#both of them are so neat ben!!!!!

[chiropteracupola]

Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough / And so my good neighbors we'll drink unto thou / Besides all on earth, you have apples in store / Pray let us come in for it's cold by the door...

[have put the good-quality file of this up for pay-what-you-want on ye olde ko-fi in case you want to print this out and use it for its intended purpose. send it to your grandma. send it to your friends. send it to bernard cornwell on facebook. if you want.]

[itstimeforstarwars]

Actually something I'm really excited to explore in the galidraan au is going to be Cody and Satine interactions. I was gonna write like an actual thesis of why but idc to explain it right now just know it gives me kicky feet whenever I think about it.

[roach-works]

i feel like there's a rich vein of SOME kind of ore to mine with regards to the romantic woes of visibly "freakish" and inhuman superheros, especially in silver age comics. like, because of the comics code, the writers could not in-universe admit that some people are really kinky and would absolutely nut in an instant if a gigantic alligator man or a living rock monster or a ten foot tall woman who's on fire gave them a little smooch on the head. like maybe most people in the 70s and 80s had no idea this was the case, either!

but so you end up with these romantic plot lines where some poor freakish superhero with a heart of gold and the skin of, i don't know, a bunch of octopi, is miserable because they'll never find true love, except for a totally normal woman has the power to see their inner heart (which is normal) and fall in love with them for that (normally). villains can sometimes be like 'yeah this chick is super into the fact that i'm an eight foot tall deathbot, we're both evil like that' but ben grimm can't get a date! even blind women are a little concerned that he's literally made out of rocks. it never works out because the writers either can't imagine or can't admit that no matter the freak, there's a bigger, hornier freak who's praying for a chance to shoot their shot.

i don't know. it's just interesting. obviously modern comics can acknowledge a lot more sexual variance than the stuff from fifty years ago, but it's just kinda neat to consider the bizarre limitations a heteronormative paradigm enforces on a population of very strange characters.

and also i feel like in real life ben grimm's DMs would be full of incredibly horny geologists going PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE all day long.

[phoenixyfriend]

Something something Dooku survives the Clone Wars, the Imperial Era, and even a few years past the OT...

And Luke finds him while looking for More Jedi to help him teach.

Chewie recognizes the decrepit old bastard, and there is yelling, but being A Hundred And Nine has mellowed Dooku out in his own dusty hermit hut, on the other side of the galaxy from Ben and Yoda's hermit huts.

All the Jedi ghosts are unhappy with this but Dooku is… not REFORMED, technically, but he's old and tired, even if the Force keeps him a bit more healthy and energized than the average Old Guy, and humans routinely live to pretty unreal old ages in the gffa anyway so really 109 for them is probably like 85 for us.

But yeah. Old mountain hermit (to contrast the desert and the swamp) who's been in hiding from That Dick Sidious since he lost both hands to babyface Vader in 19BBY.

@jebiknights (Sammie) said:

Dooku finds out Luke was also trained by Yoda and is like "oh Yoda finally gave me a younger brother like I always wanted"

Alternately he could probably get Luke to call him Great-Great-Grandfather.

Sammie: Funniest option is he's both which makes Luke even more confused lmao Ghost Obi wan in the background like "stop fucking using non Jedi terms to describe Jedi relationships it doesn't fucking work"

Luke calls him, irreverently, Gramps, but also. Leia definitely recognizes him as a Recent Historic Political Figure, but not until AFTER Luke has already integrated Dooku into his new Jedi school.

"Why did Chewie let him do that?" He thought it was funny. (And/or if you like Chewku, you can make this some sordid exes thing.)

"Why did R2 let him do that?" Best keep evil man in electrical prodding range.

Sammie: Leia comes to the school for her biweekly Jedi lessons and sees the newest teacher was a traitor to the Republic 😭

Best if they can find Quin or Ventress out in the black. Partly because like. Does this make Ventress their step-grandma (Quinlan's on-off something) or their great-great-aunt (Dooku's 4th apprentice)?

Sammie: Both and also Luke's niece. Luke has a migraine by the end of it and Leia is ready to disown herself. Ventress: I didn't realize the Jedi were so incestuous Luke: war flashbacks to before he realized Leia was his sister

Ahsoka in the corner with Spacebucks, five years late "Y'all suck. Hey, Quin."

Sammie: I know you likely didn't bring up Quinlan thinking of QuinObi but now I'm imagining Quinlan declaring himself their grandpa when he meets the twins bc 1) he loves to cause chaos 2) he does/did consider Anakin his kid even if not in neat non Jedi terms and 3) Obi-Wan thought being considered Anakin's father made him sound old, and Quinlan needs to harass him beyond the grave

Dooku must have a cane that the ghosts heckle him about because He Clearly Wants To Be Just Like Yoda.

@lyntergalactic (Lyn) said:

I feel like evil gramps could really bring out Ahsoka's snark once she shows up and that would be highly entertaining Ahsoka is simultaneously his most and least favorite grandchild

She's the most experienced as a Jedi (Ventress went full Sith, not just leaving the Order but following the tenets like Ahsoka, and Quinlan isn't in the lineage), has never Fallen unless you count that thing on Mortis.

Also she WILL bitch Dooku out at this age, and honestly he kind of appreciates the brutal honesty.

Ahsoka: I'm not a Jedi. All the old people: Lies

She brings up the Hondo incident since nobody else is putting in the effort. Anakin and Obi-Wan COULD as ghosts but nooooooo she has to do everything around here.

Sammie: Oh but it sets them off so hard they can barely get the story off from laughing NGL I think the twins did not understand how truly annoying Obi-Wan and Anakin could be together until the Hondo story gets told.

They are The Worst.

[avithenaftali]

October 28, 2022, 7:11 P.M.

For whatever reason I enjoy thinking about Diana Wynne Jones' writing as a whole and picking out unexpected or resonant trends. For example, some things that comes up often is:

She'll fabricate a world (right down to its cosmology), fill it with memorable characters, set one or two short novels in it... and then never touch it again. On to the next one. Rinse and repeat for her entire career.

The concept of multiple/parallel universes appear half a dozen times in different novels/sequences, but always in completely different ways. The multiple worlds of Chrestomanci function very, very differently from the multiple worlds of The Homeward Bounders, which themselves function so different from the Ayewards/Naywards of Deep Secret, or the walls between the worlds in Dark Lord of Derkholm. More importantly, all these approaches to multiverse explicitly contradict each other. There is no larger DWJ multiverse; there is no way to coherently combine any of them, much less all of them. I love her for this. Every book is its own project. Franchising be damned.

With one exception (which is the Dalemark quartet, oddly enough), none of these worlds are sealed-off secondary worlds. Our own Earth appears in all of them, though usually from the 'wrong' end of the telescope. Meaning, it's stuff like reading Charmed Life and assuming you're reading a magical secondary world fantasy for most of the book... up until the point when Janet is pulled into the story due to Gwendolyn's spell. The reader instantly understands that Janet is from our own world, from the 1970s when the book was written. She never makes it home, either. She never sees her parents again. She's a supporting character who becomes permanently stuck in the world of Chrestomanci, as a casualty of Gwendolyn's spells.

It is interesting, though, how there are almost no sealed-off secondary worlds in DWJ's oeuvre.

There are lots of neat things to say about how DWJ did this, and why she'd do it, and the implications in the storytelling. But tonight I'm thinking mostly about how it can be a moment, narratively, that makes you halt and have to recontextualize all these things you thought you knew (or were assuming) about the nature of the story.

In Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed, Urras is obviously the metaphorical capitalistic stand-in planet for our own Earth... up until a moment right near the end, where we realize our own Earth exists in this novel too and is an ecological wasteland due to unchecked climate change.

Urras may be the distorted-mirror, uber-capitalist version of our own world. But it's also a planet with a functional ecosystem. It's a planet where society is careful about maintaining that ecosystem. We're not going to be Urras, says Le Guin. We'll be lucky if we become Urras. To become Urras means we wised up in time to not go extinct.

And suddenly, little subtle moments in the worldbuilding around both Anarres and Urras—their shared attention to their own ecology—come into a different light. All because our own, devastated Earth turns out to be present in the novel too.

And in Howl's Moving Castle, Howl is a magician who fits into the fairy tale landscape of Ingary as naturally as anyone else—until the chapter when he has to go home to retrieve a lost spell, and you realize home is in another world, aka home is our world, aka Howl is fucking Welsh and found his way into Ingary by pure accident. And Ben Sullivan, Ingary's missing royal magician, is no native of Ingary either.

To Sophie, it just means that both magicians travelled to Ingary from the same enigmatic foreign land, which is as strange to her as any spell.

To us readers, it means "oh my god he's Welsh too? Just how much is Wales secretly connected to Ingary? Next thing you'll tell me Ben Sullivan's a rugby player as well—"

[essycogany]

Fun details I love about Sonic Movie 3!

Some of my takes might not be popular, but I have no problem if anyone disagrees with them.

The animation is by far the BEST from any of these movies. The characters blend into the environment more convincingly here. The facial expressions are near Drone Home levels of good. Still not as cartoony, but it’s close. Body language is 100% great too. Especially if you know some of the references from Sonic specifically. Have I said how much THE LIGHTING IN THIS MOVIE EATS UP THE SCREEN!!! The color variety is insane!

I especially enjoyed the little details like Sonic practically crying when Tom got hurt. Then he immediately grew angry with the transition feeling seamless. Ben’s voice acting was hurting my heart in the best way. Don’t get me started on the “Where…is it!” line from the argument scene. UGH!

Tails was so brave for standing up to Sonic who was a person who inspired him. The little guy was clearly the responsible one of the group. Even getting irritated with Sonic multiple times or being a bit sassy with Tom and Maddie.

Knuckles was TOO good. Him protecting Tails when Sonic started getting defensive is a stand-out moment for me. Not to mention basically saving the day near the end. He’s certainly the TRUE hero by the end. I’m glad both him and Tails had more time to be fleshed out despite the pacing being quick. Left me wanting more to be honest.

We don’t ever see the three squabble the way they did and for it to not feel forced is an accomplishment that should be studied. All of the neat character moments or emotional range we barely see from Sonic characters were presented perfectly. Also, hot take but I think the movie's dynamic of Team Sonic is the best it's ever been. It's arguably better than the games.

Can we also talk about how the film has the BEST Sonic and Shadow dynamic ever? Shadow gets snarky with Sonic at some points when they reconcile. They feel more like friends/acquaintances here than in the games in my opinion. I don’t know why, but the back and forth between the hedgehogs, fox, and echidna feels expanded. The believably of their relationships are stronger. No shame to the games, but Tails and Knuckles barely interact there.

Also, this is the GREATEST Shadow hands down. 2024 truly helped me appreciate him as a whole but Movie!Shadow is awfully lovable. They allowed him to emote and not stay stoic the entire time. Ever since Prime Shadow’s been so expressive and I love it.

Oh, and the humans were fun as usual. Of course the movie isn’t perfect but my 9/10 rating is largely for how much I enjoyed it more than anything. And Amy…Just Amy.

[suethesocks]

Heres a neat idea i got for pyronites and doodled a while back

I was thinking about how Bigchill is both cold resistant because hes already cold, and also heat resistant because his coldness protects him from heat.

Heatblast on the other hand, is weak to cold (or water that puts out his fire) and it got me thinking about the bigchill logic doesnt apply to heatblast, so to pryonites its probably really cold for them to be on any climate that we consider normal

So i thought "ooh, what if the fire we see is just them keeping warm in our climates that are cold to them, but on their planet theyre not on fire at all." We've seen bens fire be put out several times in the series, but hes always been emitting some kind of fire

So i thought what if theyre semi-fleshy freaks under that glow and we just never see it hueheh. I think im quite fond of this idea because heatblast as a fire alien isnt really someone you imagine to have flesh. But like, what if...

[neunhofferart]

Howdy, Heidi! You said that some fans picked up things that were done on accident… Were there more scenes like that? Also, were there scenes that you guys made on purpose but fans didn’t pick up / were aware of them? In shipping terms (hihi) and in general terms. Thanks!

I think in every type of media you will inevitably see versions of 'authorial' intent vs audience interpretation that overlap and differ from each other in many ways. (Authorial intent in quotes because in collaborative mediums like film and animation every single person on the pipeline who touches the work probably has a slightly different personal interpretation they're contributing to the final work, even under someone like a showrunner or a director).

Humans are smart and it's in our nature to look for connections and find explainations to questions, so most of the time if someone is putting something down, someone is going to pick it up, so to speak, and a lot of things ARE on purpose.

But this same phenomenon can also lead to us seeing connections in places that even the 'authors' might not have originally thought of while creating the work, and I think that can be pretty neat actually! I don't necessarily think reading alternate interpretations of works is wrong-- it can be very healthy to explore multiple reads of a narrative or a character/character dynamic. On Chaos Theory there were definitely times when we were like 'fans are probably gonna ship this even if it's not the text' haha. Sometimes fans latch onto headcanons you really have no control over. Sometimes things were animated slightly differently from how they were conceived (which is also a natural part of things).

But yes, sometimes I have seen a few other things that were interpreted in slightly different ways from how they were directed or written verbally, but I'm personally of the opinion that it's more fun to leave some things visual and open to a little interpretation rather than beating the words over the audience's head and having the characters constantly announcing 'I'm feeling this because of this!' And going 'this is the only way to interpret the show and the characters and if you don't you're wrong!'

It's usually not a huge deal. I think even as we were working sometimes I'd make connections to myself that weren't necessarily spelled out to us and go 'oh, this is a throughline for this character actually!'

Like for example- if I remember correctly, the original direction behind how Kenji reacted to Ben's apparent death was that it was supposed to the first time he'd ever seen someone he really KNEW seemingly die right front of him, and being unable to do anything about it deeply affected him. Ben is a very important turning point in his character development regardless of which way you read it.

And I think this is actually something that just continued to stack onto his character throughout both shows whenever any of his friends lives are seriously in danger. In Camp when he's still unable to do anything but comfort Sammy while she's poisoned, to deciding it's too dangerous not to trade Wu's laptop for Brooklynn, to eventually throwing himself between the spinosaurus his dad is about to kill Darius with and choosing his friends over his own father and being willing to die with/for them... and then in Chaos Theory it kind of reboots all over again with Brooklynn dying and then his dad dying right in front of him, and his complex of not wanting to be useless and trying to do whatever he can at the expense of even himself to keep the loved ones he has left safe is kicked into overdrive.

I think there are a lot of things like that where the intent is not always verbally spelled out, but the more important thing is that it's still (hopefully) making you feel something.

[moonydustx]

Hi!! Your writing is so good. I love it so much!!! Can i request a Five x female reader? Where the reader is smug and direct about her feelings? Thank you!! 🫶🫶🫶

Hi Hi! First, thank you for appreciating my work ❤️❤️

I tried my best to deliver and I apologize in advance if anything deviated from the proposal. I used Five from last season because his personality in these last few episodes is my favorite. Again, thanks for the request and i hope u like!

requests | the umbrella academy masterlist

What do you feel?

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x F!Reader

Warnings: fluffff, some things are a little out of canon, F!Reader is also someone with powers. She can feel others' feelings and make others feel hers through touch.

You still remembered the first time Five crossed your eyes at Temps Comisson. The neat jacket, the formal shorts and the almost arrogant posture for just a kid. At first, you hated him.

"A new friend for you." the manager introduced you to him and the two of you barely bothered to shake hands.

"Great, a newbie." Five replied, without much patience.

"I already have my suitcase, I don't need this new one." the cynicism in your tone was clear to both of them. When you saw the manager looking at you impatiently, you turned to him. "Let's follow the rules: don't get in my way, don't meddle in my choices and please don't expect me to save you if you're standing in the grave."

"I could say the same." Five replied, extending his hand to you. "Deal."

And a few years later, here you were. Cooped up in the family of what you could call your best friend, attending a wedding taking place under the lights of the end of the world.

"What do you think, huh? Apocalyptic weddings." Five whispered as the bride and groom entered.

"First I need to find someone who can handle it." your answer came out almost automatically and you just watched Five deny it, with a smile on his lips.

The ceremony was quick, totally the opposite of dinner. The two of you chose to sit at a table alone, taking in your surroundings. The happy couples, Ali and Viktor fighting, Ben being disturbed by Klaus.

"Can you feel what they think from here?" Five asked, filling his glass.

"Sex, sex." you pointed to Luther and Diego with their respective spouses. "Guilt and grudge." you pointed at Viktor and then Allison. "And suicide." Finally, you pointed at Ben. "Look, I don't even need to go there and touch them."

"Sometimes I forget." He pointed to your hands covered in gloves. "And you, how do you feel about the world ending?"

"Relief, I guess." You lied, seeing him nod.

You both watched Klaus approach, in silence. Brother Hargreeves tried to convince them to listen to Sir Reginald, but it was in vain. You understood his hope, in trying to somehow rescue his father's good image and no matter how much he denied it, you could feel that Five wanted to be able to have that kind of hope too.

"I still don't believe him." Five said in a low tone, despite having alcohol in his blood, he still needed to remain alert.

"Me either." you imitated him, moving closer to him. The two of your heads were practically glued together as the two of you talked. "It's a shame to see Klaus so… wait a minute."

Sir Reginald's presence was present there, frightening everyone. It wasn't the spiteful version that you heard Five talk about over the years, but there was something that didn't fit there, you could feel it.

The man gave a brief speech, with a huge poem and it was clear from the looks of those around that the situation was stranger than you could imagine. Perhaps with the intention of breaking the ice hovering in the air, as soon as Hargreeves left the microphone, the dance floor was filled with music and colored lights.

"The old man is actually good at it." Five pondered, taking your attention.

"I don't know, something is wrong. He's always alert, he won't let me touch him." you responded immediately, watching him think for a few seconds.

"Any ideas what we can do?"

"I don't know if you got the memo, but we're about to die. " you turned away from Five to grab your glass. In a cynical gesture, you took your glass towards his glass, improvising a toast. "Here's to the old man's minutes of sanity."

"How can you be so frank?" He seemed indignant, drawing a laugh from your lips. "You're worse than me."

"Ah, dear Five. Try to feel what everyone else feels for a day. All the anger, all the fear. Your own feelings become a burden to you." your words silenced him, leaving space for him to just nod and for you to return to contemplating the speeches.

"I'm glad the world is ending." he stood up, extending his hand to you while his other hand held the bottle of champagne you shared. "Screw other people's feelings."

"Yeah, screw it." You accepted and stood up.

Five led you to the dance floor and even though the music was more upbeat and the dance floor was full of his brothers, he still spun you around a few times, in a kind of disconcerted waltz.

Five soon let go of you and climbed up to where the DJ table was, taking the microphone from the strange man. Without speech or prior notice, Five began to sing. The lyrics weren't the happiest of all, much less the melody, but they were familiar to you. You remembered singing it a few times in Five's presence and saying how much it reminded you of your father, who had been away from you for years.

"Would you accompany me?" your eyes moved away from Five's to Klaus, who proposed a dance. You could notice his suspicious look as he led you away.

"You like him, don't you?" Klaus asked and you just nodded, there was no point in hiding it anymore. "Well, you still have some time until the world ends."

"And if it doesn't end, what do I do next?"

"What do you mean it doesn't end?" Klaus asked, stopping turning you around. "Will you accept Dad's plan?"

"No, no, that's not it. I've seen Five end apocalypses before, I think something inside me hopes he can fix this one too. Maybe it's just the grief speaking inside me."

"Yeah, maybe."

Klaus turned you around once again and let you go, leaving you alone for just a few seconds.

"Let's get out of here?" Five's voice materialized behind you. "I need fresh air."

Before you could respond, he held your hand and led you away. It only took a few minutes for the two of you to be alone, watching the orange sky from the building's terrace.

"Can I ask you something?" You sat next to him, keeping little distance. Before you could ask, he held out the bottle of champagne he hadn't put down yet.

"Technically you already asked."

"Stop being an idiot." your shoulders collided with his. "That's it, right? I think we finally don't have the solution."

"I can almost believe you're scared." this time, you didn't deny it, you just looked away. "You know you don't need to talk, right?"

"I know, but it's frustrating. Running after saving the world all this time and not being able to. I'd rather die, I don't know, run over by a car, with an anvil falling on my head. But an apocalypse?" you laughed and watched Five do what you had done many times when you couldn't use your voice to talk. He took one of your hands and took off the glove, allowing himself to touch your skin.

"I can feel you." he replied, in a low tone. "You are afraid."

Five preferred to omit everything else he felt when he touched your skin. Fear, anguish, anxiety, love. The last one weighed on his mind, but he knew you and knew you would come out as soon as he felt comfortable. In a way, he knew that when he touched you, you would also be aware of his feelings.

"The only people who aren't scared are those who aren't paying attention."

"I think we need to drink more, to forget about this." even after just a few minutes of sitting, Five pulled you to your feet. "And this dress suits you, it's a waste to stay here while the party is going on downstairs."

Again, he dragged you downstairs, where the celebration was taking place. Whiskey, vodka, beer, everything that still contains a quantity of alcohol became part of your menu and at the end of the party, you found yourself sitting at the counter, Five standing a few meters away, tasting two different drinks. Maybe that would be the last time the two of you would party.

"Five?" you interrupted him, making him place the two bottles on the floor. "I don't want to die with regrets."

"Elucidate me on that."

"Even though The Handler always made it clear that I was too much for you, I like you." A sob caused by alcohol interrupted your train of thought. "I like it and I know that maybe I'm a little too much for your arrogance. You're also a little too much for me." You laughed, seeing him approach. "I think after these years, it's only fair for me to say that I love you."

"You think?" he laughed, fitting himself between your legs dangling from the metal counter. "You drank too much."

"You too." you responded immediately, starting to take off your gloves. "And alcohol doesn't affect my opinion. Feelings don't lie, do you want to feel?" Before the first glove could leave your hand, Five stopped you.

"I believe in you and I feel the same." he replied and in an unexpected gesture, he hugged you, putting his face in your mouth. "I've loved you for a while, it's a shame it took us so many years to realize."

"We can live that at least now." You gave space for his face to be in front of yours. "Damn, now I wish I could end this apocalypse."

His lips took yours and instead of his hands attaching themselves to your body, Five disheveledly took off your gloves and pulled your hands until they tangled around the back of his neck.

"I love you so much." he murmured between your lips, feeling almost overwhelmed by all the feeling that emanated from your hands. "Tonight, I'm yours and you're mine, fuck this apocalypse."

"Until the world ends?" you asked breathlessly.

"Until the world ends."

Your mouth tasted like alcohol, sweets and fear for the small future, but Five didn't see the problem, after all you could love each other until the world ended.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Cute little 1892 renovated home in New Orleans, Louisiana. 3bds, 3ba, $679K.

This is a nice layout. Usually, these homes are enclosed, but this isn't a shotgun style house, it's called a "camel back, " which I'm going to guess means that is has a 2nd level.

The main floor is open concept, but you can see the support beams where the walls were opened up on both sides of the fireplace. So, it was divided into small rooms.

The kitchen is very nice and now it's much larger than the original.

Pretty sitting room. The wall unit is a nice touch.

And, this is beautiful bedroom. Staging is so important, and it makes this home look very attractive. Love the chandeliers, I assume they convey.

Neat bath with an original fireplace.

They managed to give this room a walk-in closet. I'm always impressed when they find a space for a closet in an older home.

Stairs to the 2nd level and the other 2 bds.

Bedroom #2 is lovely, too. It's a good size.

This is beautiful. Love the vintage fixtures. It's vintage/modern and the perfect mix.

Bd. #3 is also beautiful. I didn't expect them to be so large.

The attic space has ben made into a closet.

The 3rd bathroom is off a foyer at the side entrance.

Very nice. A driveway entrance.

Behind a privacy fence in the rear is a deck, patio, and a lovely little garden.

[thornnii]

⏤ ✦ ink spots

genre: fluff wordcount: 0.6K pairing: Carlos DeVile x gn!reader pronouns: they/them other: Y/N's parents aren't mentioned so can be from any family, no specific timeline but set during school years, implied AK!reader, no actual dialogue, established relationship warnings: one swear summary: for an art project Y/N has to incorporate ink into their piece, but it's not just the art that gets covered in ink thorn's notes: originally posted 01/Oct/2022; edited, this has a really shit and rushed ending

⏤ return to old posts masterlist

The stark white canvas stared back at them tauntingly, a small yellow post-it note was stuck loosely to the table beside them. Y/N had jotted down the prompt given earlier in class on it: 'use ink in project'. Short and simple and to the point, not that that served to provide any inspiration now.

It was at that moment that their boyfriend, Carlos DeVile, entered the art room. In all honesty he had been looking for Mal, needing to pass on a message that Ben had given him. He didn't mind not finding her, in fact he was pleased to have found Y/N instead. Y/N too was pleased at his arrival, happily welcoming the company. Carlos's arrival had provided Y/N with some much needed inspiration, more specifically: his multi-coloured hair, the splattering of black in amongst soft white locks. Ink blots on a page or spots in a dalmatian's fur.

That was it! That was they would paint; a patch of snowy white fur using deep black ink to create spots and patches. It would take time and would probably beat them round the ass when it came to shading, but it was something and they would make it work.

It had been a day and a bit since Y/N's inspiration had dawned on them and they'd been making good progress. Carlos had stayed and watched for a bit before remembering why he was there in the first place and the message for Mal.

Now, though, the couple sat together deliberately. Finally it had come to the point when the painting part was finished and dried and all that was left was to add the ink. An inkwell full of deep black ink sat on the table in front of Carlos, who held onto it with a firm grip to make sure that there would be no risk of spillages, whether over the table or yourselves.

Y/N was using a calligraphy brush to draw with the ink; it kept the line neat and smooth as they used it carefully. Just as Y/N was moving the brush back to canvas after going for a re-dip a small drop fell from the tip and landed on the sleeve of Carlos's red, woollen sweater. As soon as they noticed the ink dropping, Y/N flipped the brush in their hand and began to apologise profusely to Carlos. Carlos didn't mind, sure it was annoying but clothes could be washed and he was used to way dirtier clothes back on the Isle anyway.

But as the two focused on his sweater sleeve, neither noticed ink began running down the brush Y/N's hand, slowly making its way down to their fingers. Not until Y/N felt it dripping down their skin. Now looking to their fingers they gave a short laugh, quickly putting the pen down in the inkwell, they quickly grabbed for some paper towels that they'd left to their side incase of this exact situation. But, of course, the ink didn't wipe away cleanly, leaving a large streak across their hand.

Finally the project was completed, left to sit on a windowsill to dry. Y/N absentmindedly drew shapes onto the table with their finger as they talked about this, that and the other to Carlos. As they were talking, Carlos picked up the fine brush from the ink pot and began drawing patterns on the back of his partner's hands. Y/N quickly noticed what he was doing, feeling the brustles drag across their skin, but they made no effort to stop his actions, continuing on as if nothing was happening.

At some point the roles reversed and it became Y/N that was drawing on their lovers hand: softly painting out the bones of his left hand.

It didn't take long until both of them had each of their hands covered in an array of doodles and were laughing away like idiots. Idiots in love.

[tyquu]

For Spider-Ben au, may I ask if you have an idea for venom?

Okay so,,, it’s not super neat so I’ll type out the gist of it below in case you can’t read my handwriting, but after much consideration, I’ve decided to give Venom to Kevin!

Okay! So! I know the whole deal with Venom is that Venom knows Spider-Man’s identity because they were previously bonded, BUT… I’ve decided to switch things up a bit. (I love secret identity’s.)

Kevin gets the venom symbiote when he’s 13 (and homeless). Venom takes advantage of Kevin’s desperate situation and promises him the power to protect himself in exchange for bonding with him. Kevenom then proceeds to go on many crime sprees, attracting the attention of a freshly new 12 year old Spider Ben. The two butt heads constantly for a while, until about 6 months in Kevin and Venom seem to just disappear from the streets of Bellwood.

Evil scientist Servantis had lured and captured Kevenom in his laboratory, and proceeded to experiment on him to figure out how the symbiote worked. Eventually, Servantis managed to separate Venom from Kevin, and use the symbiote to create an enhanced clone which would come to be known as Carnage.

I won’t go into to detail on what’s up with Carnage yet, but essentially Ben will have a Red suite arc instead of a Black suite arc featuring Carnage, and therefore Venom never learns Ben’s true identity. Kevin gets his memory wiped and is chucked back onto the streets, eventually finding his way to Bellwood High.

Ben and Kevin become fast friends, both of them totally unaware of their other identities. Eventually, Venom escapes Servantis’s lab and manages to wiggle its way back to Kevin. Kevin initially wants no part of their previous life, as he is actively trying to do better for himself, however Venom manipulates him into bonding again, swearing that they are going to get revenge on spider man for beating them up as a kid, and not saving them from Servantis.

And that’s where I’m up to currently. By day, they’re best friends, by night, spider Ben and Kevenom beat the crap out of each other. It’s a fun dynamic.

[clownin44]

hey, what do you think of benlor as a ship??? if possible, can u please bless us with some benlor fanart? thanks!

Ty for the ask!

Other than Ashlyn and Aiden, Red really doesn't focus on any other pairings. She said that she prefers to have the relationships develop naturally as she goes, which I think is really cool! I don't have any ship I'm crazy about. I think they all have the potential to be cute, but benlor, I SEE!!

I'm going to break down this pairing and why I think they work and some headcannons I have, hopefully? Dunno what this is actually

Their first important scene together (in my opinion) happens in episode 27 when Aiden tells the group what happened to Ben. Taylor is the first to say anything, and thanks him for being so open about it when he probably wasn't ready to tell anyone yet. I like that It's not meant to be romantic, Taylor's just a kind person. However, it definitely changes their relationship moving forward.

In episode 42, when Logan is confronting Barron at the arcade, they have another special moment. Taylor notices Ben's discomfort with the situation and makes a comment about wishing he had stayed inside. I don't think it's because she thinks he's dangerous, I think it's because knowing what she knows now makes it harder for her not to notice and feel it too.

I love that instead of asking, "Can I?" She asks, "Is it okay?" It shows that she's mindful of any boundaries he may have. Ben's expression softens, and he reluctantly hands her an earbud so they can listen together.

Season 2 takes things a lot slower, as Taylor's visibly upset after the "death" of her brother, and there aren't as many scenes of them that I remember. Here's what I gathered from the benlor crumbs we got!

Episode 75? I believe? Shows the group hanging out in the phantom realm after Maverick visits Ben. Taylor's stressed and homesick and wants to go home like everyone else. Ben reaches out to comfort her and tells her that they will, in fact, find their way home. It's sweet to see him try and calm her down like she has with him in the past.

Smaller scenes I'm lumping together. Taylor brings up getting Ben a whistle, and she's leaning against him in the group huddle!! Both are very cute.

MOVING ONTO HEADCANNONS!!!

-Ben has a hard time believing anyone can love him, so a lot of the time when Taylor's nice to him, he assumes it's because that's just the way she is.

-They both struggle with having too much empathy for people. Taylor picked up on that, and they were able to bond over it.

-Neither of them can cook. Taylor never had to learn because Tyler was always there to cook for her and Ben just can't figure it out lol

-Red posted somewhere that words of affirmation was her love language? Or communication? Which obviously is difficult for Ben. He tries to compensate for this by writing her letters (and maybe some poetry he's too embarrassed to show her).

Anyway I think they're neat, I'll draw some fanart of them later tn hope I answered ur question!!

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Rusty | Chapter 16 | S.R

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Summary - You and Spencer start making plans to leave Bandera. When Spencer makes a discovery about Luke, it leads to him having a blow out with the whole BAU team before saying his goodbyes to his old friends.

A/N - there will be a time jump after this chapter and things will ramp up pretty fast. Also just to note, if it seems like Spencer takes two steps forward and five back sometimes it’s because he does. Healing is not linear and he still has a long way to go.

Pairing - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - strangers to friends to lovers | angst | smut minors DNI

Warnings - dissociation, jealousy, swearing, tears, arguing, mentions of prison and vague hints of sexual abuse, mentions of Cat Adams and Ben’s Believers, Luke and Spencer are both mean, goodbyes, sad BAU team.

WC - 6.8k

Chapter 16 - Take Your Memory With You

Grant was whistling to himself as he swept the barn floor, finishing up making the ranch look as presentable as possible. He was working tirelessly getting the place to look as orderly and neat as he could before he had a realtor round to get the old place on the market.

He was slightly wistful about the idea of selling his parents ranch but the excitement he felt about taking the next step outweighed it. He’d already eagerly been looking at homes in DC and Virginia, scouring job vacancies and preparing for his potential move. 

He and Luke spoke on the phone and texted every chance Luke had available whilst working on a case he could tell Grant little about. Every time his phone went off and he saw Luke’s name on the screen he got butterflies in his stomach. He didn’t know this, but Luke also experienced the same thing when Grant texted him. 

It was probably crazy that he was considering this, packing up his life and moving to the other side of the country for a man who was supposed to be a one night stand. 

He’d never once allowed himself to throw caution to the wind, to do something reckless like this. He was sensible, predictable, he didn’t do things like this. But that was part of the reason he wanted to do this. 

It might be insane and it might end up being the dumbest thing he’d ever done but he had to give it a try. Luke had made him feel things he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt and it was worth the risk to see if there could be something lasting between them. 

As he finished sweeping, he wiped his brow on his sleeve and leant the broom against the wall of the barn. As he did so, he heard the faint sounds of footsteps on the gravel. His brows pinched together, he wasn’t expecting company. 

He picked up his shotgun which was leaning near the broom but didn’t raise it, taking a few cautious steps out of the barn with it by his side. He was surprised to see Spencer headed up the path, one hand in a thick splint and the other in the pocket of his jeans. He wore a brown suede stetson which covered his mess of hair.

Grant placed the shotgun back down and rubbed his hands together as the other man slowly approached. Spencer was offering him a slightly lopsided smile as he grew closer.

“Uh, hey, sorry to just show up here like this.” Spencer rolled his lip awkwardly between his teeth.

“Not a bother.” Grant shrugged. “What can I do you for?”

Spencer removed his stetson, holding it in his good hand while he considered how to begin. He’d told you last night he was going to get moving on selling the ranch so the two of you could make a break before Luke inevitably showed back up and that’s what he was trying to do.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush.” Spencer exhaled. “I’m leaving Bandera and wondered if you were looking to acquire any more land? I’ll be leaving my cattle and two of my horses as well if that sweetens the deal. I’m not looking to break even or anything, I just need a quick sale.” 

Grant narrowed his eyes on Spencer curiously, a small smile creeping to his lips.

“Well I’ll be, I was gonna ask you the same thing.” Grant chuckled deeply.

“You’re leaving too?” Spencer’s brows pinched together. 

“Yeah, I’m relocating to the East Coast.” 

“Oh,” Spencer pulled a face. “How come?”

Grant chuckled again before a dreamy smile spread across his features and Spencer could tell he was getting a little lost in a memory.

“I, uh, met someone.” His cheeks flushed. “I reckon it makes me a damn fool for upping sticks for a man I hardly know but he’s not like anyone I ever met before. But I’m gonna make it to DC if the creek don’t rise.” 

Spencer felt a sharp pain in his chest, his vision becoming blurry around the edges. He stared at Grant as the cogs turned in his head. Surely it had to be a coincidence? It could not be feasible that Grant was talking about…no, no way.

“Uh, DC?” Spencer croaked. “Weird, that’s where I’m from.” 

Suddenly Grant’s brow furrowed heavily and he sucked in a deep breath as he remembered something Luke had said before he’d left. 

“Never chose this life, it chose me. Always thought I’d get out of the south one day, move to some big city, ya know? New York, LA…maybe even DC. Unless that idea scares ya.” 

“Why would it…why would it scare me?” 

“You seem like the jumpy sort.” 

“I was still processing an old break up. It ended suddenly and I never got any closure. But I think I have now, I think I’m ready to move on.” 

“Hold on a gosh darn second,” Grant shook his head. “He’s not…you’re not…”

“Luke,” Spencer exhaled. “Luke Alvez?”

Both men’s expressions fell, skin paling as they came to the same conclusion. Spencer’s head started to spin and his vision grew even hazier. 

“You’re the break up he was talkin’ about.” Grant pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had no idea, Spencer.”

“It’s fine.” Spencer shook his head, his tone saying it was anything but fine. “I’ve moved on. He should too. You two would make a great couple.” 

It seemed as though you and Spencer weren’t the only ones with the same taste in men. Spencer stumbled backwards at the implications, feeling lightheaded. 

“If I’d known-”

“It’s really fine,” Spencer laughed but it didn’t sound genuine. “You’ll love DC, it’s great. Uh, I should probably…go.” 

Before Grant could say another word, Spencer was turning and running back down the path towards the road. Grant watched him go with a sigh. Of all the men in the world, he’d ended up in bed with Spencer’s ex. And clearly Spencer was not as fine with it as he made out.

***

When Spencer arrived back at the ranch he was in a complete daze. You found him wandering outside the lodge aimlessly. His eyes were unfocused, he wouldn’t respond to your voice or to your touch. 

You led him inside but he didn’t even seem to realise what was happening. You sat him on the couch and went about breaking him out of his dissociation. You placed ice cubes in his hand, got him to drink some honey and lemon tea and used the photograph of his mom to snap him out of it.

You knew he’d gone into town to ask around if anyone was interested in buying his land, what had led to his dissociation? You wondered how long he had been in this state for, how long he had been wandering around like a zombie. You were grateful he’d made it back without hurting himself. 

It took close to fifteen minutes but suddenly his eyes were present again and he looked at you with a frown, melted ice dripping from his hand onto the floor. 

“Hey you,” you whispered with a soft smile. “You okay?” 

Spencer blinked rapidly, looking down at what was left of the ice cubes in his hand, noticing the citrus flavour on his tongue and the photograph of his mother on the coffee table. 

“Wh-what happened?” He croaked as if he’d just woken up. 

“I was kinda hoping you could tell me.” You quickly got up and went to the kitchen for some napkins. 

You hurried back and scooped the last of the ice from his palm before giving him the napkins to dry himself off. 

“I…I have no idea.” He shook his head. 

He was lying. He knew exactly what had happened. Grant had met Luke and the two had clearly hit it off and now Grant was moving to DC to be with him. His Luke. 

No, that wasn’t fair. Luke wasn’t his and hadn’t been for a long time. It wasn’t beneficial for Spencer to think that way. He had moved on, he had you, Luke was in his past. 

Spencer had never had any intention of him and Luke being together again after he moved to Bandera, that relationship never would have worked again. But it didn’t mean he stopped loving Luke, stopped caring about him. And it made his heart ache to think of him with someone else. Now he knew exactly how Luke felt.

“So, you’ve moved on, huh?” 

“It’s been two years, what did you expect?” 

“What did I expect? Well for starters I expected more from you than leaving without a damn word! I expected that you wouldn’t completely cut me out of your life! I expected…maybe I hoped that I wasn’t the only one still pining like an idiot. So she gets the healed Spencer Reid? She gets to have you now you’ve worked through your trauma? When I was the one that spent a year by your side after, trying to help you? How is that fair?” 

———

“No one can help me! Why don’t you understand that?” 

“She seemed to be doing a fine job.” 

“Goddamnit, would you let that go?” 

“Let it go? How the hell can I let that go? Every time I close my eyes I will see her on top of you!” 

Luke had to walk in on the two of you in bed, seeing first hand that Spencer had moved on. The mere thought of Luke with Grant was enough to cause him to slip into a dissociation, he couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Luke to witness that. 

“You don’t remember?” You gave him a look of scepticism and Spencer shook his head.

How could he tell you what had sent him over the edge? There was no way he could admit that this had happened because he found out Luke had moved on. Spencer loved you, he loved you more than he’d ever loved anyone. But selfishly he thought Luke would always be there. God that made him sound terrible. 

“No,” Spencer pushed himself to his feet, balling the napkin up in his hand and traipsing to the trash can. 

“I don’t believe you.” You stood too, folding your arms over your chest. “You’re lying to me.”

Spencer sucked in a breath and slowly turned back to look at you, clenching his jaw tightly.

“Yes I am,” he nodded. “But only because I’m trying to protect you.” 

“Protect me?” You cocked an eyebrow at him. “Protect me from what?” 

“If I tell you why I dissociated you will no doubt get upset and I have upset you way too many times before.” He heaved a sigh.

“Tell me.” You insisted. “Tell me right now.” 

Spencer rolled his eyes a little, leaning back against the kitchen counter and glancing out of the window at the land beyond. 

“I went to speak to Grant about buying the ranch and it turns out he’s also leaving town. He’s moving to DC because he met someone…” Spencer trailed off, keeping his eyes out of the window.

In his peripheral vision he saw you frowning, filling in the blanks to the sentence he didn’t want to finish and honestly it wasn’t all that hard.

“Luke?” You croaked. 

“Yeah. Grant is moving to DC to be with my ex boyfriend.” 

“And that caused you to dissociate.”

“Yeah.”

“Because you still have feelings for Luke.” 

“Yes.” He huffed, turning his head to face you. “Of course I do. But I don’t want to be with him, okay? I want you and only you. But it surprised me and it upset me and I would understand if you were annoyed by my reaction.” 

“Spence,” you exhaled, taking a few steps closer to him. “I’m not annoyed. He was a big part of your life, I understand that it would throw you through some kind of loop to find this out.” 

“I really wish I didn’t love you so much.” His words surprised you as he raked his fingers over his ever growing facial hair. 

“Why?” You frowned lightly. 

“Because you’re too good for me.” He shrugged meekly. “Everything I’ve put you through, it’s too much. I’m a fucking wreak. Last night after we…fuck Y/N it was so amazing but when you were asleep I just…I felt numb. I should have felt something, you know? But I felt fucking numb because no matter how much I keep trying to convince myself otherwise, I’m not whole.” 

Tears started down his cheeks and you came closer, placing your hands on the sides of his face and holding his gaze. 

“I’m too good for you? Spencer, I murdered my step father.” You gently reminded him. “And so what if you aren’t whole? Who says you need to be?” 

“I don’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done.” He cupped the back of your neck in his good hand. “And I want to be whole, I want to give you every little piece of myself but I can’t because I lost a big part of who I am in prison.” 

You cooed him, brushing his tears with your fingertips and trying to calm him down. 

“As long as you can love me with every piece you have left, I’m okay with that.” You smiled before he was tugging you close for a kiss. 

He could undoubtedly give you that, every shred that still belonged to him was yours. And he’d never loved you more than he did in that moment. 

You were startled apart by the sound of a phone ringing. Spencer turned back to the counter where his device sat and saw the name flashing on the screen. You peered over his shoulder and saw it too. 

His body went rigid and he sucked in a deep breath. His hand reached out for the phone and you saw it was trembling. 

“You don’t have to answer it.” You whispered but Spencer was shaking his head. 

“I need to.” He picked up the phone. “I need this to finally be over.” 

Spencer took the phone and without looking at you, turned to the door and quickly left the lodge. You observed him through the window as he put the phone to his ear and continued walking in the direction of the stable. 

You wrapped your arms around yourself and rolled your lip between your teeth. You just had to hope he was strong enough to handle this. 

***

Spencer headed down the steps of his lodge and once his feet hit the dirt at the bottom, he answered the call. He huffed out a breath before he spoke.

“What?” He grumbled. He was met by silence for a moment or two so with a sigh he spoke again. “Hello? What do you want?” 

Another short burst of silence and Spencer was grinding his teeth as he trailed up the path towards the stables.

“I, uh…” the voice croaked. “Sorry I didn’t expect you to answer.” 

“Well I did. So what do you want? No, let me guess. Grant called you?” Spencer wished he could keep the bitterness from his voice but it was impossible.

“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” 

“Sorry I found out that way or that I found out at all?” Spencer spat, unable to calm himself. 

“You don’t get to be angry, Spencer.” Luke’s voice remained calm, but was laced with his frustrations.

“I get to be however the hell I want to be.” Spencer bit back. 

“I found you in bed with a woman Spencer, if you’re allowed to move on so am I.” Luke growled slightly. 

Spencer reached the stable and cradled the phone between his shoulder and face while he unlatched the door with his non-splinted hand. 

“I don’t care about you moving on.” Spencer scoffed. “But you could have done that with literally anyone! Why did it have to be someone I know? Someone where I live?” 

“Sounds like you don’t plan to live there much longer anyway. Grant said you were trying to sell him your ranch?” Luke spoke and then Spencer heard him thanking someone under his breath. 

He must be at work. Judging by the sound of him then sipping something Spencer assumed someone had just given him a mug of coffee. 

“That’s why I answered your call.” Spencer walked across the stable, ignoring his horses and sitting down on the wooden crate against the far wall. “I am leaving Bandera and I wanted to tell you to stop calling me. I need a real fresh start, one where you guys can’t keep hassling me.” 

“Hassling?” Luke spat. “You’re mistaking us caring for hassling?” 

“Luke you guys smother me!” Spencer raised his voice, almost immediately back on his feet. “For my entire FBI career I have been the youngest on the team which means I’m babied and coddled and I’m sick of it. I am a forty year old man! I don’t need you or anyone else to worry over me like I’m a still a kid.” 

“After what you’ve been through, Spencer, how can we not worry about you? It’s nothing to do with age, or you being younger than everyone else. You spent three months in prison being abused before having to face off against your rival who tried to kill your mom. Then less than a year later you were taken hostage by Ben’s Believers, you almost died. 

“And then you made the decision to runaway without telling anyone, except Prentiss but I’m sure you only told her because you had to. How the hell can we not worry about you? Half of the team expected you to relapse, you know? Hell, I thought you might relapse. How the fuck can we not worry about you when you’re out there in the middle of nowhere on your own!” 

Spencer had started to pace while Luke ranted down the phone, back and forth through the stable and ignoring the attention seeking huffs from the horses. 

“Well I’m not on my own anymore. And I’m leaving Bandera and I’m not telling any of you where I’m going. I picked up the phone to tell you this is the end. I will be blocking your numbers, fuck I might even just destroy my goddamn phone again so there is no way of Garcia tracking me down. It’s over Luke, I don’t want anything to do with any of you anymore.” Spencer spat harshly, unable to stop his rampant pacing. 

“I’d argue with you but to be perfectly honest I’m sick of this. I’m sick of worrying about you all the time, I’m sick of feeling dejected every time you ignore my calls. I am sick of the fucking Spencer Reid show!” Luke yelled. 

If he was at Quantico Spencer imagined it would have garnered a lot of attention. 

“The Spencer Reid show? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Spencer grumbled. 

“Our entire relationship was about you. You and your goddamn trauma, even before prison! You and your daddy issues or mommy issues and your adabonment issues and your sobriety and whatever the hell else you were dealing with. My PTSD didn’t matter. I had to suppress my own trauma, trauma from serving overseas to protect the fragility of your psyche.” Luke was really shouting now and Spencer could only imagine the eyes of the team were all on him. 

The rage was pooling in Spencer’s stomach, rapidly clawing its way through his body. He turned to see Rusty staring at him but it wasn’t the same wary way she usually regarded him. Her eyes were wide but docile. 

Tentatively he stepped closer to her, once again cradling the phone in the crook of his neck so he could raise his hand in her direction. He moved slowly, cautiously, so as not to frighten her. But she didn’t move. 

He laid his palm against the side of her face and she nuzzled into his touch. Spencer felt a little sceptical by her sudden fondness for him when she’d previously shown him nothing but disdain.

He dared entwine his fingers with the coarse hair of her mane, trying to ground himself with the texture whilst staring into her large brown eyes. She made a small noise of contentment. 

“If I was such a fucking problem for you then it shouldn’t be hard to hear that I never want to speak to you again.” He fought to keep his voice levelled and under control. 

Luke was breathing heavily down the phone, clearly trying to rein himself in like Spencer was. 

“You…” he huffed. “You fucking broke me, Spencer. The way you left, it destroyed me. Nothing in my life has ever hurt as much as having to hear from Prentiss that you’d left without a word. I’ve spent the last two years trying to get over you, trying to move past the pain that you caused. And I have finally met someone who made me forget all about you. I’m not asking you to be happy for me, but you don’t get to be mad either.” 

Spencer kept his focus on Rusty, weaving his fingers deep into her golden mane and staring unblinking in her eyes. He swallowed thickly, chewing on the inside of his cheek. This was so strange. 

“Have a nice life, Luke.” He breathed out. “Tell the others I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I need to forge my own path and the only way I can do that is by cutting old ties. I’m sorry.” 

“You owe them more than that.” Luke was quick to speak, feeling as though Spencer was imminently going to hang up. “At least tell them yourself. We’re all here at the BAU, let me put you on speaker?” 

Spencer clenched his jaw, holding tighter to Rusty as he felt his knees buckling. He knew Luke was right, he did owe them more than him vanishing again. It didn’t mean the thought of talking to them all didn’t make him feel nauseous. 

“Fine,” he croaked out before he changed his mind. “Hurry up though.”

He heard shuffling and some barely perceptible whispers. A chair scraping across the floor, footsteps and a door opening and closing. 

He knew Luke’s hand was over the microphone when he spoke again as his voice was muffled but he just managed to hear what he said. 

“Guys, I’ve got Reid. He wants to talk to us all.”

Spencer rolled his eyes, that wasn’t exactly true but he wasn’t going to argue it. A little more shuffling as he assumed Luke put the phone on a table and then Luke’s voice was louder. 

“Go ahead Spencer, we’re all here.” Luke remained on his feet, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Rossi and Emily were standing by a layout board going over the information in the Sicarius case while Tara, JJ and Penelope were at the table, the latter hovered over her laptop and the other two looking over files.

Spencer was silent. He could all but picture his old team gathered in the round table room and he felt the nerves swarm his body. 

He moved his hand from Rusty’s mane to the side of her face, brushing his fingers along the silky texture of her coat. Again she didn’t seem to have any qualms about him doing so. 

“Uh, hi everyone.” He spoke quietly. 

At the BAU, Penelope Garcia’s hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a gasp at hearing her boy wonders voice for the first time in what had to be months at this point. 

Tears flooded to JJ’s eyes, obscuring her vision as she gnawed on her lip. Tara, Rossi and Emily managed to keep their composures. 

“Kid, it’s good to hear your voice.” Rossi was the one to speak. 

“Hi Dave, good to hear yours too.” Spencer’s voice cracked. 

“Is everything okay junior G?” Garcia couldn’t stop herself speaking. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “I, uh…I told Luke that I’m leaving Bandera. I need to get away from everything for real this time. And I’m afraid that includes all of you.” 

More silence swelled in the room as the six agents exchanged looks of concern and upset. 

“What do you mean?” JJ’s voice gave way to her sorrow. 

“I don’t think I’m ever going to fully heal while I still have one foot in DC. I love you all very much but you all remind of me the worst things that have ever happened to me. I need a clean break. Last time I left without saying goodbye and Luke reminded me that I owe you more than that. So, uh, I guess this is goodbye.” He sighed, feeling strangely emotional.

Until now he’d only let himself think of how in running away with you he would miss his ranch and the life he’d created in Texas. He hasn’t let himself dwell on the idea that it also meant cutting ties with his old team entirely. 

He heard a little more shuffling, key tapping and then the device cradled against his face beeped in his ear. With a frown he removed his hand from Rusty and pulled the device into his eyeline. 

Incoming FaceTime call.

He grit his teeth. Apart from Luke he hadn’t see any of their faces in two years. 

“Turn your camera on, Reid.” Emily’s voice came through the speaker, commanding him like he still worked for her. “At least let us say goodbye to you face to face.” 

Spencer huffed, moving to sit back on the wooden crate. His finger hovered over the button for a moment or two before he accepted it. 

This was going to be tough. It was hard enough lying to them at the best of times let alone face to face. As much as he was being honest when he said he was fed up of their babying, their worry it wasn’t the full story. 

He had to cut contact with them in order to keep you safe. He was choosing you over his friends. He just had to keep his expression in check so they didn’t see through to his hidden agenda. 

The screen was blank for a few moments and then suddenly it was as though he was back in the BAU round table room. He could tell from the angle that Garcia had mirrored Luke’s phone screen and his image was being displayed on the large TV. 

Apart from Luke, none of them were prepared to see Doctor Spencer Reid sporting scruffy facial hair, with curls down to his shoulders and longer than any of them had seen in years or wearing a denim shirt over a plain white tee. But to their credits, they hid their surprise well, including Garcia. 

Spencer almost waved at them before he remembered that would mean them seeing his splinted arm. Luke could have told them already but he didn’t want to worry them any more than they already were. 

Garcia and JJ at the table both had tears in their eyes and Tara was sitting in the middle of them had her hands laced together in front of her. Emily and Rossi were nearest the camera and Luke was off to the side with his arms folded. 

“Wow this is weird.” His brows pinched together. “I feel like I’m in the room.” 

“Are you eating?” Garcia suddenly spoke up. “You look skinnier than I remember and that’s saying something because you were always so tiny.” 

“I’m eating.” Spencer nodded. 

“Clearly not enough.” Penelope huffed. 

“Garcia,” Emily shot her a look to silence her and the bubbly blonde shrunk a little in her chair. “You look good Reid, rugged even.” 

The small quip of her lip made Spencer chuckle. 

“About time.” He joked but there was still the underlying melancholy in his voice. “I really am sorry to be doing this but I just need some time. I appreciate that you all care about me, but I’m fine I swear.” 

“Does this have something to do with the girl? Because it seems like odd timing.” Luke grunted as he spoke. 

Spencer felt his cheeks redden but only Rossi and Tara seemed confused by what he’d said. Spencer didn’t know that Luke had already filled Emily, JJ and Garcia in on how he’d found Spencer indisposed when he’d visited. 

“Girl?” Tara cocked her eyebrow at the screen. 

“Uh, yeah.” Spencer pulled a face. “I guess I met someone. Thanks for telling everyone, Luke.” 

“So she’s the reason you’re leaving? Why you’re cutting us all out of your life?” Luke narrowed his eyes. 

“No, of course not.” Spencer shook his head. “I just need to do this.”

“Is she going with you?” Luke frowned, his jaw set. 

“That’s none of your business.” Spencer spat. “Why don’t you focus yourself on your own personal life rather than sticking your nose in mine.” 

“Spence,” Emily spoke in her calming manner. “Is this still about what happened to you in prison?” 

Spencer’s face fell and thanks to a combination of his new phone's excellent camera and the quality of pixels on the BAU screen, they all saw it. 

“Prison? With your friend Delgado?” Garcia pouted. 

“Spence, we know that was hard for you.” JJ added. 

“That’s not what she’s talking about.” Luke spoke up, his slightly pointed tone obvious to everyone. 

“What is she talking about?” Rossi frowned looking between his Unit Chief, Luke and Spencer on the screen. “Prentiss? Alvez? What do you know that we don’t?” 

“Don’t you dare.” Spencer spat. “Don’t you fucking dare tell them!” 

“They have a right to know why you’re being like this.” Luke growled. 

“Alvez,” Emily scolded him. “It’s not your place. And it’s not mine either.” 

The other members of the BAU gave each other curious looks while Spencer tried hard to control his anger. He couldn’t believe Emily would have the nerve to bring it up. She threw it out there like a grenade but refused to pull the pin, expecting him to be the one to do it. 

“What happened in prison?” It was JJ who asked, of course it was. “What don’t you want us to know?”

“It’s nothing.” Spencer hissed. “Goddamnit Emily, did you really have to say that?” 

“Don’t hiss at me like that.” Emily shook her head at him angrily. 

“You aren’t my boss, I can talk to you however I like.” Spencer growled. “You had no right to bring that up in front of everyone.” 

“I’m your friend and I’m worried about you.” She shrugged. 

“You had no right to mention it.” He repeated. “What happened to me is nobody's business but my own. So stay the fuck out of it.” 

“Spencer!” Garcia gasped. “What has gotten into you?” 

“I’m not the same person I was.” He grunted. “Look I didn’t want this, I don’t want to fight. I just need to say goodbye.” 

Silence flooded over them all again, the impending end was heavy in the air. None wanted to speak, none wanted to bring this to its closure. So Spencer spoke again. 

“You’ve all been such a huge part of my life and I love you all from the bottom of my heart.” He wasn’t entirely sure he meant to look at Luke but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from him. “You meant the whole world to me, I wouldn’t change a single second of what we had. But I have to move on, I have to heal. I’m sorry this has to be the end but it’s the only way.” 

If anyone else noticed Spencer was talking solely to Luke, no one mentioned as much. But Luke knew, and he gave a soft nod as his vision blurred with tears. 

“We, uh, we love you too man.” Luke replied. “You’ll always be a big part of my heart - our hearts I mean.” 

The others sent their kind words Spencer’s way but he was still staring at Luke and Luke at him, eventually they fell quiet and Spencer forced his eyes off of his ex.

“Uh, bye then I guess.” Spencer shrugged. 

“Bye kid, stay safe out there.” Rossi nodded at him.

“Bye Reid,” Tara smiled sadly. 

“Oh I hate goodbyes!” Penelope was crying now. “Love you boy wonder, goodbye.” 

“Goodbye, Spence.” JJ wiped her own eyes. 

“We’ll always be here if you ever change your mind.” Emily added. 

When he looked back at the space Luke had previously been occupying, it was empty. Luke was gone. 

Spencer swallowed, trying to hide his upset at the fact Luke had fled in such a way before he’d technically gotten to say goodbye to him. 

Before he could show how much it hurt he ended the call and sighed heavily. Before he got back up he went through their numbers one by one and blocked them before deleting their numbers. But just as he was about to do the same to Luke’s contact information, a text appeared on his screen. 

📲 Luke Alvez: I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye. I really do wish you all the best but I just can’t let myself believe this is really over. I will always love you, Spencer Reid. 

Spencer felt his chest tighten as he read over the words a few times. And then he blocked Luke’s number, forgetting to delete it like the others. Perhaps it had been subconscious, or perhaps he’d deliberately kept it, he wasn’t sure. 

Either way he had removed them from his life so he could take this step forward without putting you in danger. 

***

Two days later Spencer’s ranch was up for sale with a local realtor but the two of you didn’t have the luxury in sticking around and waiting for it to sell. 

He’d managed to get another nearby rancher to take on his cattle and, somewhat reluctantly on his part, Wilbur and Franklin too. Although he didn’t have as strong of a connection with them as he did with Willow, he was going to miss his two stallions a great deal. 

Spencer had purchased a horse trailer which could be hooked up to the back of your car for Rusty and Willow and the rest of the backseat and trunk were filled with Spencer’s belongings, which were mostly books. 

He sat in the passenger seat while you arranged the last few things on the backseat and checked the trailer was secure, assuring Willow and Rusty with pats on their heads that they were okay. 

He stared out at his lodge, the one he’d called home for two years and the For Sale sign stuck in the dirt. He was growing wistful at an alarming rate, feeling his vision blurring with unshed tears. 

He’d never made a home here quite like he had in DC but for some reason this was harder to leave behind. He’d loved his apartment in the city, lived there for most of his adult life, but he’d given it up without a second thought. 

Perhaps because here on his ranch in Bandera it was the life he’d chosen. DC and the FBI had been thrust upon him by Jason Gideon, not that he minded that and he was grateful for Gideon’s persistence to have him on the team. But it never really left Spencer any room to choose his own path.

With his intelligence he could have done just about anything, he’d thought he might have long ago cured schizophrenia. But Gideon had pursued him, claiming the young genius as his own prized pig for the BAU to show off. Moving to Texas was probably the first thing he’d done for himself his entire life. 

Sure, he still wasn’t making any medical breakthroughs or using his brain to help the world. But this life was so simple, something he’d sorely needed after years of chasing criminals. But now instead of chasing them, he was going on the run with one. 

Really if he stopped to think about it, it was insane. He’d spent fifteen years protecting and serving, bringing people like you to justice. He should just turn you in, then he could keep his ranch and not have to cut his friends out of his life. 

But you had opened up Spencer’s eyes. In meeting you, Spencer finally understood why he’d never made things work with anyone else. Life just made so much sense to him now. 

Relationships of any kind for him had always been about compromising pieces of himself. With Ethan he’d become subservient, as was par for the course for a first relationship he was a moldable putty in Ethan’s hands. He said and did what he thought the other man wanted whether or not Spencer himself wanted it too. 

With Lila and Ivy the woman he’d had a one night stand with after Maeve’s death and Caleb with whom he’d had a six month booty call with, he’d conceded parts of himself for the sake of casual sex. He’d lessened his own values for the sake of other people. And with Maeve herself he often dumbed himself down to allow her to feel superior. 

And then there was Luke, who Spencer didn’t realise until it was over just how compromised he’d let himself become. Luke was traumatised from serving overseas, needed something to focus his mind on to quell his own darkness. Spencer permitted himself to fall into the role of beta, not that it was a hard persona to emulate. 

He was for the most part a submissive person, but mostly in part because he’d always been pushed into that mantle. Sometimes he thought it might be nice to have a little control in his own life, in his own decision making but with Luke that was taken away. 

He didn’t mind, for the most part. But now he looked back on it there were times where he’d wished he’d been able to make even the simplest choice of what they were having for dinner or what movie to watch. 

He didn’t need to be an alpha and honestly he probably wouldn’t even know what to do with that kind of dominance. But Luke coddled him as though he wasn’t able to make his own decisions, handled him with kid gloves as though Spencer was one moment away from breaking at all times.

And that was even before prison. 

Even with his friends, his team, Spencer compromised himself for their own happiness and well-being. He slotted into roles that needed filling in their lives rather than forging his own. He was what people needed him to be. He was malleable. He was a hunk of clay just waiting to be sculpted by those around him. 

But then he met you and he finally understood what it was like to not have to bend to the will of others, to shape himself around the demands of others. 

In moving to Texas and being alone for so long he was able to start forming himself away from the ordinance of the people around him. He started to discover exactly who Spencer Reid was in his most authentic incarnation. 

Upon meeting you he did not bend, he did not falter. And he found that someone actually loved him for who he was when he was just himself and not trying to appease or alter himself to be deemed fit. 

So he would miss his ranch, no doubt. He would miss his friends despite the fact they barely talked anymore. But the decision to leave with you was an unimaginably easy one. You didn’t love him for the person he could be, you loved him the raw version of him, the real, uncensored Spencer Reid. 

The driver’s door opened and you slid in with a smile, rolling down the window and lighting a cigarette between your lips. You turned to him as you started the engine reaching across the centre console and giving his hand a squeeze.

“You ready for this, stud?” You cocked an eyebrow at him. “Not too late to change your mind.”

He waited until you took a drag, exhaling the smoke out of the window before he gripped the back of your head and drew you close for a kiss. 

“Y/N,” he spoke once he pulled back, tucking your hair behind your ear. “I have never been more sure about anything in my life. I know things haven’t always gone smoothly for us, I guess we’re both just a little…rusty.” He chuckled and you did too. “But practice makes perfect, right? And I’m fairly certain we’ll figure it out together.” 

You smiled brightly at him, taking another drag on the cigarette before putting the car in reverse. Spencer took one last look at the place he’d called home for two years, wistful but excited for what the future held. 

You dangled your arm out of the window and with a wink sent his way you spoke in mirth, “Well then cowboy, we better giddy up.”  

@kalulakunundrum @katrina0-0 @bakugouswh0r3 @prettyboyandthefangirl @zooni92802 @babyspiderling

[flightlessangelwings]

Ktober 2023 Day 26- Face Sitting

Frankie Morales x fem!reader x Benny Miller (Messy Pile of Affection universe)

Word count- 1.4k

Warnings- s.mut (18+ ONLY!), mmf threesome, m/m action, anal sex, oral (f receiving), face sitting, feelings, established relationship, no use of y/n

Notes- I labeled this as MPoA-verse but it can be read on its own. I have been wanting to write this one for so long and this was soooo much fun to write!! I love this thruple so much they're always a joy to come back to! Fun and silly sex is just so great! And it seems must of my favorite are neat the end of the month cause this is another top one for me lol! Prompt list made by me! Enjoy!

@flightlessangelwings-updates is myupdate blog so please follow that too and turn on post notifs to stay up to date on my new fics!

~

“You ready for this, babe?” Frankie asked as he positioned himself.

“I’m so fuckin’ ready,” Benny eagerly replied as he watched Frankie between his parted legs. He then looked up at you, who hovered right behind him, “Are you ready, baby?”

You smirked down, the excitement already rushed through your veins, “I’m ready,” you looked up at Frankie and your chest warmed. You and Frankie locked eyes and exchanged a knowing look and a nod; words weren’t needed.

Clothes were long forgotten. Benny laid out on his back while Frankie stood between his spread legs, his fully hard cock ready to take his boyfriend. While you were positioned at Benny’s head, ready to “smother him with your delicious pussy.” Benny’s words exactly.

“Put it in me, big man,” Benny exhaled as he wiggled his hips slightly, “And give it to me, baby girl. Don’t keep a guy waiting!”

All three of you burst into laughter at Benny’s words, and you and Frankie both leaned forward and covered Benny’s skin with kisses wherever you could reach. As he did so, Frankie wrapped a hand around Benny's cock and pumped it lazily as he started to push himself in. Not wanting to move too harshly at first, he forced himself to take it slow, groaning as he felt Benny’s tightness engulf him inch by slow inch.

You watched with awe as Frankie’s cock disappeared inside Benny. Mesmirized, you wondered if this was how they felt when the other watched them fuck you. But, Benny's loud moan broke you of that trance, and a rush of wetness went right to your cunt.

“Fuck,” you breathed as your eyes trailed all over each of your boy’s figures. As they connected together, you felt your heart pound in your chest as it swelled with emotions. Neither of them noticed the way you watched them for several moments, both lost in the feeling of the other.

Frankie was the first to open his eyes, and his soft smile made you melt. He murmured your name before he turned his attention to Benny, “You ok there, Ben?”

“Never fuckin’ better,” Benny huffed, his eyes slowly blinking open as he adjusted to Frankie’s cock, “Shit man you’re even bigger than I thought!”

That made Frankie chuckle softly as he looked down in embarrassment.

Benny turned his gaze to you, “Alright babe,” he grabbed your thighs, “Come on,” his tone dropped as he guided your hips to his face.

“You know your signal if you need it, right?” Frankie turned serious for a moment.

“I know,” Benny said before he tapped your thigh three times.

“Good boy,” you purred.

Benny’s cock twitch, “Shit call me that again and I’ll do anything you fuckin’ want me to,” he laughed before he yanked your body down onto his face.

The scream you let out echoed in the room when your pussy made contact with Benny’s lips. He wasted no time in licking and sucking your folds, eagerly devouring you. While still mindful of his boyfriend’s cock inside him, Benny bucked his hips in a silent plea for Frankie to move.

“Fuck you both are so hot,” Frankie breathed before he slowly thrust his hips into Benny.

All you could do was moan as you lost yourself in the bliss that was Benny’s tongue. You rocked your hips unconsciously, dragging your pussy along his face. His grip on your hips tightened as he moaned into you, feeling both your warmth on his face and Frankie’s cock deep inside him.

You leaned forward, losing the strength to keep yourself up, and collapsed into Frankie’s shoulder. He leaned into you, supporting you as best he could while his hands stayed on Benny while he rocked into him over and over again.

“Fuck you’re both so beautiful,” Frankie murmured as he picked up his pace. His own groans were drowned out by your cries, and faintly he could hear Benny’s muffled sounds while his lips stayed on your cunt.

“Frankie,” you moaned as you placed one hand on his chest and one on Benny’s. Feeling both their heartbeats under your hands, it sent a pulse through your veins. At the same time, Benny’s tongue hit your clit at the perfect spot and you let out an even louder cry.

“That’s it baby,” Frankie cooed as he tightened his grip on Benny’s cock, pumping him harder as he thrust into him even faster, “My babes,” he stuttered as heat ran through his veins.

Benny let out a muffled cry as his hips bucked under Frankie’s touch. As Frankie fucked him harder, his body quickly warmed and his skin tingled as he felt his orgasm quickly approach. But, he lacked the ability to warn either of you since he wasn’t willing to break away from your pussy for even a second. The mix of your taste and Frankie’s cock was intoxicating and it quickly sent him spiraling over the edge.

Without warning, Benny groaned loudly, reverberating in your body as he came hard. You moaned and a shiver ran up your spine as you watched Benny’s cock burst, splashing you both with his cum. Frankie growled with satisfaction as he watched the display, pumping him harder, determined to pull every ounce of climax from his body. He thrust his hips faster, hitting spots deep within Benny as his own cock pulsed with need. 

Frankie pushed himself as deep as he possibly could inside Benny, causing both men to groan loudly. Benny’s cock twitched in his hand as he gushed once more. You let out a low whine as you watched Benny fall apart underneath you.

“Fuck that was so hot,” you breathed as you momentarily forgot about his lips on your cunt.

Keeping himself still, Frankie let out a heavy exhale before meeting your gaze, “Your turn, baby,” he rumbled in a low voice.

Benny heard his boyfriend’s words and took it as his queue to resume his attack on your pussy. He groaned into you as he licked and sucked even harder, savoring the loud scream you let out. Frankie let go of Benny to wrap his arms around you, holding you close while Benny devoured you.

You rocked your hips back and forth along Benny’s nose and tongue, “Fuck!” you screamed as you felt your body trembled in both your boy’s grips. Benny’s hands dug into your flesh hard, pinning you in place over his head so he could hit your clit with precision.

“That’s our girl,” Frankie purred for both of them as you let out a scream.

Tears filled your eyes as you completely fell into Frankie’s embrace as you came hard on Benny’s tongue. Your moans filled the room as you rode out your orgasm on Benny’s face. Just like how Frankie kept going with him, Benny never let up while you quirted right onto his face, soaking him.

Watching both his partners lose themselves in pure bliss did something to Frankie. As you came on Benny’s face, he rutted his hips into him until his own orgasm hit as well. While you still were coming down from your high, the aftershocks pulsing through your system, Frankie came with a low groan. He filled Benny to the brim as he pushed himself into both your bodies, desperate to feel as much of both of you as he possibly could. 

Benny whimpered underneath you as he flopped his limbs down flat, collapsing completely. You gasped as his lips broke from your pussy for the first time, and you almost fell forward if it weren’t for Frankie there to keep you up. Knowing he had to take care of both of you, Frankie held you close while he carefully and slowly pulled out of Benny.

“Shit,” Benny breathed as he let out a gasp of his own.

“Hang on Ben,” Frankie murmured as he pulled you with him and gently laid you down next to Benny.

You sighed contently as you wrapped yourself into Benny’s open arms, and then into Frankie’s as well when he crashed down on the other side of Benny and held you both as close as he could.

“We all good?” Frankie asked in a raspy voice.

“Fuckin’ better than good,” Benny laughed.

“Fucking amazing,” you added with a giggle of your own.

Together, the three of you laid like that for some time. None of you were bothered by the mess you all made, at least not yet. No, laying together wrapped in each other’s arms, legs all tangled together was all you needed for now. And everything was perfect.

[thelovetheystole]

Yeah, if you follow me or even just look at some of my posts, you'll know I have words to say about this here spoiler article...

Why don't we start with the picture? They just look so darn in love don't they? *thinly veiled sarcasm* Top image selection 👍

Moving on to the headline. Ah yes, finally, they profess their love. They've been through so much, haven't they? They way the fans have been kept waiting for this moment! *more sarcasm*

Who wouldn't be unimpressed with a camping trip in actual late December?? I still can't help but be conspirational about this need of John's to drag Aaron on this trip, where he then suddenly opens up about Aidan (which he can't do at home with all the pressure of everyday life!), and I love yous are said... It still sounds like something someone could have planned if they were told about SSW 2016 and wanted to recreate it...

I'm sorry, they are going to be kept warm by the glow of their hearts??!! 🤣🤣🤣

They've both dragged their heels? Okay, if you say so. They met in August and moved in together in November, seems pretty quick to me, by soap standards, but what do I know? (I know that Robron met in November 2014 and moved in together in July 2016...)

What emotional connection are they depening? They've never talked before this! Their off screen time together must be much better than their on screen one...

Aaron's been hung up on Robert for so long, you say? (Thought it was just Seb?) Also, poor ol' murdered Ben and the bloke Aaron was going to uproot from Italy. Guess we were right about them all along, huh 🤷‍♀️ Bet we are right about this guy too 😇

Not only are they in love you guys, they are deeply in love. This need to lay it on so thick in the spoilers comes directly from the lack of effort they have put in with this pairing from day 1. Classic case of tell, don't show that Emmerdale has favored so much these last couple of years.

Less dramatic times, you say? That's Emmerdale code for more dramatic isn't it? And more laughs means Aaron's going to cry again? Because Danny has not been working this much lately for Aaron and John to be having a laugh in the pub...

I'm not convinced that Robert will come back this Christmas, but I'm definitely not ruling out an early 2025 return 🤞

As a final note, the fact that the Emmerdale team and most of the media aren't trying to create suspicion about John makes me even more suspicious... Remember when they tried to make Ben interesting with secret phonecalls and mystery men in taxis? This John thing is the complete opposite, which makes me 👀

Right now, everything is too neat, too cute, too 'perfect'.