#at this point i’m quite used to swimming against the current

[glassfirefly]

Once again feeling frustrated by the way this fandom overlooks the Barright ship. I spent years disappointed by the lack of content about them and seriously, I don’t get it: they have a lot of potential, much more than most of the popular ships. There, I finally said it.

[actuallyjustabiscuit]

PART EIGHT

Listen. Listen. Listen.

I will go over everything between Kinger and Pomni’s convo in Hell in a more in depth analysis, amongst other significant things that happen in the episode.

But before all that, these are the last little bits that I just wanted to mention.

Again, lighting is hella (lol) dark, but I’m in love with this extreme wide shot view of Kinger and Pomni staring into the hallway of the damned because it’s very similar to this shot with Pomni and Gummigoo in ep 2 when they were stuck under the map👇🏽

Both scenes make the characters look so small.

And, incidentally, both locations happen to be “underground”!

These are quite literally the low points of the episodes, and in both instances the characters experiencing emotional turmoil are able to resurface with newfound hope from the help of a friend.

It really drives home Kinger’s point about how their current existence may seem pointless, but having people who care about you can mean a lot.

These characters are trapped in this massive virtual world with so little control over their lives, yet they can still find comfort in each other.

We know this is physically painful for Pomni.

We know because she tells us right at the beginning.

Anyone who has ever held their breath for a long time, either while swimming underwater, avoiding noxious fumes, or just for kicks, understand that when your body is screaming to take a much needed breath your brain is instilled with the fear of suffocation if you continue to deprive yourself of oxygen. Ya know that thing people normally need to live.

However, we also know that, because the player’s digital bodies aren’t real, that fear is now rendered unwarranted. Pomni has been told that she should have no fear of death if she doesn’t take a breath, yet she still feels it, because she is still afraid of it.

Now of course this is much easier said than done, but it is what ultimately helps Pomni in the end. And it’s done almost accidentally because just as Pomni is beginning to feel the fear of suffocating…Kinger starts to glow, and as a result creates a sort of distraction for her to make it through the hallway. She is no longer thinking about how she should be afraid of dying. Kinger, just by walking through "hell" with her, helped her become a little braver.

It’s not only visually beautiful, it’s also thematically heartwarming.

This overhead shot of Pomni approaching Ragatha is so funny to me cuz it feels so unnecessary.

We already know she smol, the angle here is almost rubbing it in!

Look at this loser. Absolutely enamored with this girl finally giving her positive attention.

Meanwhile Jax’s literally stuck in the background watching this sapphic saccharine scene playing out against his will thinking

[argyrocratie]

"Catastrophe for somebody, salvation for others. Desertion is flooding Ukraine" by assembly.org.ua

"Imagine: the rulers start a war, and no one goes to it!"

Donations to support the authors are possible at this link. Many thanks everyone for such a great contribution!

(...)

The article "In the long hot summer, Ukrainian and Russian soldiers broke records for the growth of desertions", which was published by us on the first day of autumn, turned out to be just in time. (It is available in Russian, in English, in Spanish, in Italian.) A number of feedbacks came from both sides of the front. From discussions in local chats of Kharkov:

"I have a small observation, several busified ones, who haven’t been very critical of the authorities all this time, now quite console themselves with the thought that those at the top know better. While you are "free", your thoughts are within the framework of social currents and have the opportunity to wag. As soon as you get into a collective with outlined tasks, in most cases, your thoughts are in the same tunnel as everyone else. A busified, getting into a collective of previously busified, but already resigned to the situation, mentally assimilates with them, accepts their point of view, creating a comfort zone (swimming against the current is always uncomfortable). There he’s drawn into the topic and also begins to think that everyone else is a scoundrel and an evader, motivation appears. Until he gets into slaughter. There comes awareness and often SOCh [desertion]."

-

"I have three – a godfather and two deceased acquaintances who went voluntarily from the first days, but when they came to Kharkov, we drank together, no one shouted that I’m an evader, but on the contrary, that there’s nothing to do there. One, a volunteer too, is already abroad. He went for 2 weeks and has been there for half a year already. He said that just to take a rest..."

-

"A guy worked nearby, and he had a dog. So he dressed it up in a camouflage vest, a yellow and blue leash. And he himself walked around with all sorts of patriotic bracelets and tridents on his backpack. On the way to work, he was accepted by the TCR and he went to training. Then I see after 2-3 months he is hobbling. I thought he was drunk, but everything turned out to be much more interesting. After training, they were taken in tarpaulin trucks somewhere to the front line. And right when unloading the personnel, they got hit with something cassette-like. So, he wasn't drunk, his legs were cut up by shrapnel, and they hadn't pulled out all the shrapnel from the body yet. They sent him home from the hospital to finish his treatment, but didn’t write him off due to his wounds. And the guy said during conversation that he f*cked all this, he was going to go into SZCh. That's how quickly his surge of patriotism passed."

On September 9, we received a letter from Gorlovka, controlled by the far-right "Donetsk People’s Republic" since 2014:

"The saddest thing is that if you start telling people that soldiers need to desert the army and turn their weapons against those in power, people will widen their eyes and say, "Do you want 1917 to happen again? For brother against brother again, and for people to swell with hunger? It's better if we endure, otherwise it will get worse." We have photos of those wanted for escape on our streets. And the inscriptions: "Betrayed the republic, betrayed comrades, betrayed himself." I’ve heard the opinion that we have a lot of SOCh. But "a lot of" is a flexible concept. And their captures aren’t published here."

We will not cite the name of the person who spoke out.

(...)

Alas, after the end of the Vietnam War, such a type of anti-war activist as a military serviceman engaged in agitation and propaganda among his colleagues was practically forgotten. This is exactly what a Russian leftist who introduces himself as Sergey Thälmann wrote to us about on September 2. In addition to other important inside information, his letter helps us understand why there was no widespread desertion among Russian conscripts in the Kursk region, despite the fact that this seems to be the most logical choice for those poorly prepared for battle:

"I’m a conscript, there was no distinct choice. I actively educate soldiers and explain the injustice of the conflict. Of course, I’m not very fond of anarchism, but I believe that there’s no way without anarchists. Anarchism is the heart of communism, and Marxism is its mind.

I’ll say right away that there’s a strange atmosphere among conscripts – for some reason everyone wants to see the war. And when you start explaining that war is not a shooter, not a computer game, their desire immediately disappears. However, there are even such young people who defend Russian capital. They speak in the paradigm of "friends – foes" about Ukrainians and Russians. This is truly frightening. Many sign the contract, but... Taking into account both material and superstructural values. That is, with the desire to see the war. Consumer society has washed away the human brain so much that 19-year-old guys in Balashikha [near Moscow, – Ed.] want to go to Kursk. And it seems to me that such an atmosphere is not only here.

Well, and interesting observations: many officers are outright Nazis. For example, I talked to the communications chief of the mortar division of the 4th regiment. And he told me that I need to read... German thinkers of the 1930s. And there are hundreds of such ones here. Although there are adequate people... On the faces of the mobilized you can see more fear, despair. I talked to so many mobics here – not a single one wanted to fight. Some worked in a plant, some as an electrician. But conscripts are the opposite. Maybe because many are from the provinces, where life is boring and there are few bright emotions. Or maybe because in a consumer society, the consumer can consume absolutely any product provided. Even war becomes a commodity for sale.

In the companies there is also such a concept – military-political information. There they say absolutely terrible things. About how Ukraine almost burns people alive, and almost exclusively hits peaceful cities, ignoring military objects. As if the AFU isn’t an army, but... some small bandit who shoots at everything in sight. The main thing is that they hush up how in Russia, too, they pack people and forcibly send to war.

What can we get here, two concentrated capitals clashed with each other. Their most loyal dogs came out of their kennels)) Ukrainian capital is just as chauvinistic and concentrated in the form of financial capital as Russian. No government can be defended, they are both criminal, both thieves. And war is a war of slave owners for the strengthening and reinforcement of slavery. To support one of the slave owners in it means to be against the oppressed, that is, against the slaves. Against the serfs. Against the proletarians.

By the way, to those who say that Ukraine is a victim. Supporting a young and inexperienced robber in a fight with an old and fat one is supporting robbery as such and further robbery of one of them."

...

[rainbowcaleb]

FICLET FRIDAY : Hot boi by the sea

Prompt: summer vacation | Rating: T | Pairing: shadowgast | WIP, currently 2400 words

A/N : I rediscovered this fic from June last year and have been finishing it for posting! Enjoy this longer snippet from the middle of the fic…

“But you! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear so little clothes!” She gestures at his outfit, the black linen sleeveless top and loose plum silk trousers.

“Oh, Light.” Essek mutters and uses his free hand to shift the wrap of his shirt a little more closed. His clothes suddenly feel so scandalous, despite being practically required for this coastal heat.

“Oh no, nonono, I’m sorry Essie, I didn’t mean to make you feel all self conscious, but is it really such a bad thing to be a little ogled at?” Jester looks so earnest that Essek feels compelled to answer.

“It is because you are right; it has easily been decades since I’ve worn such garments in public. I may have been a child last. You all have certainly…relaxed me, but I think my comfort level still has legs to stretch.”

Caleb’s hand is back, now brushing against his shoulder, still so careful to touch what is still covered in fabric. “If you’d like, I have a spare shirt packed, if you wish for another layer.”

“No.” Essek says firmly. “Thank you. I think perhaps the challenge is good for me. I would like to see the ocean, and partake in –what was it Jester?– the local iced poles.”

“Pops, but yes Essek!” She snaps the fingers of her free hand. “It’s hot boi summer, let yourself look hot!” She leans forward enough to catch Caleb’s eye on Essek’s other side. “Even Caleb agrees.”

“Ja, I—” He starts, mouth making a couple silent word attempts before continuing. Then he stands straighter. “Yes. Yes, Jester is right. Your chosen outfit is quite…” He trails off, eyes caught in the sheen of Essek’s pants and looking completely lost for correct words.

“You. Two. Are. Dating.” Jester sighs with the gusto of an elephant trumpet. “At some point you’ll see each others’ dicks so you should really stop blushing over clothes. Unless you have doodley-dooed already and you’re trying to throw me off?”

“Jester!” Essek’s sounds are the squeaking mouse to Jester’s elephant. “We, no, what we do is between us–”

Caleb, despite being tomato red, replies in a fairly reasonable tone. “You are one of our closest friends, but there are some things that will stay between us. For explanation, I was simply…flipping through my mental dictionary and coming up short.”

“Hot boi.” Jester rolls her eyes. “It’s his nickname for a reason.”

“You do look—” Caleb gives him a radiant grin, the bastard. “Very hot.”

Essek wants to bury his face in the inside of his robes, but alas his robes are absent and his shirt is far too low cut. “Thank you Caleb, I think you do too.”

“What, this?” He gestures at his open white shirt, offering a lovely view of bare chest and chest hair, and thigh length linen shorts. “You should see my swimsuit.”

Jester breaks out into a giggle and then quickly tries to stifle herself. Essek and Caleb share a look; it certainly sounds like there is mischief afoot.

“Blueberry.” Essek lets the word roll around his tongue, trying out the nickname. Jester looks at him delighted. “Speaking of swimming, we have been walking for quite a while and have yet to reach any sight of shore. I kindly ask again, this is a tourist town by the sea, correct?”

[katyawriteswhump]

The power of love, part 5 (steddie, stobin, steve whump fic)

Steve has a habit of surviving near death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Eddie POV

Robin spreads out a map they’d taken from the Harringtons across the blanket on Steve’s bed. She points to their current location. 

“So, this is us. We’re away from the road but still waaay too screaming-in-your-face easy to find.” She slides her finger a few inches across the map. “This old loggers’ camp is deep in the forest and could be the perfect place to hide. However, it’s over seven miles and we might have to hike, if the track is broken up. Steve? What do you say?”

“What am I supposed to say, Robin?” Steve sits up against the pillows, arms folded. “Let’s get going.”

“It’s a loooong way for you, if we can’t drive, man,” says Eddie.

“I’m good. Jesus! Hiking is in her top ten least favourite pass times. Not mine.” Steve throws off the covers, pushes himself up. He repels Eddie’s attempt to help with a jab of his elbow then leans heavily on the wall. “When do we start?”

“Hold your horses, cowboy.” Eddie cranes over the map. “My beloved Pa had a few hideouts round this way—”

“Yeah, they must’ve been totally undiscoverable,” snarks Steve, “what with Al Munson being FOREVER IN JAIL.”

“If you’re feeling so much better, Dingus, THEN STOP BEING A BITCH.” That was Robin, now matching Steve’s glare. “Go on, Eddie. What’s your plan?”

They strike out for the logging camp that afternoon, planning to break their journey in a cave, which Eddie’s Pops had used a couple of times. They drive the first part of the trail, then set off on foot when the track gets too uneven for the Lincoln’s tyres. Most of the trail is uphill through forest. Steve, however, refuses any help, and insists on taking his share of supplies.

He says very little, walking close to Robin. She wavers between cajoling him into taking breaks, and an encouraging monologue. Eddie goes ahead, using a compass and some basic tracking skills Wayne taught him, while squinting at the hazy sun. And, obviously, he seeks the easiest path for Steve.

“You know I suck at directions, right?” he whispers to Robin, while Steve takes a ‘moment,’ sitting down. “Though I’m gonna blame Vecna—and the matter that Hawkins is now one big, fiery Upside Down doormat—for blowing the compass off.”

She bats a bug from her nose. “Ugh! If it’s any consolation, trail finding was never exactly my number one skill, either.”

“How about Captain America over there?”

“He literally never knows his left from his right.” Eddie’s rarely seen anything more loving than the look she casts Steve’s way. “I think it’s gotten harder for him. He’s had... uh, quite a few blows to the head in recent years. Never seen him like this before. I’m worried, Eddie.”

“Me too.” Eddie swipes hair from his brow, finding it slick with sweat. “Talking of Vecna-skewed compasses and Vecna in general. Should we also worry about his crazy-ass cravings for Lover’s Lake?”

“At this juncture, I’m hoping it’s all some kind of freaky coincidence.” She actually closes her eyes, as if offering up a silent prayer. “I mean, even when he’s outta his mind, Steve really, really loves swimming. On the other hand, if going near the lake actually made Steve better, and that’s why he healed so quick after his initial bat attack, then… then…  Oh shit, I don’t even want to say it.”

Their gazes lock, and Eddie knows they’re brain sharing: There’s a gate to the Upside Down in Lover’s Lake. If Steve’s somehow linked to it some evil-magic-juju fashion, then… 

“You don’t seriously think he’s flayed?” Eddie little more than mouths the words.

Robin slices up a forbidding hand, so fast Eddie fliches. “No. Not that. He can’t be. Vecna isn’t in his head—he’d tell us, right? I mean, there could be a more physical link to the Upside Down and the hive mind, like with Will at various stages, but… No, no, no. We’re catastrophising, huh?”

Eddie nods keenly, which does little to dispel his unease. On the other hand, Robin is right. Nothing about Steve’s behaviour is shouting “flayed” or whatever. Including the teeny, tiny matter of Steve bringing Eddie back from extinction, though that remains totally unexplained. Yeah, it could be simply because death happens differently in the Upside Down.

Steve hauls himself up, hugging a tree. “What we waiting for? Bears to come bite our sorry butts?”

“There are bears out here?” Robin squeaks.

“He’s kidding,” mutters Eddie. At least, Eddie hopes he is. Steve still looks dead grumpy and serious.

They make the caves by sunset. They’ve got flashlights, and Eddie and Robin could’ve pressed on through the night, but Steve blatantly can’t. As soon as they arrive, he slumps down against the rockface, curls his legs up. He presses his face to his knees and rocks himself gently.

“You sure you’re all right?” asks Eddie.

“Next person who asks me that gets punched.”

Ooookay. No change in Steve’s mood then. Robin reassures herself there are no bear scratches in the cave then heads out to scout the route for the next morning. Eddie starts unpacking the bedding and cereal.

The air in the cave is cool and thick with damp. Eddie kinda likes it anyhow. Amid the must and mould, he inhales the faintest hint of charcoal. He pictures his Pa shacked up here, also on the run. He can’t help chuckle: I tried soooo hard not to follow in your footsteps. 

Steve, meanwhile, is huddling ever more tightly in on himself.

Eddie’s tempted to light a fire, as he imagines it gets cold in caves overnight, plus it’s still only April. However, he fears the smoke, if not the flames, could billow out of the narrow entrance and be spotted from miles around. Maybe that’s where you went wrong, Daddy dearest.

“You want a blanket?” ventures Eddie, sitting down next to Steve. Not quite touching, though. “Anything to eat? C’mon, dude. We all gotta keep our strength up.”

He taps the cereal packet against Steve’s arm, startling him into looking up. The torchlight heightens the shadows beneath Steve’s cheekbones, making him look horribly pale and gaunt. Kinda ghost-like, though Eddie stifles a gasp of shock for a different reason.

Steve Harrington is crying. Though trying his darndest not to—gritting his teeth, swiping the tell-tale moisture from his cheekbones. “God! I’m beyond pathetic. No wonder everyone thinks I’m a total dud.”

Cereal cast aside, Eddie squeezes Steve’s knee then retreats like the coward he is. “What are you on about? You’re, like, the most popular guy in town.”

Steve’s scowl is angry, incredulous and broken in equal measures. “Was, man. It was all a bunch of bull, and… totally irrelevant. I mean, haven’t you seen enough? We need to move, to keep moving, to evade capture, to get ready to fight Vecna again. I can barely walk.”

“Oookay, let’s rewind and be kind, Stevie.” He gets away with that sneaky pet-name again. “You’re feeling down because you’re… I dunno, sick, hurt, tired. Where do I begin? Fact is, you’re not a superhero man, you bleed and bruise like the rest of us lesser mortals… but you are a freakin’ hero.”

Steve’s brittle laugh breaks on a sob, against which he clamps his jaw even tighter. Eddie further musters his courage and slings an arm around Steve, who tenses. Then exhaustion wins. Steve sinks sideways against Eddie and rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder.

Soon, Steve’s shuddering breaths even out. The weirdest thing is that, despite how cranky Steve’s been all afternoon, this closeness feels disarmingly natural. That said, in the past forty-eight hours, they’ve had little choice but to become… intimate. Even Eddie's fizzing nerves soon settle.

“One thing’s for sure,” says Eddie, at length. “I’m more jealous than ever. I mean, Henderson’s respect for you must’ve skyrocketed and it was excruciatingly stratospheric already. I’m just the goon you brought back from the dead.”

Steve sniffles, lifts his head from Eddie’s shoulder. “I didn’t do anything really, man. Basic CPR. I executed a move.”

“Yeeeah.” A silly grin tugs the edges of Eddie’s mouth. “With your lips, dude.” 

Steve smirks, and… Woah! Eddie spots something he’d wondered if he’d imagined several times. Including earlier, when Steve collapsed against him on the way back from the outhouse. 

That merest hint of… attraction? Of flirty fun? 

Just as Eddie decides he’s imagining it—again—that spark reaches Steve’s too-pretty, too-sad eyes, and he says: 

“That was kinda fresh of me.”

Eddie’s tongue flaps away before he can stop it: “Tell you one other thing for sure—if you'd asked permission to get all smoochey, for whatever reason, I'd have granted you a full-access backstage pass.” Then Eddie’s brain kicks in. “Aaaaaand, that was dumb. What with you being the straightest guy in the history of ever.” 

Steve’s sparkle vanishes, and he turns his face to the darkness. “Go to Hell! Why does everyone always make such massive assumptions about me?”

“You’re not straight? I mean, I assumed… You’re you. You’ve got girlie mag centerfolds in your room!”

“You’re judging me on that?” Steve ruffles his hair and groans, sounding more wearily upset than agitated. “Look, man, I’ve not changed my room since sophomore year. In case you’re missing any of the plot, I’ve had other crap going on.” 

“Yeah, but you and Wheeler! The way you look at her, and the way she looks at—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Steve sinks his forehead to his knees again. Nevertheless, Eddie’s arm is still around him, and he’s not shrugged it off.  What’s more, it seems he does want to talk, even if it’s rambling and kinda hard to follow: 

“I've been through stuff like this before, Eddie. Getting hurt and shit, hit so hard I black out and the doctors give me all these scary warnings. It’s weird, whenever I wake after being hurt, it feels as if loads of time has passed, even if it’s only been a few minutes. I always feel… shitty, of course, but also… a bit different. It’s confusing… Probably bullshit. It’s all bullshit.”

Different. 

Eddie’s heart gives a little squeeze, which he kinda despairs of. Not before he’s given Steve a small squeeze, too. “What kind of different?”

“I dunno. Like.... this time around, I'm not so into Nance. Or maybe feeling so crappy this past day has given even my thick head perspective, and I can see it’s hopeless. I mean, I figured I was in love with Robin once, when I “came back” from being knocked out, and, of course, I do love her but... not like that. She gets me… better than I do, I guess. Talk to her if you want anything about me to make sense.” He yawns. “I’m soooo tired, man.”

Soon, Steve’s sunk so deep against Eddie, his head is in Eddie’s lap. Eddie drags a blanket up over Steve, then finds himself tentatively stroking Steve’s hair. He’s unsure if Steve is asleep or not. Either way, Steve sighs, kinda melts beneath his touch. Wherever he’s drifted off to, it seems peaceful.

Eddie tries and fails not to think on how trippy this is: I got Steve ‘King of Hawkins High’ Harrington asleep in my lap, and he just snapped at me for suggesting he was straight. 

He also tries and fails not to worry about the whole Lover’s-Lake-giving-Steve-weird-juju issue. Steve just straight-up told him he’s been through near-death experiences before and come back different. Yeah, Eddie’s cheerleading for the GOOD variety of different. However, in Hawkins, and in life in general:

Odds are stacked in the favour of BAD different, Munson. As in FLAYED different.

No. He’s not going down that path. Robin would notice anything weird about Steve, and Steve’s not acting strange. He’s just… strangely sick, though it’s not that odd, really, after all he’s been through.

Yeah, right. And My Little Pony seahorses are gonna surf in on a tsunami of petals and save the day. 

Man, it sucks being such a cynic.

He doesn’t notice Robin slip back in until she’s nearly upon them. “You two got cosy, then,” she whispers.

“I got a creeping suspicion he’s gonna break my neck in the morning for this.”

She wiggles her brows. “Oh, I dunno. His bark is totally worse than his bite.”

“I can hear you, asshats,” mumbles Steve. Robin’s brows shoot sky high. “I don’t want to be sleeping on his bony knees, but some moron forgot to bring pillows.”

Eddie strokes Steve’s hair into that warm groove behind his ear, and finally discovers he’s too tired to worry about anything much at all.

Part Six

...

(also on AO3 here and as part of my steve whump fic series)

tags: @estrellami-1 (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far.

[missmilkie]

Sorcery Battle and Crimes Against the Narrative

Part Three

wc: 1.6k

Between class time and Gojo’s extra training, you and Yuta were making a lot of progress. He was becoming more of the special grade he was every day. You were getting proficient with weapons since your innate technique still had yet to show itself.

There was no way you had a heavenly restriction because you had a lot of cursed energy. Your technique was supposed to be in your DNA, but Gojo couldn’t tell anything from his Six Eyes. You would have to wait for it to manifest.

This time you were sparring with Yuta. He wielded a wooden sword against you, his technique not quite perfect. You had decided to match him with your own wooden sword, blocking and countering his attacks while launching your own. Both of you were intensely focused on the exchange.

Your cursed energy flared with the excitement of things. When you went to pivot, you ended up behind Yuta. You quickly adapted and swung at him. The blow connected, sending him to the floor.

“Well, well, (Y/n)~ Looks like you just used your innate technique.” Gojo announced, stopping the training.

“Really? What was it?”

“Warping. You can transport yourself from point A to point B without having to travel traditionally.”

So you could teleport. That could be useful.

Then began even more extensive training with Gojo. You would have to learn the specifics of your technique.

Task One: Warp another person

You put a hand on your teacher’s arm, you couldn’t teleport him without contact. Gojo’s Infinity was off to allow that. Channeling your cursed energy, you thought about where you wanted to put him. You felt his arm disappear from your grip, his body now in a different spot.

Status: Completed

Task Two: Warping multiple people

You surrounded yourself and Gojo with cursed energy. Now on the other side of the room, you felt your cursed energy feel more depleted.

“It’s harder to teleport us both.” You admit.

“I figured it would. Do you want a break before the next thing?”

You considered it for a moment.

“Nah, let’s try a few more things first.”

Status: Completed

Task Three: Warp to a familiar place

For this you chose your dorm room. You made a mental trail from this room to your room, letting your cursed energy cover you. Then you were in your dorm. The lights were off, but you could recognize the layout. You teleported back to Gojo, giving him a thumbs up.

Status: Completed

Task Four: Warp to an unfamiliar place

“Since we still don’t know the range of your technique, let’s pick somewhere that’s still nearby.”

You nodded, reaching out with your cursed energy. You got a rudimentary feel for the structures nearby and around you. While you didn’t know what exactly everything was, you had a good enough idea. You pinpointed a room and teleported to it. It was at the very edge of your range.

Maki was caught off guard by you appearing suddenly. You were surprised when you realized she was naked, shower water hitting the both of you. So you teleported to the girls’ locker room.

“What the hell?!”

Your hands covered your eyes.

“Sorry! Training with Gojo.”

“Get out!” Despite her agitated voice, Maki was blushing in embarrassment. To be fair, so were you.

You warped yourself back to Gojo, his cursed energy easy to pick up on.

Status: Completed

“Where’d you end up? Looks like you went for a swim.” Your teacher teased.

“Girls’ locker room.”

“Oh? Did you end up in someone’s shower?”

“Maki’s.” You pushed the memory out of your head.

“I’m surprised you didn’t come back beat up.”

“I got away just in time, I think.”

“Lucky you.” Gojo chuckled before continuing. “Your technique is extremely useful. You might rank up from developing it alone.”

You were currently a Grade Four sorcerer since you were a complete beginner and hadn’t shown an innate technique. With your new ability, you were now much more valuable to jujutsu society.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Task Five: Warping objects

“But we already know I can do people.” You were confused by the task.

“From what I’ve seen, you rely on your cursed energy field for location and sensing someone else’s cursed energy signature. Objects without cursed energy or an extremely low amount of it are a different concept.”

Gojo gives you a pen to warp. It’s sleek design and the brand name engraved on it told you that it was a fancy pen worth more than your life. ‘Okay, not that much.’

You wasted no time coating it in your cursed energy, thinking of where you wanted it to go. Gojo’s palm was face up. It took more energy than teleporting a person, but the pen appeared back in his hand.

“Congratulations. Your technique can do something my own warping ability can’t.”

Status: Completed

“That’s enough for today. Before we learn anything else, get comfortable with what we do know.” Gojo instructed. He could see that your energy reserves were drained.

“Okay.” You nodded, gathering your belongings. “Don’t stay up too late. Have a good night, Mr Gojo.”

With a quick wave, you left the room via warping to your dorm.

The white-haired sorcerer stood still for a moment. Your maturity and understanding reminded him of someone, the memory distant. You were more easygoing and down to earth than your classmates. The assurance you seemed to radiate was very mature, as if you weren’t worried by the challenges and realizations of growing up. He would joke that you’ve already been there before.

Without a word, Gojo teleported to his apartment. It was dark, but he knew his way around. Kicking his shoes off, he unbuttoned his jacket as he walked. The article ended up draped over the sofa. Gojo put minimal effort into getting ready for bed, often too tired to do any more. He was in his bed within five minutes of arriving.

It was earlier than he was used to falling asleep, but he didn’t have anything better to do. He laid awake, still haunted by resurfacing memories.

‘He would like her. They’d get along well.’

‘If only he were still here. Where is he now?’

‘I miss Suguru.’

Soon you're able to teleport all over campus. Panda and Toge started recruiting you to pull pranks, claiming that none of you would get caught with your technique. They were wrong, but it was a lot of fun. You could admit to yourself that it was nice to just be a kid again.

You had no bills, the school paid you good for being a sorcerer, you got decent grades, and you constantly hung out with your classmates. You didn’t have to be an adult. It was nice to have a break even though you’ve been stuck with teenage hormones for months now.

The weather was cooling down, so you went shopping with Maki for some fall clothes to wear on off days. It would be time to hand in winter uniform requests soon. You knew that Geto would declare war soon so he could obtain Rika, but you wouldn’t say anything. Not yet at least.

Saving your favorite racist cult leader had been at the back of your mind for a while now. You still didn’t know how you’d do it. On one hand, fighting Geto was important for Yuta’s character development. On the other hand, you couldn’t just let that man die. You had cried over enough angsty satosugu posts.

“Mustard leaf.”

You sat up straight at the sound of Togo’s voice.

“I’m fine. Just spaced out.”

“Tuna mayo.” He didn’t look convinced.

“I’m just chilling, you know. Thinking about what I’m gonna do tonight.”

“Salmon roe.”

“Maybe (hobby).” You shrugged. ‘And drink.’

It was easy to obtain alcohol around there. They didn’t even ID you, so you did your makeup and dressed maturely and it worked. You had a small stash in your room that only Maki knew about. She had accidentally found it a couple months back.

Toge nodded. “Tuna tuna.”

“What is it?”

He held up his phone to show you something in his notes app:

Mind if I join?

No drinks, you guess.

“Sure. Wanna go now? I’ll warp us.”

“Salmon.”

You took his hand and teleported to your dorm.

“You can turn on a mukbang if you want.”

While you did your thing, Toge watched his video. Little did you know he would glance at you as well. When you focused you were zeroed in. You were unaware of the small habits you displayed while focusing. Your classmate was starting to notice.

“Tuna.”

“That does look good.”

“Tuna mayo.”

“Yeah, I’m hungry too.”

You and Toge got some food delivered, having to walk out to the gate to pick it up. As soon as you stepped outside Tengen’s barrier, you felt eyes on you. There was no one but you, Toge, and the delivery guy in sight.

‘Is there a curse?’

No, you’d be able to see it. You tried not to make it obvious that you were surveying the surroundings. You couldn’t find anyone no matter how hard you looked.

“Mustard leaf?”

“Spaced out again. My bad.” You played it off, succeeding because Toge was distracted by the food.

You gave a final backward glance before returning to the safety of the campus in Tengen’s barrier.

The food was good, but your mind was occupied. ‘What was that?’ You couldn’t sense cursed energy, but you could feel someone or something watching you. Toge hadn’t seemed to notice at all. He happily ate. You decided to just eat your food to avoid concern.

By the time Toge left, you had time for one drink before bed. You laid under the covers, buzzed and drowsy. Your mind kind of just floated from thought to thought.

Then you thought you saw something in the corner of your eye. Turning your head slowly, you realized there was nothing there. You tried to dismiss it as just being tipsy. Yet an uneasy feeling settled deep in your stomach. Once asleep, you had strange dreams.

[pumpkinmagekupo]

Wondrous tails: Mermaid AU

Lore would tell you that mermaids only reside in the oceans but that is not always true. While it is true that most mermaids prefer the open waters of the oceans, there are some who dwell in underwater cave systems.

Mizuki was one such mermaid. She preferred to keep isolated.  On her lone adventures she had come across an island with a large mountain in the centre of it. After some deep investigation of the island and its currents, she found herself in a cave with a huge ceiling. There was a gap somewhere letting in some light and it allowed the crystals in the cave to illuminate the area. Swimming around the cool waters, Mizuki decided she liked it here and this would be her new home. 

-

“Look, Ser Knight. We really don’t need you and yours here.” an old miner huffed “we’ve been doin’ this for years-”

“I am well aware of that but due to the latest attacks we would prefer to keep you all safe-” Aymeric explained, walking in step with the miner as they descended into a cold dark cave “and once we believe it safe enough. We will leave you to your own devices if that pleases you-” his words fell quiet, “what-” Aymeric stared in disbelief at the white glowing eyes that peeped over the surface of the cave’s lake.

“A mermaid,” the old man stated simply, walking over to a nearby cluster of crystals “That one often pops up.”

“I thought they lived in the ocean.” Aymeric replied quietly, daring not to take his eyes off her.

“Guess this one doesn’t.”

Aymeric jumped as rock flew past his head and landed near the mermaid. Before he could question it several more rocks hurtled past him, some striking the mermaid who delved quickly beneath the surface. “Why would you harm it?” he almost shouted.

“Mermaids eat humans, that’s why.” 

“Do you know that? did-”

“Don’t trust anything a mermaid says! They’ll lure you into the water and eat you alive!” a younger miner shouted, his voice echoing in the caves. 

“Ain’t nothin’ goin’ kill us in here.” The old miner intervened “if you insist on guarding, do it outside and let us work.”

Aymeric sighed and left the cave, his knights awaiting him. “Guard the cave entrance. I am going to check the area.”  They saluted as Aymeric mounted his chocobo and headed off around the mountain path. 

He was quite away from the mouth of the cave when he heard rushing water, curious he followed it and spotted a little waterfall leading into a small lake and sitting on the edge of the lake; the mermaid. She seemed to be pressing leaves against her forehead. 

Aymeric dismounted his chocobo and tried to get a better look but he tripped into a bush and startled her.

“Wait!” he called, scrambling out of the thicket.  “Are you hurt? I’m sorry they hurt you-”

“And why do you care?” Aymeric was shocked, her voice was so gentle but there was a sharpness to it.

“You did nothing wrong, it was wrong of them-” Aymeric hurried forward, she was still hiding from him “I won’t harm you.” he said, trying to peer around the flowers.

Something crossed his mind “how did you get out here?” he looked around, there was no other river to this point and she had just been in the cave lake..

“I know all the currents of this island.” she replied simply, “I can find my way anywhere.”

“That is amazing!” Aymeric gasped “I was convinced mermaids could only live in the oceans.”

“Most do..I prefer it here..it’s quieter.”

Aymeric wanted to see her but she still refused to show herself.

"Mi'lord?!" a knight shouted,

Aymeric sighed deeply "I should go.. would it be possible to see you again?"

"Mi'lord?!" a knight called again.

There was silence, perhaps she didn't want to see him "there's a cove near where the cave was. Meet me there at sundown." Aymeric saw a flash of orange just as his knight arrived.

"Mi'lord?"

Aymeric looked away from the lake with a heavy heart, he had to wait to see her.

-

The day dragged slowly after that. Aymeric couldn't wait to see what the mermaid looked like up close.

Once his duties were complete, he hopped on his chocobo and headed down to the coast. “I hope I’m not late.” he wandered the beach hopefully and there she was. Sat half submerged by the water, staring up at the star speckled sky.

“You came.” she said, her tone was softer now.

"I could think of nothing else." Aymeric admitted, “May I sit?” she nodded and he sat beside her in the water.  Aymeric couldn’t take his eyes of her. Her greyish skin, sparkled in the moonlight, his eyes fell to the tail under the surface, which flicked up splashing him with cold water, it was black like the scales that lined her cheeks, they look like obsidian, he had to resist reaching to touch them.

“You’re the first to not be so scared of me.”

“How could I? You’re so beautiful.”

She laughed and it made his heart race faster “You’re not scared I will eat you?”

Aymeric chuckled this time “I don’t believe such things.”

She finally turned to him, her eyes shone bright white with the moon “then come swim with me.”

“Might I know your name first?” Aymeric asked, she has already swam out to the deeper side of the coast.

“Mizuki.” she replied and dived under the waves.

Bingo Card

[paperanddice]

Sea dragons are born from the depths of the ocean, and see themselves as the children of the water itself. Many even position themselves as semi-divine beings, overseeing the protection and preservation of the region in which they live, staking out a section to claim under their stewardship. Despite the solemnity and importance of these duties, they are also quite playful and whimsical, as the sea can be. Their games can be devastating for those smaller than them though, shattering ships to splinters and drowning sailors, and while some of these dragons will take care with their "toys", most see them as easily replaceable with the next ship to pass by. Even if the dragon originally intends to avoid killing those it plays with, the scent of treasure upon a ship may change their mind, as any valuables that cross their territory become offerings to the waters, destined to join the dragon's horde.

A sea dragon's horde, by necessity, consists of items that can withstand the environment in which they live. Precious metals that do not corrode quickly and gemstones make up the majority, with resilient magical items sprinkled among them. Perishable treasures, such as most artwork, is generally placed somewhere it is exposed to the open waters to dissolve, a tithe to the ocean from the dragon. The framing of these hordes is also often quite important to the dragon, with ships that appeal to the dragon's sensibilities being wrecked and pulled to the lair. The position and damage to the ships is intentional in every way, additional holes being punched in the hulls to use as showcases for treasure that piles up within the body and spills forth to shift subtly with the currents.

13th Age sea dragons have the standard dragon abilities escalator and flight.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Sea Dragon Spellcasters Sea dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Sea Dragon Primal Prepared Spells DC 26, attack +18; 4th mirage, vital beacon; 3rd lightning bolt, slow; 2nd cleanse affliction, entangling flora, resist energy 1st fear, mending, sure strike; Cantrips (4th) frostbite, guidance, know the way, read aura

Adult Sea Dragon Primal Prepared Spells DC 31, attack +23; as young sea dragon, plus 6th tangling creepers, truesight; 5th mariner’s curse, telekinetic haul, wall of ice; 4th clairvoyance; Cantrips (6th) frostbite, guidance, know the way, read aura

Ancient Sea Dragon Primal Prepared Spells DC 39, attack +31; as adult sea dragon, plus 8th arctic rift, punishing winds; 7th mask of terror, regenerate; 6th chain lightning; Cantrips (8th) frostbite, guidance, know the way, read aura

Young Sea Dragon Creature 9 Large, Amphibious, Dragon, Primal Perception +18; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Thalassic Skills Acrobatics +15, Athletics +20, Stealth +17 Str +5, Dex +0, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +1, Cha +3 AC 26; Fort +21, Ref +15, Will +18; +2 status to all saves vs. water HP 165; Immunities cold, paralyzed, sleep Speed 25 feet, fly 60 feet, swim 80 feet Melee jaws +20 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d10+9 piercing plus 1d6 cold Melee fin +20 (agile, magical), Damage 2d6+9 bludgeoning Melee tail +18 (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 2d8+9 bludgeoning Primal Innate Spells DC 26, attack +18 ; 3rd aqueous orb, pillar of water; 2nd hydraulic push (at will); 1st create water (at will); Breech [2 actions] The dragon Swims up to its swim Speed, then Leaps vertically out of the water up to 45 feet high, making a Strike against a creature at any point during the jump (this lets it attack a creature within 60 feet of the water's surface). After the Strike, the dragon can choose to either splash back down into the water or open its wings and remain in place. Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] The dragon makes two claw Strikes and one tail Strike in any order. Draconic Momentum The dragon recharges their Tidal Breath whenever they score a critical hit with a Strike. Tidal Breath [2 actions] (cold, primal, water) The dragon exhales a crushing wave of frigid water that deals 3d10 bludgeoning damage and 3d10 cold damage in a 30-foot cone (DC 29 basic Reflex save). A creature that fails is also Pushed 15 feet (Pushed 30 feet and knocked prone on a critical failure).

Adult Sea Dragon Creature 13 Huge, Amphibious, Dragon, Primal Perception +23; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Thalassic Skills Acrobatics +21, Athletics +28, Diplomacy +25, Intimidation +25, Nature +23, Stealth +23 Str +7, Dex +0, Con +6, Int +3, Wis +2, Cha +4 AC 31; Fort +27, Ref +19, Will +23; +2 status to all saves vs. water HP 270; Immunities cold, paralyzed, sleep Speed 35 feet, fly 80 feet, swim 100 feet Melee jaws +26 (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d10+13 piercing plus 1d6 cold Melee fin +26 (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d6+13 bludgeoning Melee tail +24 (magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d8+13 bludgeoning Primal Innate Spells DC 31, attack +23 ; 5th control water (at will); 3rd aqueous orb, hydraulic push (at will), pillar of water (at will); 1st create water (at will); Breech [2 actions] The dragon Swims up to its swim Speed, then Leaps vertically out of the water up to 55 feet high, making a Strike against a creature at any point during the jump (this lets it attack a creature within 75 feet of the water's surface). After the Strike, the dragon can choose to either splash back down into the water or open its wings and remain in place. Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] The dragon makes two claw Strikes and one tail Strike in any order. Draconic Momentum The dragon recharges their Tidal Breath whenever they score a critical hit with a Strike. Tidal Breath [2 actions] (cold, primal, water) The dragon exhales a crushing wave of frigid water that deals 4d10 bludgeoning damage and 4d10 cold damage in a 30-foot cone (DC 33 basic Reflex save). A creature that fails is also Pushed 15 feet (Pushed 30 feet and knocked prone on a critical failure).

Ancient Sea Dragon Creature 18 Gargantuan, Amphibious, Dragon, Primal Perception +31; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Thalassic Skills Acrobatics +28, Athletics +37, Diplomacy +31, Intimidation +31, Nature +29, Stealth +30 Str +9, Dex +0, Con +8, Int +4, Wis +3, Cha +5 AC 39; Fort +34, Ref +28, Will +31; +2 status to all saves vs. water HP 385; Immunities cold, paralyzed, sleep Speed 35 feet, fly 100 feet, swim 120 feet Melee jaws +35 (magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d12+17 piercing plus 2d6 cold Melee fin +35 (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d6+17 bludgeoning Melee tail +33 (magical, reach 25 feet), Damage 3d8+17 bludgeoning Primal Innate Spells DC 39, attack +31 ; 8th whirlpool; 5th control water (at will), hydraulic push (at will); 3rd aqueous orb (at will), pillar of water (at will); 1st create water (at will); Breech [2 actions] The dragon Swims up to its swim Speed, then Leaps vertically out of the water up to 60 feet high, making a Strike against a creature at any point during the jump (this lets it attack a creature within 85 feet of the water's surface). After the Strike, the dragon can choose to either splash back down into the water or open its wings and remain in place. Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] The dragon makes two claw Strikes and one tail Strike in any order. Draconic Momentum The dragon recharges their Tidal Breath whenever they score a critical hit with a Strike. Tidal Breath [2 actions] (cold, primal, water) The dragon exhales a crushing wave of frigid water that deals 6d10 bludgeoning damage and 6d10 cold damage in a 50-foot cone (DC 40 basic Reflex save). A creature that fails is also Pushed 15 feet (Pushed 30 feet and knocked prone on a critical failure).

13th Age

Medium Sea Dragon 4th level spoiler [dragon] Initiative: +6 Vicious Jaws +8 vs. AC – 10 damage plus 4 cold damage. C: Tidal Breath +8 vs. PD (1d4 nearby enemies) – 7 damage and the target pops free from any enemies they’re engaged with. Natural Even Hit: The target is also dazed (save ends). Natural 18 or 20: The target is also stunned until the end of their next turn (they’re still dazed, so they have to roll that save after recovering from the stun). Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the sea dragon is targeted by an attack that deals cold damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a vicious jaws attack. Natural Swimmer: The dragon gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against enemies that are in water. Resist Cold 14+. AC 20 PD 16 MD 14 HP 60

Large Sea Dragon Large 7th level spoiler [dragon] Initiative: +10 Vicious Jaws +11 vs. AC – 20 damage plus 10 cold damage. Natural 14+: The dragon can make a lashing tail attack as a free action. [Special Trigger] Lashing Tail +11 vs. PD (can target nearby enemies) – 20 damage and the target pops free from any enemies they’re engaged with and loses their next move action. C: Tidal Breath +11 vs. PD (1d4 nearby enemies) – 20 damage and the target pops free from any enemies they’re engaged with. Natural Even Hit: The target is also dazed and takes 10 ongoing cold damage (save ends both). Natural 18 or 20: The target is also stunned until the end of their next turn (they’re still dazed, so they have to roll that save after recovering from the stun). Miss: 10 damage. Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the sea dragon is targeted by an attack that deals cold damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a vicious jaws or a lashing tail attack. Natural Swimmer: The dragon gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against enemies that are in water. Resist Cold 16+. AC 23 PD 19 MD 17 HP 230

Huge Sea Dragon Huge 11th level spoiler [dragon] Initiative: +15 Vicious Jaws +15 vs. AC – 60 damage plus 30 cold damage. Natural 14+: The dragon can make a lashing tail attack as a free action. Miss: 30 damage. [Special Trigger] C: Lashing Tail +15 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) – 45 damage and the target pops free from any enemies they’re engaged with and loses their next move action. C: Tidal Breath +15 vs. PD (1d4 nearby or far away enemies) – 90 damage and the target pops free from any enemies they’re engaged with. Natural Even Hit: The target is also dazed and takes 20 ongoing cold damage. Natural 18 or 20: The target is also stunned until the end of their next turn (they’re still dazed, so they have to roll that save after recovering from the stun). Miss: 45 damage. Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the sea dragon is targeted by an attack that deals cold damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a vicious jaws or a lashing tail attack. Natural Swimmer: The dragon gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against enemies that are in water. Resist Cold 18+. AC 27 PD 23 MD 21 HP 900

[silverysnake]

15 questions + 15 friends, thank you for the tag @lalalaugenbrot

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope, not as far as I know.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Two days ago while reading a Spatort fic (i will not comment further on it)

3. Do you have kids?

No

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I did swimming for a while and was in a dance group for a bit. And I played volleyball for ten years but I stopped last year bc I just couldn't stand the people in my team any longer. So currently I'm not actively doing any kind of sport

5. Do you use sarcasm?

yep

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Just their general looks and maybe vibes?!

7. What is your eye color?

A greenish blue something, honestly not sure how to describe it

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Both? Really depends on my mood, I enjoy both. If it’s a happy ending it should fit the story, like if it’s very tragic i don’s mind if the ending is sad too but I got nothing against a good happy ending. But I also really enjoy watching a scary movie every once in a while.

9. Any talents?

Recently I’ve been told by multiple people that I retain information incredibly fast and like learn stuff very fast just by watching a few times without actually doing it myself so I guess that’s a talent (but a curse as well bc I was incredibly bored at the work seminar I was at today bc my group just didn’t stop asking stupid questions bc they didn’t get it and it really wasn’t that complicated)

Apart from that I’d like to think that I’m a very creative person who’s good at putting one word after the other

10. Where were you born?

In the next town over from where I grew up. Not gonna name it but I really don’t like it at all, it was just the nearest hospital with a maternity ward because the town where my parents’ live doesn’t have one since it closed down at the end of the 70s (please don’t ask why I know this)

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing, reading, thinking too much about spatort, hanging out with friends and obsessing over tv shows/movies

12. Do you have any pets?

no :( but I’d like to have a cat again one day, my parents still have cats and I miss them every day

13. How tall are you?

1,73m (just a guess, I actually don’t know for sure)

14. Favorite subject in school?

From ninth grade onwards english, simply bc that was the point where I was good enough through everything but our english teacher that I started enjoying it. I also really liked chemistry up till tenth grade (didn’t have it afterwards), and biology but only the topics that were related to the human body and how we work, I had zero interest in the nature and animal stuff. And history, but I think I big part of why I liked it so much was my teacher

15. Dream job?

Author. I really just wanna write my own stuff and get it out there some day, but that’s more of a side quest for now because my free time has been severely lacking since I quit university and started vocational training* for a job)

*no idea if I translated this correctly because it’s impossibly to translate into english but for my fellow german people: ich meine ne Ausbildung

Tagging: @shadow-of-a-cloud @ancient-namess @dasloddl @dunkelrotzuschwarz @lyxchen @pumpking64 @bonsaibovine @daency

[jiminrings]

Hiiii jiminrings aka one of my favorite authors everrr aka supreme ruler of angst and pathetic, sniveling men! I must say I've never read angst quite as cutting as yours, blood running cold, jaw hanging open, you know the type. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity and time with us!!! I really mean it.

I've read some of your previous works, but fail safe has managed to hit different, and that's very hard considering hbjimin!!!!!! and 478jk!!!! (Ik I'm echoing a popular sentiment on here, but you deserve your flowers)

I need to confess that when I first started reading fail safe I felt so taken aback by your oc's characterization, to the point I didn't even like her. But halfway through the first part, I had a big, fat epiphany and realized the only reason I felt unsympathetic towards here was because (SHOCKER!) that's my twin lowkey 😭😭 I was like oh....... so this is how it feels like to have a mirror held up to your face 😂🫵

Even though I've always grown up as a pretty responsible, independent kid who had big dreams and a sense of passion I'm currently at a point in my life where I feel very lost and confused and unsatisfied with my life. I have felt that spark of fashion almost totally dampened, and as a result I feel like (some of) the people around me kinda look down on me a little / are very worried about my near future / are very condescending about where I'm at emotionally and existentialist (basically oc and yoongi's dynamic). Making that connection.... hurt and made reading this fic so much more emotional.

This means I have a HUGE VENDETTA AGAINST FS YOONGI FOR TREATING OC LIKE SHIT AND BEING A CONDESCENDING, PEDANTIC ASSHOLE!!!!! He's borderline demonic, talking to her life that throughout her teen hood, no wonder she has such a negative self-image, in spite of working to build herself up. But the issue is that she's working from such a shaky foundation and she hasn't healed one bit 🥺 kinda feel she's self medicating through her work (like yoongi maybe but I don't care about his bum ass). She's in a very unfair position cause she doesn't have anyone in here corner in terms of like her immediate family circle (except for her mom but she can't talk about it with her cause it will break her heart knowing yoongi has always been like that to her 🥺- like seriously what is his issue???? did he flip on oc cause he has unresolved romantic feelings that he couldn't act on cause of 1. age gap and 2. Namjoon). Speaking on Namjoon, WHAT AN ASS!!!! He gave me ptsd to all the times my brothers chose to be insensitive towards me and not stick up for me.

Overall, there are so many mixed feelings. I understand her still having a complex with yoongi cause there's too many unresolved issues and hurt feelings that have been repressed for too long and that just keeps her on a cycle instead of allowing her to fully let go. So I don't judge her for it cause I've been there, done that.

I'm sooo excited for what's to come. I'm looking forward to the mysteries being revealed (my prediction for second lead is mr. kim taehyung himself), gut-wrenching lines courtesy of your lovely brain, and oc development! I'm ready to scream, cry, run around, jump off a cliff, swim in circles ❤️

I apologize in advance for the long ask. Also, star emoji anon, you're a legend lmao

ok first of all thank u second i love yew n third u don’t know how much this means to me!!!! fs yoongi is rlly up there with his predecessors (hbjm and 478jk) and for him to be the superlative of something (derogatory),,, that rlly says something!! i won’t ever get tired of thanking sweet sweet people like you and ur flowers <3 if i could digest them i already would’ve . STOPPPPP U R LITERALLY TWINS !!!! triplets if u count me n quadruplets if u account for all the other anons that had fs resonate w them!!! i feel you So So much bc we r almost exactly the same!!! being ambitious as a child (i’m the youngest if u couldn’t tell… womp womp) without no clear picture of what you want to be, then turning into someone who has no actual passion at all except for the desire to live a good n secure life… whew!!! thank god i only have irl yoongi on my side though and NOT fs yoongi bc that would’ve been really something 😑😑😑 thank u thank yewwww i actually love it whenever people tell me they have mixed feelings bc oh my god yer telling me that i made you think really hard???? THANK U SO SO MUCH AGAIN!!! never apologize for long asks bc i love them a lot and star emoji anon rlly is a legend n i can confirm that!! LOVE YEWWWWWWW

[genogenocrazycatman]

Throne Chapter 18

Throne [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net]

Characters:  Original Female Character, Red Haired Shanks, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp,

***

“I can be very disarming.”

“Looks like you’ve been disarmed,” I jabbed, not looking up at him.

Benn let out a loud laugh at that.

Shanks grinned. “You wound me.”

“Clearly, I’m not the only one.”

Hello people. So if you don’t know, what’s going on here then the simple version is that this a Shanks x OC fic.

If you follow me, and the One Piece stuff I write, then you’ve probably heard me talk about this fic. Hey look it’s finally here.

***

Despite it not yet being noon, the heat was already horrid. The sun, not even at its peak, was blinding outside. The air felt almost oppressive, paired with the humidity left over from the storms that had come through the night before.

 The store I was currently standing in was stuffy, almost suffocating. The owner had tried his best to mitigate the temperature, with fans running at full speed and windows opened to keep the air flowing.

 I shifted my weight from one leg to another, shuffling the three rolls of bandages in my hand as I waited for the clerk to finish his conversation with his current patron, who was checking out quite the haul based on the cart loaded beside him.

 "You don't say! You know it's been a while since you boys came around. Glad to hear that-" the clerk noticed me, briefly pausing his conversation. “Apologies, miss. I'll be with you in one moment."

 I shook my head, waving off his concerns with the hand not holding my items. "No worries. I can wait a little while longer for the first mate of the Red-Hair pirates to finish up."

 Benn turned his head, glancing back at me, standing up from where he had been leaning against the counter in his conversation.

 "Morning, Liz," he said, round the cigarette hanging from his lips.

 "Morning, Benn."

 "Liz, this fine shopkeep is Sota. He's an old friend of ours. Sota, this is Elizabeth, the only person capable of getting the Boss to wake up before noon."

 "I've been told my jokes about his sleeping habits are repetitive."

 So are Yasopp's stories, but he still tells them."

 I huffed out a laugh, making my way closer to the counter to shake Sota's hand. "Nice to meet you."

 "You as well," he said. "Welcome to my shop. I hope that you found everything okay. Any friend of the Red-Hair Pirates is a friend of ours."

 "Aww, thank you."

 "You wanna throw her stuff onto our total?" Benn asked.

 "Of course," Sota agreed readily, punching the numbers into the register.

 "Captain's dime?" I asked, stuffing the bandages into my bag.

 "Always," Benn answered.

 "Why’s he got the first mate doing the shopping? Couldn't get one of the rookies to do it?"

 Currently, there were four rookies aboard their ship. I’d been introduced to them briefly in passing at the tavern, but I hadn’t had a chance to get to know them or even retain their names.

 "And actually get what's on the list?” he scoffed. “No."

 "Fair enough. So is any of this for today?" I asked, looking over the pile.

 The Red-Hair crew had a spot that they liked to frequent when they were here. There was a waterfall somewhere in the jungle where they could get shitfaced, swim, and hang out. The invite had been extended to me with the promise of a nice lawn chair not too close to the water and – if I was feeling adventurous – shallow plunge pools between some of the falls' steps, no deeper than a foot and a half.

 "All of it. You've seen how our idiots act in a bar. Now, imagine them in the jungle."

 "Should I be concerned for my safety?" I asked.

 "Yours? No. We'd never let anything happen to you. Everyone else? Probably. Unless you plan on trying to drink everyone under the table again. But even then, you can always ch-"

 I cut him off. "I. Did. Not. Cheat,” I argued, pointing at him with every word. “You all failed to establish the rules properly."

 Benn carefully lifted a brow at me. "Next time, we'll write it out."

 Sota laughed at us from his spot behind the counter.

 I rolled my eyes and hip-checked Benn. "You done shopping, or do you have other stops to make?"

 "Two more to go."

 "Want some company?" I asked.

 We weren’t supposed to leave for another couple of hours, and aside from change, I didn’t have anything to do, so I figured I might as well make myself useful.

 I had gone through and packed my stuff up the night before. The plan was to hang out today, but I had also been warned that, typically, no one was sober enough to come back until the following day.

 "Of course,” he agreed easily. “It’ll be nice to have someone competent come along for once."

 "You're so mean."

 "Liz, I'm tired."

 "Can't blame you there."

 "You boys are quite a handful," Sota agreed. "But it helps to liven the place up."

 "I had that same thought the first time I met them.”

 Sota prattled off a total, which Benn paid while promising to meet for a drink before they set sail again.

 "Where to next?" I asked as we stepped into the sun. I slid my sunglasses down from where they were perched on my head.

 "A few things for dinner, and then Hongo asked that we pick something up from the apothecary."

 Easy enough.

 "What's with all the bandages?" he asked.

 "So I can wrap my thigh and wear shorts in public. It's too fucking hot."

 The one downside to being out in the larger world was that I had to try to hide my tattoo. I usually wore jeans, but when I wanted to switch it up, I either had to wrap it in bandages or find something with a skirt long enough to cover it.

 "You're going to send the Boss into a coma," he said.

 Rather than acknowledge the statement, I opted to ask a question that had been on my mind for a while. “Uh huh, sure. So, how have things been since Aurora?" I asked. "The captain's an emperor now. High stakes."

 "You would know something about that, wouldn't you, princess?"

 I scrunched up my face before cutting my eyes sideways towards Benn behind my shades. "Don't call me that… like ever."

 Benn laughed. "Just saying. Your old man's been up there for years. I'm sure your brothers have told you what it's like."

 "Depends on the brother, but yes.”

 Accounts of what life on the Moby Dick was like varied wildly from brother to brother.

 Most of the boys liked to embellish to a ridiculous degree or undersell everything going on to “spare” my feelings. I trusted Marco and Thatch’s accounts more so than everyone else’s. Marco would give me much of the larger context of being a Yonko crew. Thatch would provide me with more day-to-day and familial aspects.

 The one thing consistent across the board is that none of them would change a thing if given a chance.

 “I know Shanks isn't dumb, but politics is something else."

 Other Yonko crews, subordinates, warlords, the World Government, it was a lot to try to balance.

 "Politics that he's surprisingly well suited to navigating. Turns out that easygoing nature of his helps in some of those rather tense situations. If only it were as helpful when it came to chores. Any reason you're asking me instead of him?"

 "Because he'll just shoot me that smug ass grin and talk about how his charm and charisma get him far in life."

 "I see. And you'll want to argue for a serious answer but will be far too caught up in that wit and charm."

 I chewed the inside of my mouth, unable to argue. He was right. I preferred it when he was busting the captain’s chops instead of mine.

 Benn didn’t even try to hide the teasing smile playing on his lips. "Don't try to act tough now. You're not as immune as you pretend to be. I've watched you laugh at his shitty jokes."

 "I've laughed at all of your shitty jokes," I countered.

 "Yeah, but you light up at the Boss's."

 "Shut up."

 "I've been wondering why you didn’t come to find us once you left Aurora."

 I shrugged. "When I first left, I wasn't thinking about much other than getting the fuck out of there and not getting caught. Took me a while to get my bearings.

 "Then, I started bounty hunting and taking out slave traders. I was so caught up with all that and the girls at Sabaody. I didn't really think about finding you all seriously until then. Like I daydreamed about it, sure. But I didn't think it was something that I should do. Felt kind of pathetic. Chasing after you guys like some groupie. What if I only was attached to you guys because you were the only people who were ever nice to me?"

 We walked in comfortable silence for a moment as Benn mulled that over. "I take it you met some good people in the world if you were willing to meet us again."

 "Ya know, the world’s a big place. Such a big place that it's impressive that I managed to get stuck on an island with a bunch of fucking assholes. But once I hit the Grand Line, the devil fruit, the scars, none of it meant shit.”

 "And you had your fan club."

 "Oh no, I don't want to hear jack shit about a fan club from you, Benn Beckman. You've had a line of ladies at the bar for the past week."

 He raised his hand, not pulling the wagon along in surrender.

 "I just wanted to figure out who I was before I even considered finding you guys, the Old Man, anyone. How are people supposed to rely on and trust you when you don't even know who you are outside of how much others hate you?"

 Benn took a drag of his cigarette. "We're glad you got yourself sorted, the Boss especially."

 I rolled my eyes and lightly elbowed him. "We're supposed to be on the same side, you know?"

 "The Boss isn’t here. You're fair game."

 “Rude.”

 One more turn and the shopping district came into full view. There were storefronts all up and down the road, with different grocery carts and vendors lining the street. People hustled about, either selling their wares or trying to complete their shopping before lunch.

 "What do we even need?" I asked, wiping the sweat that was accumulating on my brow.

 Benn pulled the list out of his pocket.

 "Hongo has some things to be picked up from the apothecary, and Roux needs more vegetables. I think he's planning on making kebabs."

 I felt my face twist.

 "Not a fan of kebabs? "

 "No, I like them enough. I can’t say the same of that little con artist at the big produce stall."

 "Con artist? You mean Belle?"

 I studied Benn’s face for a moment. "Oh no."

 "What?"

 "Belle is gonna hustle the shit out of you."

 "Me?"

 "Yes, you."

 "What the hell are you on about?"

 "Her prices are insane! Do you know how much she tried to charge me for turnips last week?! And she gets away with it because she distracts you with those fucking doe eyes and freckles and that damn crop top."

 My rant assured Benn that there was no danger to be concerned about, so his confusion and concern eased.

 "Doe eyes, freckles, and a crop top, huh?" Benn chuckled. "Sounds like you have a crush."

 "I did until I saw her damn prices.”

 There was no denying that Belle was drop-dead gorgeous. She was very clearly put at the stall to use her looks and charm to sell produce. She didn’t have the build nor calluses of someone who farmed.  

 “Listen, I'm not faulting her for making her money. If that's what she thinks her turnips are worth, then so be it. I didn't try to haggle with her. I didn't even bring it up. I was just like, 'Eh, I might be back.' But the second I was like, 'meh,' it was like a switch had been flipped. She told me that maybe the dude from the pig farm might have slop more my speed."

 "Over a turnip?"

 "Over a fucking turnip! Because I didn't fall for her charm offensive!"

 "Uh-huh. I think we can afford her prices. We can even buy you your turnips."

 I narrowed my eyes at Benn. "Don’t patronize me, you weak, weak man. This isn’t about being able to afford turnips. I wouldn’t think anything of it if they were a little pricey. It's the principle of the thing. They were way overpriced, and she started barking and yapping when I tried to disengage peacefully."

 “It’s good to see you stand your ground, even about turnips."

 I snagged the slip that Hongo must've received from the apothecary. "I'll go grab this. You can go get scammed by Belle."

 “Meet you back here in 30 minutes?” he asked.

 I nodded before taking the next turn.

 I knew that there was no goddamned way he was going to be back in 30 minutes. It would only take her one glance, and she’d have Benn roped in. Or maybe he would have her roped into his. Either way, this wouldn’t be the simple transaction he thought it was.

 Sure, Benn liked to drink and always had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, but alcohol and tobacco had nothing on his number one vice: women.

 I made it to the apothecary quickly, picking up the bags of stuff that Hongo had ordered. Making my way back to the designated meet-up spot, I made a couple of additional stops, picking up a few things I had planned to get later in the week, saving myself another trip.

 When I arrived back at the corner where we split off, Benn was nowhere to be found. I checked my watch, and I was only a few minutes late. I decided to give him five more minutes before I investigated.

 A quick pass by the produce stand showed it was closed, and its operator was missing. A few patrons were milling about, chattering about where she could’ve gone. Notably, the cart Benn had been dragging along earlier was not particularly well hidden off to the side.

 Where the two had run off to was anyone’s guess.

 ‘Called it.’

 I grabbed the handle of the cart, throwing Hongo’s belongings on it, before heading to the port, where the Red Force was docked.

 As I neared the ship, I realized I had never actually been on the Red Force during the day. They’d not yet acquired the Red Force when they docked in Aurora.  I, of course, had snuck aboard at night when I planted my journal in Shanks’s belongings. But I’d never just casually been on the ship.

 A few of the boys were on deck doing chores. The two newbies that Yasopp had tried to hustle the first night I’d reunited with everyone were scrubbing down the deck under the sniper’s watchful eye.

 “Ayo! Yasopp!” I called, getting his attention.

 He peered over at me. “Liz!” he greeted cheerily. “Come on up!” He nodded to the boys, who scrambled over to me, relieved to be freed from deck duty.

 They took the cart while Yasopp extended a hand to pull me aboard. “Where’s Beck?”

 “Pretty sure he’s getting his carrot peeled by the produce girl, so I brought Hongo’s order and the rest of the supplies back. Figured I’d do you guys a solid. “

 “Much appreciated.”

 I took a glance around. “Looks so much different in the day,” I said.

 “In the day?” Yasopp questioned.

 “Y’all might be a little too cocky. Should be better at watch.”

 “How many times have you been here?”

 “Only once.”

 “I don’t know whether to be impressed or scared,” he muttered.

 “Both is probably the safest answer,” Limejuice said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Did we get a new first mate?”

 “Is that an option?” I asked. “I was always under the impression the Captain was the one you wanted to get rid of.”

 “If you were first mate, you’d effectively be the captain.”

 I shrugged. “You’d have to let me cash him in before I turn to piracy. Easy money. Would be a shame not to.”

 “Excellent plan,” Yasopp chirped.

 “Agreed.”

 “So, do you want a tour since this is your first time here in the day, apparently?” Yasopp asked.

 “Most definitely.” I mean, who wouldn’t take the opportunity to get a tour of a Yonko ship?

 “Great, Lime will take you,” Yasopp volunteered him. “I need to make these to get everything sparkling before we leave.”

 “Better hurry up, boys,” Limejuice chirped. “Or we’ll leave without ya.”

 I snickered as I followed behind him.

 “So welcome to the Red Force,” he said, gesturing around.

 I let out a low whistle. “You guys upgraded since I saw you.”

 He nodded proudly. “She’s a beauty. You’re currently on the main deck…”

 Lime juice took me through almost all the Red Force. The orchard on the deck with various fruit trees. The gun deck also doubled as an armory and blacksmith. The crow’s nest. The bridge. The living quarters. The orlop was an absolute mess. The bar that they had specially built, because of course they did. The library, where Benn hid out when the others were too much. The sail room. The med bay, where Hongo was trying to decide what needed to go with us, given the crew’s penchant for chaos.

 The doctor took a moment away from his stress to thank me for picking up his order instead of their first mate.

 From there, we headed to the galley. Lucky Roux was prepping for the trip as well. Or he was trying to, but there was still the matter of his produce that had yet to arrive.

 “Lizzy!” he greeted. “What brings you to our vessel on this fine day?”

 “I ran into your first mate and decided to help him with the shopping.”

 “Really? Then where the hell is he?”

 “Ran off to play hide the banana with the girl from the produce stand.”

 “By the girl with the expensive turnips?"

 "Thank you!" I said. "Who needs to turn in bounties when you can just rip people off on fucking turnips?"

 "And the cabbages."

 "They had brown spots!"

 "I thought maybe she'd be nicer to Benn," Luck said. "Give him a discount."

 "Seriously? Cause I think she's suckered him in. Figuratively and literally. He said before we even got there that he was sure we could afford full price."

 "What? Does he not understand it's the principle?"

 "Not when there's a babe involved," Shanks said as he walked into the galley, one of the rookies behind him.

 “Hey, Captain.”

 “Miss Elizabeth.”

 My guess was that he was in his quarters or the attached office. Those were the only notable rooms left off the tour, though I had already seen them from my previous mission.

 "You think some girl is swindling the smartest man on the crew?" the kid asked.  

 "Yes," Luck and I said in sync. We glanced at each other, then at the newbie. "Wanna bet it?"

 His eyes narrowed at the challenge. "Loser buys the winner's drinks next time at the tavern,"

 "You do realize there's one of you and two of us, right?" Luck asked.

 "Only means you can afford twice as many drinks.”

 “You got a confident one here, Captain,” I said, looking at Shanks.

 “I know who to put my money on.”

 "I'll shake on it on behalf of the future winners," Luck said, putting his hand out.

 "I hate to take your money like this."

 I scoffed.

 "Benn's brains don't mean anything in the face of a beautiful woman," Shanks added. "He doesn't stand a chance."

 “I can’t believe how much he’s about to spend on fucking peppers and onions.”

 “I know.”

 “As much as you may have tried,” Shanks started. “You haven’t drained my coffers to the point where I can’t afford vegetables.”

 “Not the point!” Luck and I echoed.

 “She told me that from the looks of it, I didn’t know what a vegetable was,” Luck said.

 “That little bitch told me slop might be more my speed. I’ve been forced to eat scraps, so I can confidently say her fucking turnips weren’t far off.”

 Shanks’s expression went to his false neutral that he tended to wear when I said something that he thought was upsetting but didn’t want to make a deal about.

 I gently hip-checked him, subtly shaking my head to let him know it was fine. It was a long time ago, and things were a whole hell of a lot different now.

 He shot me a surprisingly subtle smile, bumping me back.

 “If I’m not ready on time-“

 “Now, why wouldn’t you be on time?” Benn asked, walking into the galley and setting down crates of onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms.

 “Well, well, well, look who it is; so much for 30 minutes.”

 “I made a detour.”

 “Yeah, to Belle’s.”

 “You couldn’t have returned the vegetables to Liz before you decided to ring Belle’s bell?” Luck asked, scrutinizing the haul.

 I snorted. “That was terrible.” I caught sight of the white slip caught between two zucchini.

 “You know, Benn, if you keep up this type of behavior, you might lose your spot as favorite,” Shanks teased.

 I shook my head while not looking away from the paper between my fingers. “Not today, though.” I held the receipt up. “Cause you got fucking hosed.”

 Luck popped his head over my shoulder to look at the receipt. “God, man, Liz ain’t lying.”

 “Seriously?”

 I grinned up at the kid, turning the receipt around. “Don’t worry, kiddo, I’ll stay away from the top shelf.”

 Luck shook his head. “I’m not!” he exclaimed before cackling. I joined him.

 Shanks sighed and patted his poor rookie’s shoulder. “Benn – and you – never stood a chance.”

 “Did you really bet on whether or not I was going to sleep with Belle?” Benn asked.

 “No. We bet on whether or not she was going to scam you, which, based on this receipt, she totally did.”

 Benn pinched the bridge of his nose. “We leave in an hour and a half. Don’t you all have to finish getting ready?”

 “Yeah, yeah,” Luck waved him off.

 “Walk you out?” Shanks offered.

  “Thanks, Captain.”

***

Previous | Next

***

Master List | Mobile Version

[adultswim2021]

Squidbillies #25: “Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto Is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation” | February 18, 2008 - 12:00AM | S03E05

A fan-favorite episode. In this one, Rusty sells his soul to the devil to become a better musician after a disastrous performance in the Cuyler family band “Jesus Makes Me Happy”. Rusty was a perfectly competent bass player, but Early got ornery like he does and set the boy’s self-esteem back quite a bit.

That’s where Satan comes in. Rusty makes a deal with the devil, and the scene where he blows his father away by playing every instrument in the band extremely well is delightful, and his song (actually Shawn Coleman) “Power Ballad” is a genuine panty dropper. I actually remembered this episode as “the one with that great power ballad” (I didn’t realize it was actually titled “Power Ballad”).

Episode sorta peters out, unfortunately, but this is still an above average episode of Squidbillies. The show is associated with a number of great musicians and the more the show makes use of them the better it is. 

Hey! I have an idea. Instead of me coming up with another paragraph, why don’t you just listen to Power Ballad? 

MAIL BAG

My friend, who otherwise has been against Max and it's removal of great content (like adult swim content), is now loving it because they are really doing it up in 4K. What are your thoughts?

He sounds like a cool guy, and I think we should all cherish him. As for me: In a recent write-up I wrote HBOMax, realized it was wrong, and then couldn’t bring myself to just change it to Max, because that also seems wrong, so I did a strike-through on HBO as a compromise. I would never pay for that thing myself, but I am part of a household that does, so there you go.

On the topic of 4K: I am between 4K displays right now, but when I did have one I had to cheap out on it. That might inform my opinion which is that the difference between blu-ray and UHD is too marginal for my eyes, and that I am zero rush to replace blu-rays with 4K discs based on image quality alone. I buy 4K discs if I’m replacing DVD versions, or it’s a movie that I never owned before. I will say that I’m currently holding out on buying certain movies because they are only available on blu-ray and I am anticipating a UHD release happening some day. A girl can dream.

I knew a guy in high school who for some reason used to joke about microwaving cats all the time, to the point where it just became generic edgelord background noise to me, like dead baby jokes. I don't know where he got it from. Maybe those two aqua teen writers saw the same albinoblacksheep short as him.

I remember a had a friend who told me that he shot his neighbors cat with a crossbow and buried it without them knowing. I remember being really disturbed by this, and he seemed legitimately remorseful about it. I referred to it a few days later and he made fun of me for believing him. He would later go on to kill himself (possibly by accident), using nothing more than his vehicle, possibly some drugs, and a concrete aqueduct. I am glad that the cat didn’t have it’s life cut short and it’s too bad his was. But, ayyy, what’re’yeh gonna do?

[azzy-the-christian-furry]

-People choose to believe or not to believe. To say otherwise is to deny free will. If God made the decision, that’s like saying “God made Adam sin.”

-Yeah, I don’t believe replacement theology is really biblical. Especially considering the prophecies surrounding Israel, the Jews, etc. We are grafted in, not a replacement.

-Not really? The thing about Elijah and Enoch are that they walked with God. In essence, I’m agreeing with you on this one to a degree.

-People who aren’t Christians right now aren’t Christians right now. Current events are not future events. EVERYONE ends up calling Jesus “Lord,” but not everyone will be saved (Matt. 7:21-23). The people who have chosen condemnation (and that is the path they’ve chosen for themselves), know Christ is King.

Even then, what about the people who believe after bowl six? By your own logic here, you’re saying Christians who believe after bowl six are left to suffer.

-Except God quite literally is punishing the entire Earth. Therefore pouring out His wrath… Which affects the entire Earth. Which would affect Christians. He’s giving everyone the same chance to not have to go through with that. So you’d then be saying (against scripture), that God would be pouring out wrath on Christians.

-“We’re being taken out for ice cream” obviously wasn’t literal. You’re just deliberately misunderstanding that to have your way, me thinks. There’s quite a lot of biblical evidence for it (which I’ve mentioned two individuals several times specifically, but you’re electing to ignore it.)

When I say we, that is not just “I” or “a few of us,” but rather the majority- all of us that believed in Christ before SHTF. The church has gone through 2k years of trials at this point (which Jesus mentioned would happen), so saying “oh, and there’s this SUPER MEGA BIG BAD TIME you’ll have after all the other bad times” is redundant.

It honestly just seems you’re not willing (or capable?) of understanding different views. I used to think like you on this topic myself, tbh.

Do you really think God would hand over, say, 2 billion of His own people- those who’ve faithfully believed Him *before* things were bad- to be beheaded by the Beast? Forced to partake in the Mark? No water, on account of it being turned to blood? Let them be scorched by the sun? Why was Noah then not told “just swim” during the flood? Why was Lot not told “just survive the firebombing”?

-Before you said the rapture itself is the return of Christ. Now you say it’s after. Which is it?

A good General will evacuate his troops before ordering in the artillery, airstrikes, etc to minimize friendly fire.

That’s what God is. God is a warrior (Exodus 15:3), our “commanding officer”.

So naturally, when it’s time to see fire in the sky, we can expect God to withdraw His people.

[seiyasabi]

Idolised

(Here’s a Yandere Todo Aoi x Female Reader story :P I wrote up the layout for this a while ago, and I’m currently madly in love w him, so here we are! 

Thank you all so much for your support and being so understanding of my situation. I love you all so much ;)

TW: !noncon/dubcon!, !Has a whole ass shrine dedicated to you, you literally don’t know he exists lmao, !claims he's ur bf to everyone, manipulation!, intimidation!, sort of kidnapping!, !forced cunnilingus!, etc.. 

Please proceed with caution!)

“(Your Name)-Chan, why didn’t you tell us that you have a boyfriend?” You slowly stop chewing, chopsticks going slack in your hand. Eyes darting towards your friend Mika, you raise an unamused eyebrow. 

“What are you talking about, Mika-Chan? I don’t have a boyfriend,” All of your girlfriends look at each other, unbelieving of your claim. All giggle, thinking that you’re just being shy. 

“Ne~ don’t be coy! It’s okay to tell us about your boyfriend! From the pictures I’ve seen, he’s quite handsome, huh?” At this point, you’re completely confused. Are they pranking you? You don’t have a boyfriend! 

“I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about-“ The seat next to you slides out, and a hulking figure plops itself down on the wooden chair, the wood creaking horrifically underneath their weight. 

Their arm wraps around the back of your own chair, practically engulfing you in the crook of their enormous elbow, “Hey, Pretty Girl. I’m sorry that I’m late, you know how late my classes run sometimes.” 

You’re too scared to even turn towards the large man, choosing instead to look at your friends with a horrified expression. They don’t notice it, too busy ogling at the apparent eye candy next to you, “Uhm, I’m sorry, but who are you? And why do they think that you’re my boyfriend?” An awkward silence immediately follows after, the man’s hand gripping the wood behind you so hard that it creaks. 

He forces a deep laugh, which sounds quite menacing. He moves his hand onto your back, his warm palm felt through your stylish top, “You’re so funny, (Nickname)-Chan! It’s alright, you don’t need to hide me anymore. I messaged your girls last week, they know about us.” 

“Yeah, (First Name)-Chan! It’s okay! We think you’re both so adorable,” They practically fawn over the two of you, trying to push you closer into each other’s arms. The man next to you takes this in stride, practically hauling your chair up next to his. His arm is now fully around you, as you lean in close to your hair and neck. He inhaled deeply, a satisfied grunt rumbling through his chest. 

“Don’t do anything stupid, (Your Name)-Chan. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll follow my every whim,” Tears of fear and anxiety bead your eyes, which your friends take as relief that you’re no longer hiding away from them. 

“Don’t cry, (First Name)-Chan! It’s okay! We all support you wholeheartedly!” 

The rest of the lunch consisted of you being extremely uncomfortable, and your closest friends being none the wiser. Somehow, they don’t notice how you constantly inch away from him, only to be dragged back to his side. Somehow, they don’t know how he’s whispering mild threats into your ear. 

But, through this time, you learned the name of your so-called ‘boyfriend.’ Todo Aoi, the beast currently keeping you glued to your seat in fear. He’s so much bigger than you, so much faster, seemingly so much smarter. 

“Bye, (First Name)-Chan, Bye, Todo-Kun! It was nice to meet you!” Your friends wave the two of you off, one of his large hands securely on the small of your back. His grip is bruising, controlling. Todo practically pushes you towards an unknown destination, your body only able to continue forward, whether you wanted it to or not. 

“I’m proud of you, (First Name)-Chan. I knew my girl was smart, beautiful, and capable. This just proved it to me,” A small whimper escapes your throat, as fresh tears bead your eyes. 

“Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” A booming laugh is heard, practically shaking the ground below you, causing you to flinch. 

“Why am I doing this? Well, I’m doing this, because I love you. I want us to be together, so we’re going home,” He says this as if it solved all of your problems. 

“But we don’t know each other, why even bother-“ 

“We know each other. I saved your life, remember?” For the first time tonight, you look at him. His distinct scar immediately catches your attention- this man did, in fact, save your life. Two months prior, someone or something shoved you onto some train tracks, right in front of an oncoming train. In a mere moment, the bulky man grabbed you from the tracks, and hopped back up onto the platform, effectively saving your life. 

“I-Bu-But what? We met only once, and-“ He shushes you, forcing you closer to his side, his entire hand practically engulfing your waist. 

“There’s no need to worry. In that Moment, I knew that you were meant to be my beautiful Princess. You need me to care for you, and I’m up for the task.” 

“Princess? Sir, I think you need help! We’ve only talked once, and while I’m grateful for you saving my life, I think this is excessive! Please let me go!” 

He ignores you, sighing dreamily about what the two of you will get up to. Todo couldn’t wait to add more to your shrine at home! He’ll be sure to get as much dirty clothes, used tissues, and everything else he could ever want! 

Forcing you into an upper class loft building, he guides you by the small of your spine into a lift, disregarding the old woman inside. She looks at you as if the both of you are the most adorable couple she’s ever seen, making you shift in discomfort. Todo takes it in stride, practically preening under her gaze, but pretending it has no effect on him. 

He nonchalantly presses his floor’s number, before placing that hand on your hip, and rubbing it in circular motions. You try to move away from him, but his grip is solid. 

Before long, the lift stops on his floor, and he pushes you out. You stumble into the area outside of his front door- his home being the only one on the entire floor. The door itself has a pin pad on its handle, which he quickly typed in, once he’s directly in front of it, leading you to believe that there’s most likely a second pin pad on the other side. 

Once you hear the click of the door being unlocked, Todo moves away from the entryway, and motions you inside, “Go ahead, Princess.” 

In a Moment of defiance, you shake your Head no, “I think this has gone on long enough,” His eyes narrow slightly, yet you continue, practically shaking in your shoes, “I-I don’t want to go inside. Please let me go home.” 

His booming laughter fills the small space, as he shakes his head in disbelief, “You’re adorable, (Nickname)-Chan! Now, go inside before I become angry.” The bite in his final words forces you forward, into his dark flat. 

He flicks on the light switch the moment you step inside, momentarily blinding you. Once you’re able to blink away the dots swimming in your vision, you’re greeted with a fairly normal sight. The living room, kitchen, and dining room are conjoined in an open concept, making the large place seem even larger. Two hallways branch off on either side of the large room, most likely leading to a master, a guest room, bathroom, and an office. 

“What do you think? I read in a magazine that women like clean homes, so I deep clean this flat at least once a week.” 

You aren’t sure what to say, but you nod along anyway, “Yes, it’s very nice.” He beams down at you, cheeks practically stretching to the fullest extent. 

“This shows that I know how to make women happy! I believe that’s a redeeming quality,” You awkwardly give him the side eye, “Oh, don’t look at me like that, silly girl! I have many more redeeming qualities if that one isn’t good enough. Now,” He clasps your shoulder with a large hand, “Why don’t I show you our bedroom?” 

“Our?” Your eyes are practically bugging out of your skull, as he nods gleefully. 

“We’re a couple, aren’t we? And couples share everything with each other.” 

With that, he practically drags you down the left hallway. There’s only one door at the end of the hall, signalling that this is the master bedroom. With one hand, he pushes open the door, before coaxing you inside. His hand that was previously on your shoulder migrates to the bottom of your spine. The room is a mixture of black and your favourite colour, showcasing that this room is the both of yours. 

The bed is quite large, most likely to accommodate your large captor and yourself, “I thought you’d like that your favourite colour is in here.” 

You say nothing, tears beading your eyes. You wring your hands in anxiety, as he leads you to the bed. He sits you down on the edge, before kneeling in front of you. Todo leans forward, resting on your thighs, all whilst still practically towering over you even when sitting. 

“Why’re you crying, Princess? There’s no reason to,” He swipes under your eye the moment the first tear falls. 

“Why am I crying? You must be joking! You-you just kidnapped me!” He shushes you once more, causing a spark of anger to course through you. He hasn’t listened to a single complaint you’ve voiced! “Stop doing that! It’s rude! I’m allowed to be upset-“ 

With two massive hands, he forces your thighs open, “I know your work has you stressed, Pretty Girl- why don’t you let me calm you down?” He pushes his hands up your thighs, your skirt barely covering your pussy,  allowing his thumbs to ghost over your panty clad cunny. 

You try to thrash out of his hold, pushing against his hands, “No! Let go of me!” Your thrashing does nothing, as just the weight of his forearms we’re enough to press your thighs to the bed. His left hand rubs against your clit and hole, trying to make you as wet as possible. You try to push against his forearms, but he presses down harder. 

His thumb rubs fluidly over your clit in an even pressure. Your hips press up, trying to buck him off, but it only causes him to press down harder. In no time, you’re growing wet against his ministrations. You choke back your whines, smacking his arms, before pushing against his head which hovers just above your cunt. 

“Do you feel that, Princess? You’re getting so wet!” He suddenly presses his open mouth against your mound, tongue matching pace with his thumb. A moan escapes your throat before you can stop it, halting the large man in his tracks. You sound so perfect to him! 

In one swift motion, he yanks your panties down your legs, and tosses them onto the mattress beside you. You try to close your legs, but it’s no use. I’m seconds, he has your thighs presses as far open as they can go, and his face is buried in your pretty cunny. His tongue dips into your folds, savouring your taste, before flicking against your clit. 

His tongue rubs against your clit in swift, smooth motions, quickly causing you to grow wetter than before. Your slick drips down your cunny, coating your ass and inner thighs. More moans escape your mouth, as you writhe against him. 

“Sto-Stop! Oh my god-“ He gives a small laugh at your begs, eating you out faster than before. Loud slurps and ‘mms’ are heard throughout the room, as you quickly go over the edge. Your juices squirt out of your cunny, coating his chin and his shoulders in slick. A loud keen is heard throughout the room. 

The mixture of your wonderful cum and loud moans causes the large man to bust a load in his pants. He groans against you, causes your thighs to tremble in overstimulation. Todo removes himself from your pussy (not before licking up as much slick as possible), and smiles up at you. 

“You’re so wonderful, (Nickname)-Chan! I should’ve done this sooner!” 

[piplupfluffwritingstuff2]

Hi! If it's not too much to ask, could you do a mermay snippet? Points 5, 7 and 8. I was thinking of a human that for some strange reason transforms into a merperson, and while they're still getting used to it they hurt themselves, and they get rescued by another merperson. Write whatever you want tho, I don't want to force you to write something you don't like! Thank you <3

Hi Anon! It’s not too much to ask at all! Thanks for requesting this, here you go!

The water was a shimmering blue color except for the stark trail of red that swirled just below the surface. Whumpee didn’t know why they became a merperson every time they touched water, all they knew was that they needed to get used to it, which is what they were trying to do when their tail got caught against a rather sharp piece of coral. Now, Whumpee tried to find their way back to the beach, but the current was carrying them farther out to sea. At this rate, Whumpee would bleed out before they could reach the shore. Whumpee’s vision, though enhanced as a merperson, was starting to blur at the edges. Whumpee was finding it harder to swim against the current; it felt as though all their energy was being sucked out of their body. The last thing Whumpee saw was a shadow descend upon them before everything went black.

…

“Hey,” a voice echoed.

Whumpee stirred but didn’t open their eyes.

“Come on,” the voice said, “don’t leave me now. Wake up.”

Whumpee’s eyes fluttered open. Their surroundings started out blurry and unfocused. Eventually their vision cleared enough for Whumpee to see that they were in some sort of cave, the water lapping at their fins.

“There you are, you had me worried for a minute,” the voice said.

Whumpee turned to the side to see a stranger smiling down at them. This stranger, like Whumpee, had no legs, but rather a shimmery fish’s tail. Whumpee’s eyes grew wide. They had never seen another merperson before, they thought they were the only one. Whumpee propped themselves up on their elbows and got a better look at their own tail. It was wrapped in thick, green seaweed, and Whumpee noticed that the pain had subsided to a dull throb.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” the merperson said, “what were you doing in such shallow water in the first place? Coral reefs can be pretty dangerous.”

Whumpee thought about how to answer. This was a real merperson in front of them, not some human that had gotten turned into one. Whumpee didn’t know how merpeople felt about humans, much less about humans that got turned into merpeople.

“I, um,” Whumpee started.

Whumpee trailed off. They didn’t have a good answer. Something seemed to glint in the merperson’s eyes.

“My name’s Caretaker, what’s yours?”

“Whumpee,” Whumpee blurted without thinking.

“Ah, that explains it. Whumpee is a human name, isn’t it?”

Shoot. They were busted. Whumpee’s breathing grew quick. Caretaker knew they weren’t a real merperson, and they knew their name. Whumpee had to get out of here fast. They were just about to try to drag themselves back into the water when Caretaker put their hands on their shoulders.

“Woah, woah, take it easy, Whumpee,” Caretaker said, “I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to know why you were in shallow water, and now I do. Come on, take a deep breath.”

Whumpee did as they were told.

“Good job, now let it out.”

Whumpee exhaled shakily.

“Now breathe in again.”

Whumpee took another deep breath. Caretaker walked them through the exercise a few more times before they were satisfied. When Whumpee had finally calmed down, Caretaker let go of their shoulders.

“There, see? There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Whumpee nodded.

“Do you have a place you can dry off and revert to your human form?” Caretaker asked, “I’d hate to make you recover in a cave.”

“I have a house near the beach,” Whumpee answered.

“Got it. I’ll take you there.”

“How?” Whumpee asked.

“You’re not the only one with the ability to transform into other things,” Caretaker replied, “granted I haven’t become a human in quite some time, but no matter, it could be fun!”

…

Caretaker carried Whumpee out of the water and onto the beach. They hadn’t used their human legs in some time, so they were a little shaky at first.

“So, Whumpee, which house is yours?”

Whumpee pointed to a little white house with a blue roof. Caretaker tightened their hold on Whumpee and walked to the front door. Once inside, Caretaker laid Whumpee down on the couch and set about finding towels to help Whumpee dry off. Once Whumpee was fully dry, their tail severed into a pair of legs.

“Now, I’m not sure what humans eat these days, but the last time I surfaced I got to learn how to make a really good sandwich.” Caretaker turned to Whumpee, “Do you think you can eat one?”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“Hush,” Caretaker said, “I’m happy to help you. Besides, you need the energy. Now, ham or turkey?”

[yinses]

he reminds your ex who you belong to

gojo satoru ft. f! reader + exhibition ( technically phone sex ¿) + some hair pulling + unprotected sex  wc: 2.3k

a/n: trying to get better with my tagging. i realize the community has it’s own sensitivities and i often fall short on that thought. i still owe some prompts and a few other asks but this has been siting in my drafts for a few weeks and i finally finished it up. 

it never fails to come as an interruption in your life, the shrill call of your phone blaring at inopportune times. each one conveniently impeding on time with gojo.  

your boyfriend of four months would give you that tight smile, blue eyes swimming with annoyance, but never concern. because not once did you pick up the call, always reaching out blindly to silence it without even acknowledging the accompanying messages. 

the number changes, but you learned not to accept any call from one you didn’t recognize. important communications were typically followed by voicemail and that was how you dealt with that. but the duration was becoming more tedious than either of you imagined, reaching above the white noise decibel it had been reduced to. 

“maybe i should just change my number, “ you suggest forlornly. it would ensure that he had no way to contact you freely, but it would also force you to reestablish connections with all your friends and family. it seemed like an extreme measure but when push came to shove. 

only a few moments pass before the phone picks up again, hammering down the final nail in your resolve. 

“i think you should answer.”

gojo’s unexpected intervention comes from the edge of the bed where he flips the said phone carefully from one palm to the next. his fingers brush past the two blinking options just short of selecting. 

you shift from foot to foot, not sure how to accept that response. gojo was as irritated as you were but you didn’t expect him to cave first. 

frowning, you shake your head. “i’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“why not?” his gaze sweeps over your face, somewhat amused by your discomfort. there is a swirl of mischief alight in those bright blue eyes.  “apparently he needs a little more than a simple no.”

he holds out the device, voice taunting but firm.

“if you don’t answer you’ll miss the call.”

as if there wouldn't be a dozen more to follow. 

your mouth feels dry, hand heavy with the weight of decision. it wasn’t as though you couldn't deal with the situation, so much as if you were prepared to. ignoring had been the more appealing option over confrontation but perhaps it had been your hesitation that had been the problem all along. ultimately your thumb taps to accept the call. 

“hello?”

‘baby, i’ve been trying to reach you for ages.’

the bed creaks but you’re too focused breathing evenly to notice. you weren’t familiar with the etiquette of many break ups, which was why this one was the hardest. it had been a long love that had followed you into the early years of adulthood before spark began to fizzle out. 

“i just answered to tell you to stop calling. i’ve already blocked your number once.”

the attempt to revive the romance before it all fell apart had been one-sided. he’d been quicker to discover other fish in the sea before you had. it seemed as though in your patience, you’d found something better while he spent his time chasing minnows without satisfaction. 

‘yes, but you didn’t give me the chance to explain. we don’t have to be over.’

you should have seen it coming. 

your shoulders tense at the press of his lips at your neck. gojo had a propensity for creating opportunities out of every little divot in life. he lived the role of a jester but held the mind of a genius. gojo had been kind in biting his lip to bare down on the jealousy simmering down beneath.

he gives you a brief grace period as his slender fingers tap the mute button then his lips return to your ear. “if you want this, get onto the bed and place the phone above your head with the speaker on.”

an immediate protest flies to your lips but doesn’t quite make it to fruition. what he’s suggestion goes beyond sexual barriers you’d set up thus far. gojo had a knack for pushing them and helping you discover new fantasies and hidden pleasures. 

at the first hint of a pout against your throat, you cave. 

so weak for him.

your ex seems none the wiser to the hitch in your voice as you press one knee to the bed, then the other before carefully rolling onto your back. swallowing the waning confidence before it leaks from your body, you seal the deal by placing the phone just above your head after activating the speaker. 

“good girl.” the words come whispered for your benefit as gojo crawls onto the bed. as if his intentions weren’t already clear enough, the prominent hardness in his pants as he slots between your legs is. you can’t help but grow dizzy at the thought of your premeditated actions, all while your thighs tighten around his form. 

his hands warm the shivers from your sides as he slides up your shirt and kisses down your navel. gojo delivers a sharp nip just before muttering a brisk,” unmute.” in reminder. 

the command comes just in time for your expected response though you’re no more prepared to deliver when gojo unbuttons your pants and works them over your hips. 

‘maybe if we could just meet somewhere?’

the sincerity coupled with your actions makes it all feel more one-sided with you playing the role of the villain. he’d been an ass, yes, but surely he didn’t deserve this. 

right?

“it doesn’t matter, were-mmph.” no part of you expected gojo to play this fairly. you choke on the response when his tongue licks a firm swipe against the fabric of your panties. 

‘what does not matter? speak to me. lets talk this out.”

funny how he chose now of all times to acknowledge the issues you had and attempted to resolve in the past. 

gojo words feel condescending as he mimics what’s heard against your cunt. there was no doubt in your mind that he’d completely written off your ex from the beginning. the same confidence from your first date dripped from his touch as he worked down the fabric from your hips. 

not once did he promise to watch his volume as he sloppily wets his fingers. he’s is ruthless as he plunged in two in on the first thrust, palm curling up to rub friction against your clit. any other time you would have revealed in his ability to make you come apart so easily, now you were more embarrassed by how much easier you felt. 

‘is this a bad time? you seem distracted.’

every time was a bad time. that was the point. 

gojo’s tongue wet the inside of your thigh, “don’t let him hang up. you want this to be his last call, remember.”

at this rate he was going to make this your last waking moment. 

somewhere between a squeak and a whimper, you managed to form words against the friction of gojo’s touch sliding in and out. “no, let’s just-i- yeah, no, we should talk it out now. i’m tired of going back and forth.”

the line pauses briefly. and you almost hope for a second he reaches clarity and saves you from the embarrassment. ‘alright then. are you really not willing to give it another shot?’

your groan of arousal is disguised by disappointment but the opposite warms gojo’s breath against your damp skin. “i didn’t realize you were dating such an idiot. how can he be so dense.” his lips smack, shiny with your stimulation.” you must just really have a thing for pretty faces, willing to look past so much.”

you were willing to look past his deviousness right now, ready to let him desecrate you over the phone like this.

“you’re pretty, toru.” you try to jab but are countered with the addition of a third finger as he starts a relently pace. the sounds are so dirty, reckless suckling sounds that had to carry. gojo made sure of it as he twisted his wrist in retaliation over every shift of your hips. 

“i am much prettier than they guy. much better at a lot,” he enunciates sharp smack to your thigh. 

then he curls just right and you turn for face into the phone and keen.

‘seriously what is going on you sound- strained.’

gojo’s chuckle vibrates within you. “poor guys don't even know what you sound like on the verge of an orgasm.”

your voice is impossibly hoarse and not very convincing as you choke out,” i’m fine. n-no look … i only answered because i wanted us to-fuck-no sorry.” gojo wasn’t making this easy. “- wanted us to reach some closure and move on.”

gojo pulls out just short of your building orgasm and you gasp breathy at the loss. 

‘we were together for two years. surely that amounts to more than just moving on.’

it did. way back when the unexpected break up had torn your hearts to shreds. the misunderstanding and lost connections had eaten you out from the inside. left you failing in the unknowns of what you did wrong and why he wanted to slow down your progress.

now it all seems insignificant in comparison the sight of your current boyfriend slowly fisting his cock. 

‘you wanted to use the break to decide if you were ready for a future together and i think we both realized that we weren't-”

gojo had chosen the right moment to intervene in your life and the moment at the head of his cock pushes through the first ring. he follows through in one motion, filling you to hilt as his hand reaches up to fist the short of your hair. 

‘baby, no one knows you like i do.’

the sharp sting of his fist clenching as he hips rock back is the last warning you get before he slams back in. there was more to the familiar precision as he ruts into you. gojo was the better man, but even he felt short to the green-eyed-monster. 

he was relentless with his pace, fucking into you harder with each new whimper you give up. your consciousness is a fleeting cloud, wafting high out of your reach as your mouth opens up to sharp cries. 

‘are you working out right now? your words sound broken.’

gojo’s hand presses into the curve of your back as he leaves over you. “fuck, you should just tell him. get this over with. let him know that you belong to someone else now. someone who is currently fucking you better than he ever could.”

your protests mirror your resolve and you can already feel your lips forming those exact words before you catch yourself. “i-i cant.” that was too much, right?

gojo didn’t seem to think so. he suddenly pulled out just enough to turn you over, hand still holding your hair hostage as he pushed your face into the mattress effectively ruining your ability to speak properly. 

“tell him, or i will. and i’ll add in every dirty little thing we’ve done leading up to this moment. you don’t belong to him anymore and he should know it. properly.”

‘hey, should i just come over?’ comes that voice again, a constant glutton for punishment.

“no!” you cry out. “i-we can’t- i’m.”

gojo decides to help you out. no longer willing to be a spectator as if he could be called such. “fuck, baby. make those pretty noises for me.”

‘is that someone else? are you with someone right now.’

gojo snatches up the opportunity, hand curling around the phone to place it against the tacky sweat accumulating against the skin between your shoulder blades. you can feel it teetering with each jerk of your body. 

“yeah, she is. apparently she needs help getting her point across. if she wants to contact you  she will do so on her terms. “ he huffs peevishly,“ until then fuck off or you can listen to me fuck her doesn’t matter to me.”

his commanding tone shouldn’t sound so hot. you can’t help but moan as he hits that spot just right. 

a high pitched ‘what the fuck’ grates unpleasantly against the mood you’re so desperate to build to its peak. 

“i take it back, hearing you screech is going to make me go soft. don’t call again.”

‘wait don’t-’ his protest comes a moment too late for gojo’s waning patient as he abruptly cuts off the call and flings the phone somewhere above your head. 

“I imagined that going much smoother in my head,” grunts as he picks up the pace.

your mouth falls open but nothing comes out. you’re unable to blink past the flood of light as you melt into the roll of his hips. there is nothing left for you to do but squeeze around him as you absorb each thrust. 

“i don’t know what i was expecting thinking you could form coherent sentences when i fuck you stupid like this.” his voice is markedly softer now, still agitated but gentler in his touch as he loosens his grip. your head turns without instruction, eagerly catching his mouth in a sloppy kiss. 

the tell tale tremble shudders from one end to the next as you dig your knees into the mattress and gyrate your hips. the angle rewards you with an opportunity to ride his cock straight into nirvana. gojo comes to shatter the already broken cry of release by manipulating speed and precision while you chant his name all the way over the edge. 

his breath comes in short rasps as he follows you over, body drawn up taut as his orgasm washes over.  

gojo’s weight is unforgiving, but thankfully brief when he collapses on top of you before rolling onto his side. he gathers you into his arms and rolls you in against his chest. his fingers chase yours and he brings them to his lips to kiss each one. 

“maybe you should have just gone with your idea and changed numbers.”

somehow you find the air to laugh as your head falls back against his sweaty shoulder. he shares your humor, smile sharp with a new prospect.

“or perhaps we can try again? maybe repeated exposure will do the trick.”