship, she has to calculate for its size. It's science fiction, so let me be 100% clear, I'm not dumping on the creators or writers, I'm dumping on Cutter the character. You idiot.

Oh he’s just leaving him in space. Oh...Hilbert will come around in the hopes that he’ll use decima to help people. That's cruel. “Thanks for all the memories” Cutter. DUDE. Too much.

Do not give him your memories. Do not Hilbert.

Haha… hee hee… why is he laughing?

Brilliant? Chance for work to continue? NO. HILBERT YOU DUM-DUM. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO USE IT FOR GOOD. CUTTER WILL NOT USE IT FOR GOOD. BECAUSE HE IS NOT A GOOD MAN. The reason you shouldn't do this has nothing to do with sacrifices for the great good...it's that the greater good IS NOT GUARANTEED AND LIKELY DOESN'T EXIST BASED ON CUTTER'S BEHAVIOR!

Don’t call her Isabel. You are in the wrong here Hilbert. And there is a very clear difference between what she is doing and what you are doing. She knows better than to count on a killer for benevolence.

Good. Smart. Don’t get in the chair. It would probably slice off your head or something.

Something about Eiffel? Minkowski… Doug is your friend. Just because he served time doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.

Well Lovelace and Hilbert...it's an unusual alliance. Hope it works out.

Episode 39: All Things Considered

"It's a bottle…"

👎🙅‍♂️🤬❌ WRONG!

Oh it's the Whiskey isn't it.

Wrong! Cancelled! 🤬👎🙅‍♂️❌

Oh my gosh Kepler shut up.

Of course duck boy knows the boss’s drinks. Teacher's pet.

“YOU VILLAGE IDIOTS!…🤬... but points to you Jacobi 😏🥰👍" okay… clearly discount Cutter has his own discount Kepler.

oh I love these stories. Why do I feel like Minkowski's is gonna be the most realistic. Like, I can see Doug making lightsaber noises, and I can see Jacobi being a little arrogant. Just...maybe a little exaggerated.

Oh my gosh Jacobi's story. 😂😂😂 The way he's portraying Doug is way too much.

“But the button is so shiny! 🥺” PFFT- the way Jacobi portrays Doug... I'm sorry for laughing but it's too funny😂

He’s doing Minkowski dirty. Why is he making her talk like a valley girl?

“I’m sorry Jacobi you were right!” / “I’m just gonna lean against this big red button!”

Duck boy who do you think you’re fooling with this one 😂

I cannot wait for Doug's story.

Yes, Doug I am ready for the truth. I am so ready. I AM READY!

I love Hera’s announcement: "Uh...yeah some stuff is happening today for sure"

“The innocent victim stepped in to help” why is Doug me telling a story.

“We’ve never high-fived!” “We’re headed to truth town!”

Heck yeah we are! All aboard to truth town Doug, this is the best story yet!

Why are they like fighting elementary school children? I love this. Dang Doug is roasting them!

“Oh thank goodness Doug you saved us 🥰”

"Minkowski decked him!" "I did not!" "Duck boy passed out" "I did not!" "But then Hilbert came. Russian's are drawn to loud noises and he wanted to experiment on Jacobi's brain."

Doug, if you made a fictional podcast about your time in space I would listen to it. It sounds amazing.

Why is Minkowski doing a different accent now? WHY IS HERA THE VILLAIN SUDDENLY DOING A ROBOT UPRISING? 😂

"Is there any truth to your story?" Um...yeah? I'm pretty sure there were donuts in multiple stories Kelper 🙄

"But... but truth town! 🥺"

I agree. Doug was taking them straight to truth town and Whiskey boy shut down the railways. All because discount Cutter can't handle the truth. Big surprise.

“As I've mentioned...I like the feel of it IN MY HAND 😡”

Geez man okay.

And Doug's story was not a time waste. It was delightful. Just because discount Cutter is evil doesn't mean he has to be the fun police.

“Until your idiocy stretches all the way around back to half-way competent” dang I really am like Doug. 😔

Episode 40: Limbo

"Lob of meat" well you don't have to say it like that Hera.

"I can't think of a single way to prank everyone else" Doug. Jacobi is afraid of ducks. You are sitting on a gold mine.

Ugh this is awful because I can't tell if Hera's compliance with Maxwell is programmed or not! It's so scary that her free will can just be...programmed out.

Maxwell. Why are you interrogating her? Hera. Do not turn on your friends. Maxwell. You BETTER be trying to help.

I'm very worried about Hera. Is Kepler going to shut her down?

Good on you Hera. She deserves to know the truth.

...oh no.

Maybe I'm misremembering this, but was it Maxwell or Lovelace who said "if only Hera knew the truth" a few episodes back? I'm really suspicious about how Cutter and co. treat the AIs and what they want with them.

Hera. Talk to Doug about it. Just let him know you're scared. He'll be there for you.

Hera please let your friends help you. Please let them help you. AND LEAVE HERA ALONE STOP OVERWHELMING HER! She clearly has...whatever the AI equivalent of anxiety is.

I feel so bad for Hera. I swear. Whatever Cutter has planned for her...he will pay for this.

Hera offline? NOOOOOO...

Maxwell you kinda got in her head.

But everyone has problems. And Hera is more than a robot computer. She's a friend. You can't just shut her down!

I KNEW IT. A panic attack. She has anxiety 🥺. Poor Hera.

What's dummy program? Would they destroy Hera's freewill? Neanderthal version of AI? No. Maxwell no. You don't get it. Hera is a friend. Oh they don't get it. They think it's a companion to her, not a replacement for her.

DO NOT DO IT. THANK YOU DOUG! YES! THANK YOU DOUG!

I need Whiskey Boy to drown in his own whiskey. And I need Hera to be okay. You can't do this to me. You already took Blessie you monsters. YOU ALREADY TOOK BLESSIE!

Maxwell stand up to discount Cutter! "Don't forget what she is Maxwell. She went rogue and tried to escape. There's a reasons she's up here. She's expendable. Make sure that doesn't become you." YOU better make sure it's not YOU whiskey boy. Hera just wanted freedom! She didn't ask to be born!

Minkowski just tell him. Please tell him.

Yikes.

Minkowski don't make him go through this. Please stop.

Kidnapping isn't the worst part? That's...this doesn't sound like a fun story. This doesn't sound like a trip to truth town.

Right. His daughter. Baby Ann 🥺

Doug would make a good dad. Oh no. I predict that he had drug and alcohol issues!!! Oh he gets clean. Good for him. Oh no... Doug...relapse is bad.

Oh he loses Ann. HE KIDNAPS HER? Doug bad idea. People get put away for stuff like that.

NO HE CRASHED INTO SOME TEENS. ...Model UN president in a wheelchair?

The way he says "I was fine...the driver's always fine..." yikes. He made her deaf? He hasn't seen her since? How old was she?

Hera needs to be okay. And I'm sorry if they have the tech for sentient AI, decima viruses, space travel, and who knows what else, that weird brain transmitting machine, then deafness should be totally curable by now, Cutter's just hogging the tech to himself like a psychopath. I hate him. I hate him so much. Cutter is the worst. I hope HE loses his senses. Almost all his senses. Except for pain. That's the only one he deserves to keep.

I hope Maxwell can save Hera. She has to! Hera can't die now. We already went through that, and she deserves to be happy.

But I do get the feeling that might not happen. For anyone.

You know, as I go back and edit this, I gotta say, in some ways Kepler is like an evil version of Doug. They both clearly like alcohol and substances (Kepler's "I like the feel of it in my hand" and Doug's "I just want to hold the cigarette"), but Doug wants to get better while Kepler clearly doesn't. "You're like this Whiskey see? I'd be sad without it but I'd be okay." And then he risks the life of his crew for it. You sure you don't have a bit of problem Whiskey boy? 👀

And that's all folks! Thanks dear readers for coming along on my journey. Sorry for the delays in reactions. Life gets busy, but I try to do at least once a week for you guys.

[mushtoons]

Completely understandable if you don't want to get into a debate but can I ask what exactly you disliked abt the fnaf movie?? I found it an incredibly enjoyable personally. Like I have guesses as to the most common issues people might have with the plot but. I am admittedly. a little baffled by the idea of a fellow tmnt enjoyer taking issue with creative liberties when someone is making a fresh take on a franchise that is meant to have its own separate canon to the previous installments..

nah we don't mind, people can have their own opinion just like we can have ours, and we dont have any issue with them taking creative liberties? we never even gave any indication that did we? /genuine it just sucked to us and we liked the plot it was silly and fun but lacked yknow, spoilers ahead:

it emphasize waaaay to many times about his brother, like understandably yes we get it and we understand WHY they'd want to, but they did it too much, it sucked the meaning and emotion out of such a heartbreaking scene to the point our friends and i groaned every time he brought it up

literally the first 3 nights of FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S!!!!! all he did was sleep...like yeah we get ur trying to remember stuff about ur brother okay...do that in a different scene or something

the funniest part about fnaf games were the hidden easter eggs and there was almost none in that movie, our brother and i were extremely disappointed because we spent years hyperfixating on the lore and hunting for easter eggs in the games

THERE WAS NO FUCKIN PHONE GUY LIKE AT ALL NOT EVEN A TEASE OF HIM HIS STUPID LIL HELLO HELLO MADE US SO ANGRY /affectionate WE WERE SO DISAPPOINTED HE WASN'T EVEN IN THERE

you dont even see the animatronics do anything besides foxy briefly until the fourth MORNING... though that scene was AMAZING

they didn't even ATTEMPT to have them hunt down or lurk like they do in the games, like okay plot wise ig i see why not but...its fnaf its literally built around that at least a small attempt could have been made other than the foxy and abby scene

we were really confused as to why the intro scene it showed mike running and hiding and even something trying to break into his office when, when the scene finally lined up thats not even how it went down, he was apparently asleep the whole time talking to the dead kids....

they really didnt have to get all scientific and stuff to explain possession and stuff ...the fun of possession is that it doesnt have to make sense its creepy and horrifying and thats all that matters not...that whole explanation vanessa gave

we could go on but our foods done 👀

[aecholapis]

If there was ever a new Brave show, what would you want it to be about/what would you want it to involve?

Oh, what I wouldn't give to see a new Brave emerge from the depths of Sunrise's animation studios. But the chances are slim, infinitesimal even, microscopic to the point that I've given up hope to see some kind of series revival one day. At least we're still getting figurines and HD Blu-Ray remasters of the animes, but that's pretty much it.

What we are left with is our imagination and perseverance and thankfully, some fans have those attributes in abundance. I'm not going to call them out by name - you all know who you are and you should know your efforts are greatly appreciated by this small fandom.

Some of them have made a great effort to come up with new ideas for their own original shows that have sprung from their imaginations and they are kind enough to share it with the world. As someone who loves reading about pretty much any thing and everything relevant to the media I'm obsessed with at that time, I also love reading about other people's take on the already existing and well-established fictional worlds.

I've already mentioned my own and the OCs that are part of it, but to be honest, this is not exactly the direction I would take the franchise if I had a say in it. There are many great ways one could revive the Yuusha series and my own silly idea of a story is not it. There are too many themes that don't fit with the overall tone of the series - it needs to be as light-hearted, emotional and thrilling as the original one... which it isn't.

I'll list the answer to your ask under the cut if it's alright with you.

First of all, one thing that I would love to see is a way for the producers to link the shows together. It can either be done with little easter eggs or references to the old shows,

There is a reason why almost all Braves follow a pattern in terms of plot progression and action and I think they should bring that back. The monster-of-the-week format has worked well with almost every series and while it's definitely not the perfect way of storytelling, it makes for fun times.

Let the villains be silly, give them control over some ridiculouly huge thing and watch them decimate the protagonists with it until they learn its attack patterns and defeat it with the power of friendship. It wouldn't hurt if they did it once or twice every ten episodes.

We need more villains who are evil for the sake of it. They don't need a thorough reason to destroy the universe. And give us our beloved morally grey rivals/antiheroes turned allies back, please.

Nowadays I feel that most characters aren't as colorful as they used to be, but not here, nuh-uh! They need to have at least two primary colors in their frame (RYB, RGB or CYMK, doesn't matter which one) as long as they wear it with pride. Example: my man Draias is a walking fashion disaster, yet he doesn't care about his appearance and I love him for it.

I want the Braves to originate from

✨ s p a c e ✨

not Earth, thank you. While I don't have anything against human-made robots or those who were created by our planet's nature, the thought of them being aliens is so much cooler.

The OST would be a banger for sure.

Another thing I want to see is a more in-depth exploration of the themes and issues they deal with. BPJD had its fair share of addressing themes that are usually targeted at older viewers rather than the actual target audience of pre- and elementary schoolers. I don't want that to get lost in a new show. Children are just as capable of understanding and dealing with heavy themes if they are offered an explanation for everything they might not fully comprehend.

While I don't like humans in robot media in general, BPJD was probably the only show where I think they handled them well. THe human side characters weren't as prominent as they had been in the previous and following Braves. The robots were finally in the spotlight and got the development they desperately needed. Yuuta and Deckerd had a unique bond, they were like siblings and that was so wonderfully presented that I couldn't help but like their pure, albeit codependent relationship.

More platonic relationships. More focus on friendships. More familial love and found family. More bromances, more womances. The same amount of explosions and action.

And please let everyone be normal about women, GGG Final was just. No. (I love you, Anryuu, but the rest of the cast were done dirty)

As for the plot, anything would work. Aliens invade the Earth, philanthrophic Braves come to defend it. Maybe they've been fighting the other guys for a long while, maybe they haven't. What matters is that it should be something that makes sense for a Yuusha show.

And give them badass designs, please.

[soul-dwelling]

Atleast to me it seems like Ohkubo tried to recreate a mirrored version of the Maka saving Crona thing with Shinra saving Sho - even the whole thing of being stressed before opening the door and the panel composition being mirroed and taking place in a church hall. Still ir somehow doesnt grab me, maybe because its hard to relate to Sho when he is shown as a baby and the struggle seems to come from Shinras side - who atleast doesnt seem so pathetic and pitable like Crona.

Oh, I hadn't considered that--good catch about the parallels!

I had written earlier how it is bothersome to me that Fire Force didn't let Shinra cry more. Sho seems like the one made to take over that roll, given his younger age, that last we saw him was as a baby, and just his babyface.

(...And the unfortunate implications, given how Haumea infantilizes him...and we're supposed to think Haumea deserves redemption. >_>; )

I hadn't noticed the parallels to Maka and Crona's two fights in Santa Mario.

For one thing, I would have chalked it up to an Easter egg (...before the final arc of Fire Force screwed that up...).

And for another, the staging is different enough. Sho at this point is not brainwashed (at least not yet) in the same way as Crona (who was influenced by Medusa in the first fight and pretty much broken in the second).

And the victim of the violence differs. Crona stabs at Maka--and hits Soul instead. Sho finally wakes up to who Shinra is--but has his sword shoved against his will into Shinra's chest. It's the "history doesn't repeat, it rhymes" detail, so, again, I didn't notice because the parallels are there but flipped: Sho didn't mean to do it, there is no Soul to be a human shield to Shinra.

I agree that it is hard to feel as much for Sho in this moment as it is for Shinra--which probably is why we make Sho look like such a baby here, so innocent, crying his eyes out, to make up for the lacking motivation and instead use visual cues to get a lot more emotion out of him. It's why I end up seeing Sho as more of the Crona-esque figure in this moment: I wouldn't say pathetic but definitely pitiable. It's not a bad thing that we don't feel as much on Sho's side compared to Shinra: we have been following Shinra for so long as the protagonist, Sho has been a rather stoic antagonist and doesn't know the full history due to being abducted as a baby.

I just wish the series ended up doing something more with Sho to let him be a character--and I never quite felt it. Sho comes back, we see him taking initiative to learn about his family's history, and that's good to show his initiative and some back story (...even if the back story is yet another ass-pull by this series under the excuse of "it's a religious allegory, just go with it"...).

But otherwise? Sho is a non-entity. He's gone for so long that a reunion with Shinra and their mother feels lacking; his role in the last battle is a literal back-seat driver; his story ends in one of the most boring ways; I don't get to see the rest of his story and how he has to make up for time to catch up with his brother and mother. It all feels like missed opportunities.

After all (I say with loud sarcasm), why focus on how Sho deals with years of never knowing his mother and brother, when we can waste almost two chapters on Inca wanting Shinra's sperm donation. -_-#

[luckandstrange]

I would like to add some of my own due to the fact that the length of time I have dedicated to this band is really taking a toll on me at the moment. I'm struggling a bit to think about the mass of it...

I chose them as the subject for my 8th grade final project in music class, thus changing the trajectory of my life forever. Said project is rife with inaccuracies.

First picture of Roger I saw shocked me because he looked so strange (apparently a universal experience)

I would spend every night of the rest of 8th grade scrolling the Pink Floyd search results on Deviantart, mostly just regular art, but it overwhelmed me with so many emotions that I had to frequently tab out.

Got into an insane amount of intimate discord drama in a chat with some of the most renowned Floyd artists at the time. I remained partial and got invited to the discord chat with the splitting individuals as well as staying in the original.

I jumped at any opportunity to detail the band's entire paraphrased history.

Classic case of "I was born in the wrong generation" and all its fix-ins.

Dogs was one of the first I listened to, both shocked and intrigued by its length.

I slowly realized that I had been hearing their music all of my life, so getting into them was even more fun.

I kept begging my parents to watch Live at Pompeii with me.

I fully convinced myself that this kid talking about the #NotMyRodgerick meme from Diary of a Wimpy Kid shortening it to #NotMyRoggie was talking about RW

I got so obsessed with Roger and Nick's friendship that I started shipping them and couldn't keep it subtle so I psyopped my friend into making these character versions of them where Roger was an Easter island head named Ouch and Nick was Bloo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I still have the clay figurine of Bloo Nick that I made. (don't ask)

When I went to see Roger in 2017 I was almost certain that I would've had the opportunity to run into him after the show. I didn't.

My friend and I went to a carnival, and while she was trying to talk to someone else on the same ride as us, I was singing the entirety of Comfortably Numb out loud.

The first time I heard Summer '68 I think I replayed it at least 30 times.

Same with San Tropez.

I got a sunburst fender precision-bass for Christmas, think the same look as the one Roger played in Live at Pompeii, which I have admittedly rarely picked up. I'd say I'm at the very least intermediate.

Drawing the band was my introduction to drawing people other than dragons more regularly, so in my drawings faces tended to have awkwardly large noses and small foreheads. (I wonder who's to blame for that...)

I was drawing them at a fourth of July party and someone came up to me and asked "Is that The Beatles?"

At the same party, Comfortably Numb came on and I crouched down to fully immerse myself in the song while rocking back and forth.

I was one of the artists for a Pink Floyd ask blog in 2017.

My friends and I embarked on an unserious "Classic Rock RP" that consisted of us roleplaying as Roger and Dave going to Japan with JPJ from Led Zeppelin. Once the friend playing JPJ went to bed, the two of us ended up getting pretty.. intimate.

We made a discord chat to do our watermour roleplay in. We started calling it g1interphase as a codename because we were both learning the cell stages in Biology class.

This lasted for

Eight

Months

Straight. Every single day.

I can still hardly believe that. The majority of it has lapsed from my memory.

We shipped Snowy White and Dick Parry at one point.

I was a pissed off little shit when I saw Nick in 2019 because the literal show BEFORE that one in New York, Roger showed up because he was in the area. Suffice to say he didn't show up a second time.

Every New Year's Eve since 2018, I've perfectly timed the Careful With That Axe, Eugene scream to land precisely on midnight when the year changed. Except I didn't do it for this year, so I think I reanimated the Pink Floyd curse.

Thank you for enduring me. Have I changed very much? Who knows...

Calling my younger self out for all the embarrassing things they thought/did when I first started getting into Pink Floyd (I just think I was endearing albeit annoying)

Initially confused them with LED Zeppelin because for some reason my brain put them on a similar tier

Went to watch the Pulse tour DVD … promptly realised it was post-Waters, cried, shut it off immediately, and haven’t seen it since (I actually own a DVD and a VHS tape of the film…both of which were gifts actually)

Saw that Live at Pompeii gif of Roger blowing the smoke rings and just stared at it for a long while promptly falling in love

Didn’t know the Wall was a double album and just assumed the second disc was demos so I never listened to it and would only listen to half the album. Eventually I decided to play the second disc and realised how stupid I was (In the Flesh confused me)

Had an entire wall in my room dedicated to The Wall (I painted out the brick design and had these posters)

Didn’t really care much for the WYWH album (and now it’s my favourite Pink Floyd album..)

FUCKING GAVE AWAY THE IN THE PINK NICK SEDGWICK BOOK BECAUSE I WAS GOING THROUGH SOME SHIT AND ROGER WAS MAKING ME FEEL GUILTY AND HORRIBLE

Would listen to the Wall at least once a day for months on end especially while sitting alone at lunch

Used the fact that my mum desperately wanted me to make friends to go to a Roger Waters concert with this boy who had a crush on me and then promptly started trying to convert me to Catholicism once he found out I’m atheist, bisexual, and non-binary. Roger Played the Gunner’s Dream for the encore so no regrets there

Had a long and unhealthy obsession with The Final Cut and would play my LP of it at least once a day

Read something about Roger calling the rest of the band “the muffins” and promptly dubbed David “greasy muffin”…and got the rest of my online friends to join in

Wrote endless HCs with a friend about Watershend (Roger Waters x Pete Townshend)… I stand by this one. Sorry

Did a 10 minute presentation on the Wall for a history class when I was…14

Called in sick to school even though my teachers knew I was going to watch Roger Waters in concert

Found a copy of Rick Wright’s Wet Dream on vinyl at a market… had no cash in the moment … asked my friend if they could give me cash and then I’d pay them back later… my friend agreed thinking it was for food (I wasn’t trying to deceive them I promise I just didn’t communicate what that money was for as clearly as I thought I did… but I did pay them back plus a bit extra!) I did get my record tho

Went to Battersea Station…. DIDN’T REALISE IT WAS A FUCKING SHOPPING MALL ON THE INSIDE BECAUSE I FAILED TO DO MY RESEARCH AND DIDN’T EVEN ATTEMPT TO GO INSIDE BECAUSE I AM AWKWARD AS HELL… so instead I opted to awkwardly stand around the outside and check out the nearby shops (this is recent ;-;)

I used to draw and would just fill my notebook up with drawing of Pink Floyd (mostly just Roger…)

I am just now remembering how much of my fanart was nose-centric

You know that common trans experience of “trying desperately to live as your assigned gender one last time so you overcompensate before you come out”… well that overlapped with my “ukulele and Syd Barrett let’s dress psychedelic” phase

Have bought way too many pieces of clothing because they remind me of something Roger wore once (I think I’ll make this into it’s own post perhaps)

That’s all I can remember for now. Just feeling nostalgic. I could make a second part of all the most recent cringe shit I’ve done. I’m not laughing at myself I’m laughing with myself. Honestly my younger self was iconic, gotta love her

[etherealacoustic]

Lifeless Eyes

Pairing - Wolfstar x daughter!OC, Fred Weasley x OC!

Summary - Nova Lupin-Black comes home for the Easter holidays and her parents are in for a shock.

Warnings - mentions of improper eating, improper sleeping and depression.

Link for pt.2 here

Link for pt.3 here

The girl watched as a small droplet of deep red appeared on the back of her left hand. One by one, her skin was tainted with her own blood.

And she just watched.

Watched as it flowed down her hand, towards her forearm and stained the sleeve of her white shirt that was rolled up at her elbows.

Her face remained the same as more blood started trickling down the scarred skin. Not a twitch of muscle to indicate that she was suffering, that she was in pain.

All because Nova Lupin-Black was used to it by now. It had been five months so her body had had a considerable amount of time to just get numb.

Her steel-grey eyes were focused on another droplet of blood that dripped down and directly made its way to the elbow.

A sigh came from her as she took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the wound, not a single hiss escaping her lips to suggest that she was hurting.

She took out her wand and cleaned everything before staring at the words that were permanently etched on her.

"Always a monster, always a disgrace".

Nova chuckled bitterly as she remembered how shocked her face was when being told what was to be written. Despite knowing that Dolores Umbridge was every bit of evil, she still couldn't believe anyone would ever be so heartless.

She cleared her throat and muttered a spell to bandage her hand and composed herself before going to patrol the last floor, finishing the final part of her duty as the headgirl.

After her rounds, she wasted no time in going back to the Gryffindor Common Room, not interested in any sort of detours as she was terribly exhausted.

She whispered the password to the portrait and stepped in, immediately dropping her bag on the floor and walking towards the comfortable couch.

"Nov?" A small voice mumbled and she turned around to see Fred standing on the staircase, his hair messy and eyes half-closed.

Nova smiled a little and he came closer, rubbing the sleep from his face and inspecting her properly. His expression fell at seeing the smeared blood on her shirt.

He swallowed and his face contorted into a look of rage as he took her hand quite gently, his touch a contrast to the murderous stare.

"It looks bad," he whispered and looked at her. Concern filling his face instantly.

"It's really not," she assured but he wasn't convinced, not in the least.

"I can't do this anymore," he said desperately and looked at her, his eyes welling up with tears of frustration. "That woman's been torturing you since ages and you haven't said anything against her!"

"I told you already, love. Don't wanna give her any kind of satisfaction nor the attention," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "And besides it was the last one. We're leaving tomorrow anyways".

"Do Sirius and Remus know?"

Nova shook her head, "They don't. And it's better if this stays as it is".

He sighed, knowing she wouldn't take something else as an answer. So he gently lifted her bandaged hand and cradled it in his palms.

She watched with an adoring look as he pressed his lips around the edges of the wounded area with complete gentleness.

"Does it hurt?" He asked and looked deep into her grey eyes, scanning them to see any kind of lie.

"Not anymore," she grinned which changed into a soft look as he kept on caressing the scarred skin.

"I'm alright Freddie," she whispered and placed her uninjured palm on his cheek. "I'm okay, you don't have to care so much".

"But I do!" He said with a fierce glint in his eyes. "I do care," he continued more gently.

Nova couldn't help but chuckle at his protective nature. She really was lucky to have a man like him in her life.

"I'm fine," she said and offered him a really convincing grin. One that could deceive almost everyone pretty easily.

But he wasn't fooled.

He saw the smile she held, which was getting smaller and weaker with every passing day. He saw her eyes, once bright and mischievous had now become dull and lifeless.

He saw the way she carried herself now, not at all the usual confident and laughing person, but rather quiet and unnoticed.

And the physical changes were something that everyone who was close to Ophelia had noticed. She appeared weak, was not eating well, her sleeping schedule was a mess. Her eyes had dark circles underneath, her skin had also lost it's colour.

Fred's lips were curved down sadly, him wanting nothing more than to be there for her, to protect her from everything and just, keep her happy.

It hurt him, seeing her so beaten and worn-out. The girl that was always the center of every chaotic action, who was always seen smirking and laughing around while causing mischief.

That girl had become a shadow of herself these days. The complete opposite of what was her actual nature.

But still, she tried hard to smile more and laugh though she didn't want to. She tried to make the sound of her chuckles more genuine, but all everyone could hear were hollow laughs.

And despite her entire self being a utter mess, Fred still saw her helping every person she thought had a problem. She never hesitated, disregarded her own issues just to be of some guide to others.

She was the type of girl to forever say 'I got this,' even with tears in her eyes.

He sighed sorrowfully, knowing there wasn't anything he could do except give her all the love, all the affection and all the support.

He looked at Nova to see her eyes trained on the blazing fireplace. "Love?"

She turned to him with a questioning look, her body completely drained and tired.

He didn't say anything and gently pulled her in his arms, being careful to not hurt her in any way. He smiled on hearing her let out a deep breath as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he consoled her. "It'll hopefully be better when we come back".

She nodded and didn't move from her place, her face pressed in his shoulder and his arms around her waist.

"I love you," she whispered and Fred's heart soared. It was the first time she'd ever said it to him and he smiled childishly.

"I love you too, Nova," he grinned back and leaned down to kiss her passionately and with every bit of adoration.

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

The next morning there was a lot of rush during breakfast. The students were hurrying around, packing their stuff till the last minute.

Everyone felt relieved at going home after some tense months.

Nova Lupin-Black too was happy, ecstatic infact to get away from that vile person and be with her Da and Pa.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to smile. It was as though her cheek muscles were failing to produce even a small twitch of the lips.

Just this was a testimony to how badly she had suffered, was still suffering.

All of her friends were hoping to get the smiley and cheery Nova they loved so much, they were thinking that spending time with her family would help her a lot.

They had their fingers crossed for that. Praying to every deity that they'll get their best friend back. That she'll be happy.

"You ready, Nox?" Katie asked as she stood at the door of their dormitory.

Nova nodded and locked her trunk safely before levitating it down the stairs to where everybody had gathered.

"Let's go," she said and they all walked out of the castle towards the station. And once the train had arrived, they wasted no time in going in and claiming their usual seats.

"We're finally going home," Lee sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"Only for two weeks," Angelina frowned and their faces fell at the reminder.

"You okay, Nov?" George asked and they all looked at the girl sitting near the window seat and gazing out blankly.

"Fine," she replied. Not a smile, nor a wink, nothing. Just a hollow and emotionless answer.

They all shared a glance, the same thought running in their minds.

As the train started, Alicia and George started a game of Exploding Snap and everyone joined eagerly, except for Nova.

Then they began telling jokes and doing the try not to laugh, but without even participating, Nova won. Her lips didn't even twitch at the really good joke told by Fred. It was a pun that would've made her start crying because of laughter before. But certainly not now.

"Nova," Katie said softly and gained the girl's attention. "Please talk. It doesn't matter what, just talk please".

"It feels empty, Nox. We don't like it, we don't like seeing you this way," Lee mumbled.

She sighed and fiddled with her fingers before looking up at them all, "I can't. I'm sorry, I don't want to trouble you. But I can't seem to talk".

They all nodded, not questioning more and Nova suddenly started feeling guilty about making them constantly worry about her.

"I- I'm really sorry," she muttered once again and looked everyone right in the eye. "I know I'm troubling you but I just can't do it. I don't even know why," she chuckled bitterly and clenched her jaw.

"Hey now," said Alicia. "Don't be sorry, it's really not your fault. It's okay".

"You don't have to talk," Fred said simply and intertwined their fingers together.

She nodded and swallowed before returning back to the book placed on her lap. She fell asleep after reading a chapter, her head slipping away from the window and onto Fred's shoulder to her left.

Fred looked at her and smiled a little, glad that she's getting some amount of rest. He wrapped his arm around her securely and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

"I can't bear to see her like this," Katie muttered sadly. She was really close to Nova and it troubled her to see her best friend in such a state.

"Neither can I," everyone sighed and glanced sadly at her. Feeling helpless as they couldn't figure out what to do.

"She's terribly depressed," Angelina murmured and bit her lip. Thinking of all the signs that Nova had shown in the past weeks.

"I hate that Umbridge woman to an extent that I can't even explain," George grumbled.

"The studies were also taking a toll on her. Not to mention about her Headgirl duties," added Lee.

"She'll get better," Fred nodded firmly. "Just let her get home once, and I bet she'll be glowing the next time you see her".

They nodded and stopped the chat after seeing Nova wake up just as the train started slowing down.

It stopped moving and instantly there was a loud racket. Many different noises were heard as the students scrambled to get out as quickly as possible.

Nova's compartment was almost the last one to get out, her being the last in line and telling everyone else to go ahead as she stood next to Harry who didn't look well too, though not as bad as her.

"Come on, Nox," he said and she nodded. Her heart becoming excited for the first time in a whole month.

She let out a deep breath and finally stepped out of the train. Harry right beside her as the two started searching for any familiar faces in the crowd.

Her heart was racing as she looked around frantically, and finally her eyes landed on a familiar tall man with sandy-brown curls similar to her own.

And after what seemed like an eternity, Nova's lips quirked upwards in a full-blown smile as she saw her Pa standing there wearing blue jeans and a brown sweater. Her eyes seemed a tiny bit brighter too.

Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny immediately noticed the change in her. She was herself in this moment and they all bore a small smile.

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

[thefanficmonster]

Love For The Faceless

Corpse Husband x Youtuber!Reader(Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff 

Summary: Y/N is a YouTube gamer who has recently gained a much larger following thanks to the streams she does with her friends. Naturally, considering her faceless and bodiless nature, people are starting to get curious about her. When she finally follows her friend Corpse’s example, a lot more than her hands is revealed.

Requested by anon, you know who you are 😉 Thank you so much for placing a request and hope this fic fulfills the expectations you have for it.

“Hey!“ I greet the lobby as I finally hop into the Discord call after quickly saying ‘hi‘ to my audience.

I’ve been a YouTuber for four years now and I’ve only recently started streaming, encouraged to do so by my best friend Rae. She’s the one who got me in multiplayer games such as Among Us and Phasmophobia which led me to meet her amazing gaming squad that consists of some of the most famous names on the platform. They are all wonderful people and I will forever be in Rae’s debt for introducing me to them. However, becoming friends with Felix, Sean and the rest of the team brought not only a more fulfilled life, but also a small boost in following. Who am I kidding, it wasn’t small. It was overwhelming, terrifying even.

My YouTube channel had a little over a million subscribers at the start of quarantine and now....now it’s closer to three million. Speaking of three million, I’m about to reach it any day now and it’s really hard to believe. I’m a gaming youtuber and I’ve never considered changing my genre despite expecting to not get any attention whatsoever, with all the big names on the platform. I was convinced not even as many as a hundred people would stumble across my videos and now here we are.

My OG subscribers are very supportive of my sudden growth and are defending me when my newer fans ask for a face reveal or whatnot. While we’re on that topic I might have to mention that not even my YouTube friends, and that includes Rae have seen my face. I’ve been faceless and bodiless for the entirety of my time on social media. Some claim I do it to grab more attention or for dramatic effect, but the reason is beyond that. I’m not shallow. Actually, shallow people are the reason I don’t show my face. I’ve never been the prettiest, but my middle school bully thought that I wasn’t lacking self confidence enough. As a result, I ended up with a not so handsome scar on my right cheek that starts from the corner of my mouth and nearly misses my eye. Yeah, it’s a long and pretty noticeable scar that has thankfully become less and less obvious as the years have progressed. Still, it’s not something I’d like to show to my viewers.

Eight ‘hi’s greet me back, each making my smile grow wider. “Sorry I’m late guys. Technical difficulties.” 

“Don’t worry.“ Rae’s voice dominates over the rest, “Corpse still isn’t here so we’re waiting for him.“

I mute myself on the Discord call and take a look at my comments. I’m most flattered by the comments about my voice. Seeing as how they don’t have much to compliment about me other than my content, they make the nicest comments about my voice, personality and humor. Those comments are the ones who warm my heart most. Even when people in my day to day life compliment my appearance I can’t find it in me to believe they are being genuine. I’d like to believe these amazing people are being one hundred percent honest when they tell me they like me for who I am and not for what I might look like.

“Sorry I’m late guys.“ A deep voice causes me to even physically jolt, switching my focus from the comments to the Among Us lobby where my eyes land on the newly materialized black avatar.

“Hi Corpse.“ Rae greets him.

“Hello mister who broke Twitter!“ Sean laughs, provoking the laughter of the rest of the players.

“Yeah, congratulations man. That’s a big deal.“ Felix chimes in.

“Thanks guys, but I think you’re forgetting we’re talking about a picture of my hand.“ Corpse chuckles timidly. I have noticed how shy he gets when someone gives him a compliment - like a snail slowly withdrawing in its shell. I find it adorable.

“That’s what makes it even better!“ I unmute my mic, sending my own congratulations.

“While we’re on that topic...“ Rae begins, waiting for the rest of us to shut our traps, suggesting she has something important to say. “Y/N, do you ever plan on doing a reveal like that? Not a face reveal. Just a body part reveal.“

I have no problem talking about the subject with friends but I get nervous when I’m supposed to discuss it with my fans. Seeing as how everyone, including myself, is streaming right now, I get a bit of a stutter in my speech. “Haven’t thought about it yet. But I guess a body part reveal is harmless.” I cringe immediately after letting the words leave my mouth, “That sounds so weird.”

Rae knows that I’m not too fond of my face, but I haven’t told her about my scar yet. I let almost all people I’ve met online think I’m using my lack of appearance for effect. For the mystery of it all. Mysteries attract people which equals attention. Attention equals views and the domino effect continues.

“Just a suggestion. No pressure.“ Rae adds quickly, knowing full well I get anxious when the subject is brought up in front of cameras. “Let’s get this game started, shall we.”

                                                          * * *

The idea dwells in my mind, sitting on the back burner even after I disconnect from the Discord call. I’m sitting in my gaming chair, which was a gift for my two million milestone, and weighing out the pros and cons of the action Rae suggested I take.

“It’s a picture of your fucking hand, dummy. How bad can it turn out?“ I say out loud, shaking my head at my indecisiveness. “You’ll be fine.”

In a blur, two pictures are already posted on my Instagram. The first one captioned ‘Took a leaf from my friend’s book. Did I do it right @ corpsehusband?’ and the second ‘Thanks, Rae. These are on you.’

Rae’s POV

As I’m watching a movie in my living room, I get a notification from Instagram, informing me that Y/N has posted for the first time in a while.

I scoff, “More like the first time in forever.”

The first thing that comes to my mind is the possibility of her reaching that three million milestone that’s been long time coming. I bring the glass of water that’s sitting on my coffee table to my lips, taking a sip as I tap the notification. The picture I see makes me hurry to put the glass back down so I don’t drop it. Y/N’s hand. Her fingers are covered with several thin rings each. And here I thought Corpse had too many rings, this girl has at least two on every finger! 

Then my eyes land on the second picture she has posted only minutes after the first and my heart drops. I struggle to get the water that’s been sitting in my moth down my esophagus while my mind is struggling with the task to comprehend the picture I’m looking at. 

Another hand is resting on top of Y/N’s. A hand also covered in rings but fewer and larger. The nails are painted black. 

I think I know who it belongs to.

Before I can even finish the thought, I’m dialing Y/N. She picks up after the second ring, sound cheery as ever as she greets me. “Hey Rae!”

“Don’t you ‘Hey Rae’ me!” I practically scream. I hate being kept in the dark about anything ever so this is just driving me mad. On top of all, she’s my best friend, for fuck’s sake. “Is that Corpse in the photo with you?!”

“Ugh....“ the cheeriness to her voice is all but gone now.

I go on with my rant, not giving her the time to reply. Not that she would reply. I bet she doesn’t know what to say. “So he knows where you live?! Or was the picture taken at his place?! He knows what you look like?! You have seen him! He has seen you in real life but me, your best friend, haven’t!!! You are breaking Covid 19 protection laws to take pictures?! Are you fucking serious, Y/N?!”

There’s a long moment of silence which frustrates me even more but I literally have run out of things to yell and the power to be angry. I mean, I still am, I just can’t express it.

“Rae, sweetheart, please calm down. You’re scary when you’re mad.“ This girl has some fucking nerve! She’s on the verge of laughing!

“Listen here you...“ 

“Rae, please stop scaring my girlfriend.“ That oh so distinguishable, oh so familiar voice interrupts me.

I am flabbergasted, for a lack of a better term.

“Now that we’ve got you quiet, I can explain.“ Y/N pics up the conversation, “Corpse and I have been dating for six, almost seven months now. We started dating around Easter after talking for quite some time. We moved in together at the end of September. All thanks to you, Rae. You’re the best.” She pauses to breathe in real quick, “There, all caught up?“

I’m in no less shock than I was before she explained. Actually, I think I might be even more confused now. It all just feels like a fever dream. “Yes...no. I don’t fucking know! I need details, Y/N!”

“Details later.“ Corpse makes his presence known once again, “We’re watching Family Guy right now. Talk to you later.“

“Love you, Rae!“ Y/N calls out before the line goes dead.

My arm goes limp, dropping my phone on the couch next to me. 

“Motherfuckers” I mumble under my breath.

Y/N’s POV

It’s been a week since Rae has stopped talking to both Corpse and me. I know she just needs some time to cool off. In the meantime, the rest of our friends were informed and, as oppose to Rae, were nothing but supportive and overjoyed. I bet Rae feels the same way though. Sean, Dave and the rest of the gang have confirmed that she’s incredibly happy for us and says she noticed a spark between me and him since day one, but she can’t help but be mad at us, and especially me, for not telling her sooner.

“Any regrets?“ I remember Corpse asking me when we hung up on her after dropping the bomb.

“Not being able to see her face when she saw the picture.“ I beam at him, feeling as content as ever.

He laughs, agreeing with me before leaning down to kiss me.

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios

[garbagevanfleet]

Brightest Blue (series)

PART FOURTEEN

Pairing: Josh x reader Warnings: mentions of sexual content, feelings, cigarettes Summary:  Things are changing. New state. New school. New roommate. You just pray things are going to click into place.

Notes: HI EVERYONE! I’m sorry I’m so inconsistent lately. I promise that the next chaptered fic I write, I’ll only start posting it when I’m done writing it. I hope you like this chapter - its incredibly sappy because I’m on my period lol

As always, big thanks to my beta, @lantern-inthenight​ <3

taglist: @valleyd0ll @satingrass-maidensfair @guitarfingers @thebohemianpenguin @peaceisouranthem @oblvions @hansonobsessed @myownparadise96 @anditsmywholeheart @kill-fear-the-power-of-lies @bigblack-catattack​  @dharma-divine​

MASTERPOST

“Remind me again why you want to ride separately from your brother?” You looked pointedly over at Josh, who was smiling as he ran a soapy rag over the plate you’d just finished eating off of. 

“I already have to spend my whole winter break with my family, no need to rob myself of alone time with you,” he explained like it was obvious. 

A huff escaped your lips. You pushed away from where you had been leaning against the counter and wrapped your arms around his neck from behind. You laid your head in between his shoulder blades, feeling him turn to nuzzle his nose against your arm as it laid on his shoulder.  

“We spend so much time together - like every day - which I’m obviously grateful for,” you said, half-muffled by the material of his sweater. “But don’t you think it just makes more sense to carpool?” 

You couldn’t see his hands, but the movements you could feel told you he was wiping the extra water off of them before turning around and pressing your chests together. His lips lightly brushed your temple as he spoke. 

“You’re right,” he agreed, though you knew him well enough to know he wasn’t about to just relent. “It does make more sense - I just don’t want to.”

You let out a breath, frowning as you tried to figure out if you should say what you were thinking. After a moment of working up the courage, you cupped his jaw with your right hand, knowing full well that the sweet gesture would help him swallow the discomfort your words would cause. 

“Josh,” Your voice was low and quiet, but as you met his eyes, you chickened out. They were so honest, looking at you like your presence was the only thing keeping him grounded - like if you left, he’d just cease to exist. You made a mental note to have a talk with him about that at some point, but you decided it would have to be after you’d returned from Christmas break. 

“Hm?” You must have been contemplating too long, prompting his features into a look of concern. You couldn’t bear it. 

“Jake is going to ride with us,” you said decidedly. “I already told him he could.”

That was a bit of a lie - he had mentioned it a few days ago and you had said you’d run it by Josh, but you had just made up his mind for him.

He huffed a laugh as he rolled his eyes playfully at you. “Sounds like you’re already communicating better with my family than I have in months.”

“Well,” you started, giving him a pointed look - the kind you only give when you feel confident that you’re right. “I think that would mean communicating with them at all. Honestly, Josh, I know you-”

You were abruptly silenced as he placed his forefinger across your open lips, a half-smirk on his face. 

“It’s okay,” he assured simply. “He can ride with us.”

A smile spread across your face underneath his finger. “Good. Have you started packing?” Your words were muffled under his touch.

“Eh,” he replied with a noncommittal shrug, lowering his hand to brush his thumb across your chin. 

“Do you want help with that?” you inquired cheekily. “Because, you know, we leave in two days.” 

He appeared to consider it for a moment before nodding. “Actually, yeah, that sounds nice. You can sit on my bed and watch while I pack really inappropriate clothes for the occasion.”

You half-snorted out a laugh, rolling your eyes because you knew that’s the reaction he was aiming for. “How about I just pack for you?”

+++

For the first time since knowing him, you saw Jake Kiszka wearing a jacket. It was long and dramatic and nearly brushed the top of the snow as he made his way out to your car with a leather duffle bag in his left hand.

He opened the rear, passenger-side door and tossed his bag in next to yours and Josh’s before sliding in next to it. 

You greeted him cheerily, to which he shot you back a smile as a reply.

“You’re actually wearing a coat,” you noted as he pulled the seatbelt over his form and buckled in.

He hummed amusedly, reaching into his pocket and popping a stick of gum in his mouth. 

“I’ve found that he doesn’t usually dress like a slut to go home,” Josh replied instead as he turned a lighter around in his palm, absent of the task. 

“And if I didn’t wear a coat home, I’d never hear the end of it.” 

Josh nodded in agreement, and then you watched a shit-eating grin spread across his lips. “I’m kinda surprised Kate isn’t coming with us today, to be honest. Are you waiting until Easter just to make sure?”

You were busy pulling out onto the road, so you didn’t see it, but you could imagine Jake deeply rolling his eyes at the question. 

“I would bring Kate home - it would make me truly happy to physically see Mom die a little inside when she starts trying to talk about amphibious breeding cycles at length during dinner,” he mused, voice clear of any kind of sorrow. He finished simply and with a smile, “But she isn’t my girlfriend.”

“I don’t know, it seemed a little sus when I showed up at her house in the morning and you were already there, chillin’ with her dog,” you replied in a sing-song voice. 

“I wasn’t already there, I was still there.” You felt him place a hand on your shoulder, and slap his other one against Josh’s. “Not all of us have the luxury of just being able to pop down the hall.”

“Fair enough,” you relented, feeling your face flush warm. 

“Or the shower. Or the kitchen that one time,” Josh added unhelpfully, making your eyes immediately pop open. 

“Josh,” you scolded and quickly considered reaching over and slapping him, but decided it was unsafe to drive and strike a passenger at the same time. 

“No, this is good,” Jake assured through a smirk you could hear. “Let him get it all out before we get there.”

Josh snickered back, “You’re such a prick.”

+++

The Kiszka homestead was almost impossibly cozy. There was a basket of blankets by the big sofa (much nicer and fluffier than the blankets at your apartment, which had been flattened and matted to the point of complete defeat) and the furniture was centered around a glowing, stone fireplace. Josh’s mom had hugged him for a long moment upon your arrival - a gesture that made your throat feel tight as you watched her fingers flex in the material at the back of his shirt. 

She was sunny and kind to the point that you could clearly see Josh’s mannerisms reflected in hers, and the dinner she laid out on the dining room table seemed impossibly large to you, having come from a home with just three people in it. 

When she asked you how you liked Midwestern cooking, you gushed about it for - what was undeniably - too long. You’d never say, but you weren’t positive that part of it wasn’t just not having had a real home-cooked meal in months. 

You had come to decipher that Josh had told his family that you were just a roommate that didn’t have a place to go for winter break, but you were pretty sure you’d be able to tell the nature of your relationship if you were on the outside looking in - you seemed to be magnetically drawn to wherever Josh was these days. 

Everyone cleared out of the living room pretty quickly after dinner and conversation, and you finally got the chance to ask the question that had been on your mind all day. 

“Do I sleep out here?” 

You were posted up on the couch, your legs crossed one over the other with Josh staying a few inches farther away from you than you were used to.

“No,” he replied. “You can take my room and I’ll sleep out here.”

You had asked mostly as a formality - you hadn’t figured that you’d actually have to sleep separately. Through a slight frown, you said, “Oh, man. It’s been a while since I’ve had to sleep alone. What if I freeze to death?” 

He flashed you a smile. “I thought ahead and laid a heated blanket out on the bed for you.”

“Heated blanket? This whole time heated blankets were an option?” you whispered harshly.

“Okay, in my defense, by the time I remembered that they existed, we were already sleeping in the same bed every night.”

The suspicious way you stared at him for a few moments had him biting back a laugh - one of those unguarded ones that seemed to be reserved for people he was really comfortable around. Which seemed to just be you most of the time. 

“Will you at least come get ready for bed with me?” you asked, subtly looking up at him through your lashes. 

“Of course - no puppy eyes necessary,” he assured with a snicker.

This room was decidedly different than the one back in Ann Arbor. Josh’s space back in the apartment was mostly made up of Earth tones - either picked by choice or having just dulled over time. There were little pops of color scattered around the room, like the golden yellow rug that spread across almost all of the wooden floor, or the string of flags that spanned the entire wall above his bed. 

This room was different. You could tell that his parents had tried to clean it up since Josh had moved out, but there was still evidence of spots where posters were hung on the maroon red walls. A stack of comics laid on the dresser - the surface of which was covered in residue and paper where he had placed stickers and then tried to peel them off. 

You eyed a well-used keyboard placed along the far wall, and what appeared to be milk crates full of sheet music and the idea of him sitting in front of it and practicing for hours brought a smile to your lips. 

He hauled both of your bags up onto the bed and you both picked through them for the sleep apparel you’d packed. You watched him change into a short-sleeved tee and a pair of loose flannel pants through the bathroom mirror as you brushed your teeth across the hall, and when he caught your eyes, he gave you a smirk. 

You’d been half expecting him to change his mind and just crawl into bed with you, but instead, he helped you clamber under the covers and pulled the comforter up to your chest. 

“Wow, full service tuck-in and everything,” you teased, but quickly shut up when his thumb brushed over your lips. 

“Well,” he mused, voice low. “Not the full service.”

You gave him a sour grin as he backed up to the door and flicked the light off. 

“Good night, Joshua.”

+++

The next couple of days came and went easily. You were starting to get actually acquainted with his family - chatting with his mother and sister over morning coffee, and getting pinned between his brothers on the sofa while Christmas movies played in the background.

You really hadn’t realized how much you missed being around family until it hit you at dinner one night. You watched out of the corner of your eye as Josh unscrewed the lid on the salt under the lip of the table and then asked Sam if he wanted any. 

Josh was just about to slide it across the beat-up wooden surface when you snatched it out of his hand, pointedly tightened the lid, and then slid it over. 

When you peeked over at him, Josh was glaring at you, but he wasn’t able to stop the mischievous smirk that his mouth took the shape of. 

Sam huffed a laugh that sounded more like a scoff, having figured out the plot quickly after seeing the look on Josh’s face.  

“Samuel, do me a favor and dump the whole shaker of salt on your potatoes,” Josh requested in a faux-sweet voice. “Please and thank you.” 

“Piss off.” Sam’s reply came through a mouth-full of food, but somehow, he still managed to look lovely while saying it. However, that didn’t save him from his mom’s scolding look - though whether that was in response to the harsh language or speaking with a full mouth was anyone’s guess. You guessed that a person never got to grow out of being “the baby”. 

It was then - that simple moment - that you realized how oddly welcomed you felt in this setting. It hadn’t been awkward or uncomfortable even once. You’d never felt out of place despite how different it was from your own home experience. 

After you were settled into bed that night, you laid awake thinking about nothing and everything. You didn’t feel particularly tired, but you had decided to turn in when Josh started dozing off on the couch while you were watching the tv on low volume. 

You had no clue what time it was, as your phone was charging across the room, but at some point you heard the distinct sound of a door creaking open. It was just down the hall - that you could distinguish -  but you weren’t positive which room specifically. The person made their way down the hall, and then up a creaky set of steps, though you could tell that they were trying to move quietly when they got to the next floor and the cadence of their steps changed to something lighter. 

You thought about it for a moment before pushing the covers off of you, crawling out of the warmth of the nest you’d made, and slipping your feet into a pair of Josh’s fuzzy slippers that were just barely peeking out under the bed frame. Trying to be as quiet as the last person had been, you crept up the stairs in the low light, having to strain to see the steps in the unfamiliar space, lest you lose your footing. 

The room at the top of the steps was a study, and on the other side of it was a large, sliding glass door. And on the other side of that, was Jake, sat out on a covered patio with a cigarette in his hand. 

You crossed the room, grabbing a blanket off of the worn leather sofa and wrapping it around yourself as you moved. 

He barely turned his head to look at you as you slid the glass open and stepped out onto the porch. The brisk air hit you hard enough to nearly knock the breath from your lungs, so you pulled the blanket up your body until only your head was showing. 

“Sorry if I scared you.” The volume of your words were just above a whisper as you bent to sit next to him on the cold wood. “Or if I’m intruding.”

He hummed around his cigarette before ashing it into a Coke can. “You didn’t, and you aren’t.” He looked you over for the first time then and frowned deeply at you. “You are going to freeze to death though. Where the hell is your coat?”

“I’m fine, I’ve got the blanket, see?” you assured, though you had to admit that the cold cut right through the thick material. 

He ran his eyes up and down it, rolling them affectionately at you. “Okay,” he replied, though it sounded nothing like he believed you. After a few silent moments, he spoke again. 

“How are you liking it here?”

A genuine smile spread out over your lips. “Michigan is lovely, if that’s what you mean. Cold to the point where I’m not sure why anyone would want to live here, but. Lovely, all the same.” 

He smiled back at you, oddly warm in nature for him. “And what about the family? Do you find all of us lovely too?” 

“Absolutely,” you agreed, pulling your knees up to your chest like you were in a cocoon. Another few long moments ticked by as you watched the snow fall. The night was so still that you swore you could hear the flakes as they settled on whatever surface they happened to land on. 

“Can I ask you something?” You flicked your eyes over at him to assess his expression. You knew your brows were threaded close together in worry, which he seemed to take into account before he answered.

He nodded as he took another drag. “Sure,” he replied, smoke and steam glowing with the light of the cherry on the end of his cigarette as he exhaled. 

You were silently trying to figure out how to word it for long enough that he looked over at you expectantly. 

“Do you think Josh would have come home for Christmas if I...weren’t around?” 

He met your eyes and huffed a humorless laugh. “I think that he would have spent a week or two anxiously deciding whether he could handle it and then, ultimately, he would feel too guilty to say no. And from there, I think it would have been a repeat of last year - he would have come home here, found it exhausting, and then screened everyone's’ calls for a couple of months again.”

You weren’t sure what to say, so you just stared at his face, your teeth pressed into your bottom lip until you could feel they’d left an indent as you ran your tongue over it. 

“But it’s weird, right?” he continued, biting back a smirk that made you a little uneasy about what he was going to say next. “He seems to be almost blissfully happy this year.”

You held your breath for a moment as you tried to organize your emotions, and then exhaled in a rush once it became uncomfortable. “Look, I. He’s obviously a lot of things to me. A best friend, a room mate, a...romantic partner?”

Jake shot you a disbelieving but highly amused look at your wording.

“But I’m worried that he’s tying himself to me too tightly.” With your eyes, you tried to portray the emotions that that thought evoked in you - how compressed it made you feel. 

He seemed to chew it over as he stubbed out his cigarette on the damp wood and then - near instantly - materialized another from behind his ear like a magic trick.  

“I love seeing him happy, but I’m scared that I’m the only thing making him happy,” you finished, voice admittedly a little shaky. You didn’t ask first - though you should have - but you slid closer to him until your shoulders were touching, and despite not knowing him all that well yet, it still managed to make you feel more grounded. “It’s not that I expect this to end - whatever we have - but what if it does?”

Jake’s eyes flitted around your features like he was trying to map your face as you anxiously waited for him to tell you everything would be alright. 

“You know,” he started, voice low. “When we moved away for school, he was the one that decided we wouldn’t room together. I mean, I didn’t blame him or anything, but I always just assumed we would. He used to be so outgoing. I mean, he never missed a party. People would trip over themselves to be next to him. He used to take his ex out any time he could - it didn’t really matter where, because he’s always had a way of making even the most monotonous task seem fun.”

You didn’t try to suppress a smile as it found your lips. 

“So, his ex broke it off with him. I don’t know what happened really - only what I’ve been able to pry out of him - but it fucked him up pretty good. And then as he was just starting to get over it, his roommate had some kind of mental break and just moved out one weekend while Josh was gone. It’s not like they were best friends or anything, but they got along.”

“Fuck,” you whispered, resting your head on Jake’s shoulder and not caring whether or not it was polite to do so anymore. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, simply. The tone of his voice was something very somber - the kind you’d use if you were giving a eulogy. “I tried to help. I offered to move in with him. I showed up at his apartment all the time, but he got pretty effective at dodging me. Not just me, actually, but everyone. Worried the fuck out of our mom.” 

“What then?” You were not-so-secretly hoping that Jake was going to find a way to make you feel better, and the pitch of your voice reflected it. The core of your body felt like it was stuffed full of stones, weighted and heavy. “What happened?”

Jake hummed. “Well, he started to level out a bit. After a good couple months he started at least answering the door when I came to see him. Sometimes he’d text me back after a day or two. That went on like that for a while.”

He titled his head to look over at you then for the first time in a while. You felt oddly vulnerable after hearing all of that, but you tried not to duck away from his eyes. 

“But then, suddenly, you were there. He didn’t tell me a thing about you, or even that he was getting a new roommate until well after you were already moved in.”

You huffed a laugh. “If it makes you feel better, he didn’t tell me anything about you either really. Imagine my surprise when I open the door and you were a twin. Uncanny valley territory.” 

“I think he learned how to compartmentalize the people in his life. Seems like it’s easier to manage relationships that way when you’re an extremely guarded person like he had suddenly become.”

He took a pause to take a long drag, simultaneously running a hand through his silky hair. 

“But to answer your question - I don’t think you’re the only thing making him happy,” he continued, meeting your eyes with an intensity that you understood to your core. “I think you’re just reminding him that there are things to be happy about.” 

You weren’t sure what you were expecting him to say, but you were suddenly choking back tears and a tight, hot feeling in your throat.  

“You’ve just got to give him time to remember what it’s like.”

When you opened your mouth to reply, you realized you’d been holding your breath for a moment too long, causing you to suck in a shaky breath. “I intend to give him all the time he needs,” you promised. 

Jake offered you back a smile as he moved to stand, stretching out his muscles and then extending a hand for you to take. He helped you clamber up off the floor before tucking his lighter back into the pocket of his fleece sleep-pants. 

“Good to hear.” 

[embervoices]

Ha! I'm amused at this mix. I'm not especially worried about being cancelled in fan culture, but here are some opinions I've offered in the past that have gotten... disappointment.

I, too, can't read Tolkien. I love his worldbuilding, and very much respect him as the father of modern high fantasy as I know it, which I dearly love. But his writing style drives me up a wall. My great-grandmother found him so insufferable she dumped a bucket of water on his head just to get him to stop blathering and go away. (The only exception is that I do like his structured poetry.)

I'm not sure if I disagree that DA:I has a lot of things to waste your time on, but I'll say that I don't mind it, because wandering around in the world is enjoyable to me. I will literally go wandering through the Hinterlands, Frostback Basin, and Exalted Plains, just to gather herbs and stuff that I don't actually need, because it's pretty, and listen for banter exchanges I've could easily look up online. Possibly I am the target audience. Sorry to everyone else? I love all three main games and am not going to apologize for replaying them, ALWAYS on CASUAL/EASY so I could go through each of the romances separately.

Speaking of which, I see no point in playing any computer RPG on anything other than easy/casual/story mode. I'm there for the plot. Giving the monsters more hit points and nerfing my equipment doesn't make the game more interesting, it just puts more obstacles between me and the content I'm there for.

Similarly, the only accomplishments I care about in games are the silly/easter egg ones.

I'm extremely irritated by the Darker and Edgier additions to Star Trek - the whole point was optimism for a future where we have learned how to fucking share. There's plenty of dystopian sci fi, Star Trek didn't need to join them!

I almost never mind when TV and Movie versions of books I loved deviate from their source material. Every once in a while I'll be sad they dropped a specific line or scene or element I felt was key to its meaning for me, but most of the time I feel the changes are an improvement for how the story maps to the new medium, and/or entirely appropriate social progress on stories that really could use the upgrade.

I love Legend of Zelda with all my heart, but I can rarely be bothered to play through the end games of most of them, they're usually such a non-sequitur to the rest of the game in play style.

I don't actually like playing Final Fantasy games at all. The play style annoys the hell out of me, as do all first person shooter style games. This is not because I think my beloved Zelda and DA are fundamentally better than FF and FPS styles, but because they're fundamentally better for ME.

I love watching other people play good story games that I don't want to play myself, but ONLY LIVE. I only watch snippets of Let's Plays on YouTube to find scenes I'm trying to write about in fanfic.

But probably the least problematic opinion I have about fandom in general that people want to boot me for is simply this:

FANDOM IS FOR EVERYONE

I understand this (as someone who loves the Locked Tomb books).

My opinions:

I don't like most sci fi.

I'm not interested in anything Tolkien wrote (his non-fiction put me to sleep, literally fell asleep in the middle of the university library).

Sometimes tabletop rpgs that are rules lite are just bad (looking at some Powered by the Apocalypse games--Monster of the Week and Thirsty Sword Lesbians are good though).

(I'm sorry) Dragon Age Inquisition is more interested in wasting the player's time than giving them meaningful experiences.

As someone who likes puttering around in FFXV, the last good Final Fantasy was FFX. (I know someone who loves XII I'm sorry I couldn't get into it).

Might as well kick the hornet's nest but Chrono Cross > Chrono Trigger.