#but i need an honest set of eyes and also some validation

[master-gatherer]

I have reread what I wrote

It's not terrible

I'm still not happy with it 😐

I may still be too close to it

Does anyone want to volunteer to beta 😬 (mutuals only)

[thirstnotes]

|Rivals To Lovers - Clark Kent - Part Seven - Cooking Class Clark|

Pairings: Clark Kent x AFABBlackPlusSizedReader

Warnings: possessive Clark, Clark Kent in love, language, dirty thoughts, typos, more smut eventually, minors DNI, morally gray Clark, Dark Bruce

If you don’t like it, don’t read it.

You needed to get it together. He wasn't there for you. He was there for her. This was a favor for a friend. You were being used to get to Lois. Which was whatever. So long as you remembered that this little thing with Kent wasn't real, you could maintain a sense of control.

Shit, dude. This was getting too heavy.

Clark eyed you when you caught up. "You okay?"

You shrugged him off and flashed him a smile. "Yeah. Of course. Just getting into character."

It came out a bit more sarcastic than you intended it to be and you could tell he picked up on it, but maybe that was a good thing. It made things a bit clearer. He didn't say anything more, but you noted the small frown, entering when he held the door.

The couples you had made friends with were scandalized when Luke showed up with another cooking partner

Almost as scandalized as they were to see you arriving with Clark’s hand on your lower back

Which was valid. You weren’t fully believing it yourself

"I'll get set up. We're kind of early, so you can mingle if you want," you explained, tying on an apron, eyes darting to Lois on the other side of the room. The strings were obnoxiously long, so you always had to double them around your waist. But before you could tie a loose knot, he used as leverage to pull you closer before you had a chance.

"Shouldn't I be helping with prep?" he purred down at you and you hated how much of a bitch your body was being. You melted like ice on a hot sidewalk.

"I mean, yeah. But I can. I mean. The ingredient list is on the fridge over there."

You watched his smirk deepen before he went to collect the items. A familiar hum reached your ears and you looked to the station across from yours.

“What in the Gordon Ramsay’s Hell Kitchen is happening up in here?” Dolores laughed discreetly as you got your pots and pans ready for the dish of the day. Clark was casually chatting with a couple of others who were also gathering items, so she and Henry, her husband, thought it was the perfect time to grill you a little.

“It’s…complicated,” you laughed back, keeping the lies as short as possible. The last thing you needed was to get caught up in some elaborate story. Besides, it wasn't entirely false since it was getting pretty complicated.

“Well to me, it looks like Luke did you wrong and skipped his happy ass up in here with Miss Thang over there.”

Your spirit swelled with appreciation for Miss D—what you affectionately called her. She was honestly the blueprint: a wealthy Black woman, retired from sex therapy and married for thirty glorious years to an absolute babe of a English professor who worshipped the ground she walked on. He was a man of few words, but you understood the classic extrovert/introvert dynamic. Both of them were fond of you, which explained why Luke was apparently getting the cold shoulder from them. Excellent.

“It’s alright. We just realized we weren’t compatible. No biggie.”

“Yeah but your new man certainly is. A biggie, I mean. Real biggie,” she smirked, handing Henry the mixing bowls. She gave you a look that made you snicker with her amorously.

True enough, your brain was racing with thoughts of him lifting you onto a dresser, skilled tongue deep enough in you to make your mouth hang open from the ecstasy. But you weren’t a fool. The attention was nice and all, but you weren’t about to waste your time thirsting after a dude that was gone over your coworker. The same coworker. Not again.

Across town, you had a hot billionaire craving another taste of you and to be honest, you were seriously considering giving him another. So you were solid.

“He’s aiight,” you lied with a smirky side-eye. She looked at you over her lenses and you laughed. “What? He is.”

“Mmhm,” she hummed clamming up when Clark came to meet you with another smooth peck on the lips. What the shit?

It might've been your imagination, but you could swear there was a spiteful smirk on his face. How in the hell did he have an attitude? You narrowed your eyes at him a bit.

“Ready to get started?” he asked, the loaded question not lost on either of you as he tied his apron on.

“Ready when you are.”

The lie detector test determined that that was a lie.

You were a bad bitch, but you were not ready at all. His kisses almost short-circuited every cell in your body.

Darn you Clark Kent

Darn you to heck

But anyway class was going fairly well, starting off a main course day with baking prepped sourdough bread bowls to hold the stew you were learning to make later that day

You were working on kneading the dough that had been settling in the fridge for days prior to this class

Clark was prepping for the stew in the meantime, skillfully chopping vegetables and chicken breasts into chunks.

You looked up casually and caught his deep blues observing you long enough to make you curious.

"What?"

His smirk widened and his eyes lowered back to his work. "Are you mad at me?"

"Should I be?" you laughed off-handedly, pushing away the list of reasons you wanted to list that you were annoyed with him about.

All practically baseless since they had something to do with this whole facade.

But in his defense, it was your own fault for agreeing to all this in the first place.

"I did kiss you without permission."

Oh right. That.

You snorted a laugh. "It was just a kiss."

Lies

Lies and slander

"That broke rule number two."

He had a point.

"Are you trying to make something of it?" you asked, turning to face him, flour-covered hand on your hip. His smirk stayed the same, but there was a bit of spice in your tone that made his eyes narrow a bit.

"Just asking."

Now you felt like an ass. You didn't mean to snap at him. But you felt a bit edgier now that you were caught up in your thoughts. Fuckin Clark.

"Look. Your girl's free," you deflected, your eyes flickering to Lois going to the pantry. His eyes lingered on you while he washed and dried his hands. You pretended not to notice. You couldn't ignore, however, when he moved to help you knead.

"I've got bigger problems if you're mad at me," he said, smooth tone over your shoulder, large hands covering yours to help you knead.

“I. Hm. You must think a whole lot of yourself,” you sputtered, tryin to maintain your sense of control. It wasn’t easy. He towered a bit above you, face hovering near yours as he used your hands to knead the long forgotten sourdough on the surface. No, your focus was on homeboy behind you. Milking the situation entirely in front of your friends and coworkers, trying his damndest to give you a coronary.

You knew this was all for show, but fuck, man

Homie was showin out

"I don't know what else to think until you tell me," he said, holding your hands ransom. His golden opportunity had passed and Lois had returned from the pantry.

Per your observation, she did wager a few glances in your direction

Possibly, scandalized at the sight of you being a "couple", considering you “bickered” and competed so much at work

You sure as hell didn’t expect to be Patrick Swayze in Ghost’d by somebody who, a month ago, you thought you couldn’t stand outside of work

But man. The grovelling.

Miss D was living, you hear me?

Living

You tried not to laugh when his nose nudged your neck tauntingly. You failed. Miserably.

"I'm not mad at you, you dweeb," you exhaled in an exasperated puff of breath as you turned to face him. He kept you caged against the surface, blocking you from any hope of escaping. "I'm...trying to give you space to do your thing."

You forced yourself to keep eye contact with him to keep from looking suspicious.

He breathed a smile.

Which you mistook for relief.

"Right. Well, at least you're not mad at me."

You swallowed when he pulled back and tapped your chin, moving to walk with Lois as she made another trip to the pantry.

You felt like a dumbass.

While he was gone, you took a walk to your car. You needed air. While you pretended to look for something in your trunk, your pocket vibrated and you pulled your phone out.

Were the flowers too much?

Bruce. You breathed a laugh.

A bit

Don't tell me you're mad at me?

Undecided

Maybe I can make it up to you in Prague?

You frowned in confusion.

Prague?

Didn't you get the card?

You paused.

I did, but I didn't open it. Mr. Wayne, are you telling me you sent me a ticket to Prague?

My face was between your thighs. I think we can go beyond honorifics. Unless that's what you're into.

You laughed out loud.

Go away. I'm busy.

Is that an order?

Yes

You rolled your eyes and closed your app. Your phone buzzed and you couldn't help but open it to look.

Bossy is a good look on you.

You bit your lip and took a deep breath, mood suddenly lifted. Slipping the phone back into your pocket, you went back inside, spotting Clark back at your station, next to a warming pot of stew. He rested against the edge of the surface, arms folded, watching you approaching.

"Where'd you disappear off to?"

You washed your hands again before kneading the dough one last time and setting it into the oven. "Just getting some air. How'd it go?"

His eyes rolled from you to Lois, who was feeding Luke something. You looked from them to him with a frown.

"Not well?"

His eyes floated to the oven where the dough was slowly rising. "Very well, actually. She informed me that she and Luke aren't actually official...thennnn, in so many words, she asked me out."

Your eyes widened at the tea he was pouring. "Get out. What did you say?!" you hissed quietly, like a hopeless gossip.

"I...told her that I was deeply in love with my girlfriend," he heaved with a weighty breath, his eyes meeting yours.

Were any of those ovens hot enough for you to throw yourself into?

(Part 8) (Part 6)

[castlebyersafterdark]

I've been wanting to make my own list of fic recs for this side of the fandom. this is just a short little quick recollection. i love so many fics and writers - this micro-fandom is really talented. but these are my personal favorites:

i've never done this before, can you help me out? - I actually almost find it difficult to talk about this one? It's just so good. THE (infamous?) orgy fic, first off. And it's one of the sweetest, most romantic fics ever? So engaging. The characterizations, the sex scenes, the emotions, the depiction of that culture. Really good. But, there were some parts about Will's character that just, in admission of full vulnerability, really sat with me and felt familiar and it was almost too much! Even if my life is nothing like the lifestyle depicted here hahaha. Like. I got it. I understood him, in some ways. I only read this one sporadically as it updated, looking forward to sometime in the future sitting down to re-read it from beginning to end. This fic was also the push that made me decide to switch over to this side of the fandom and make a real account. Made me want to try writing again after half-assing it and neglecting my interest in fic writing❤️

time is a perception, love will cure depression - This one is actually Steve/Will and honestly - here for it. So hot. Will is VERY relatable here. It just feels authentic for a kid like Will coming into his own, understanding and acknowledging his desires. And the way Steve treats him with such care??? Oh, this fic is honestly everything to me. And it really captures the formative experience of lusting after some older guy in hot swimwear which is so niche to me but damn, this is it. I was so excited to find this little gem.

in the midnight hour - I have re-read this one about half a dozen times and honestly, I'll admit this specific fic inspired so much of how I tend to characterize Will and Mike just because they are PERFECT as to how I also view them. So many little moments just blew my mind. I have such a thing for trusting, loving, and intoxicated sex scenes in fiction and irl and this one is perfect perfect prefect for that kind of specific trope? It can be so caring and hot in the right context and this was just so good. Please read it for the first time or read it again! This was the other fic that made me want to try writing seriously again. Not only was it a really sexy story - it's just a lot of fun. Love that.

no lifeguard on duty - Cannot wait for this one to continue/finish but it's so good so far. I like the hyper-realism, the summer vibes. The whole scene with the bathing suit was soooooo interesting, I was reeling, I'm here for it. Anything that explores experimentation between these two pre-relationship is great, one of my favorite Byler tropes.

any semblance of touch - I'm weak for a good 'Mike and Will get high and it leads to them shotgunning and making out and grinding together' fic and I feel like I've read a few like this, but this one is A++ and sticks in my brain.

asking too much - I was hooked from the line "Not to be too graphic, but all I want is a nice, good-looking man who can fuck me hard" and I was obsessed the entire read. WILL you are so valid, babydoll. Love this fic a lot.

privacy - Another really interesting fic focusing on experimentation and all that lovely stuff. Mike is ridiculous in this and I'm obsessed with him and his gay little journey here as Will just absolutely loses his mind.

sexual healing - What can I say, always love a really well done 'classic porn set-up' fic, let's be honest hahaha. Masseuse/client??? All you needed to say. Fantastic.

my baby lives in shades of blue - Anything that depicts Mike and Will as super codependent and obsessed with each other is gold in my eyes. This one delivers. All the best things here. Slutty halloween costumes? Byler getting supremely handsy with each other? Clingy boyfriends? Accidental admission of kinks through dirty talk mid-fuck? Love it all.

There's a lot of other really good ones as well! These just stick in my mind. Love this fandom, everyone is so talented ❤️❤️❤️

[oh-ranpo]

Kenma is the kind of guy best friend that silently judges every single other guy that you go out with. While you think that he isn’t paying a bit of attention to you when you’re complaining about them, he’s actually thoroughly documenting everything. When he sees you with other guys, he is analyzing every look on your face, drop in your tone, and deflation of your shoulders when they do something that you don’t like or that hurts your feelings. 

He believes you deserve better. He knows that he could treat you better than them because who knows you better than he does? But when you ask for his opinion, he simply shrugs, his eyes on his video game as he knows that the truth isn’t something that you really want from him. You want validation. And sometimes, that’s not something that he can give you if he wants to stay honest. 

“He seems like a nice guy, right?” You would ask, despite the fact that Kenma just witnessed him cut your stories off more than twice in a row.

“I promise, he’s not normally like this,” you would insist after your new guy brushed off your hand after getting upset with you over something trivial. 

He could feel his jaw start to become sore from how often he was having to bite back his words, doing his best to be careful of what he did and didn’t say to you. However, over time, it became harder and harder to watch as you gave your all to people who barely gave you a crumb in return. 

“I know you’re tired of listening to me. I just… I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.”

And that was when Kenma breaks. Because he can listen to you go on about the shortcomings of others, but he’ll be damned if you put yourself down when you had done nothing but tried your best.

“It’s not you,” he huffed, his eyes lifting from the Switch in his hand, taking you by surprise. You had assumed that he wasn’t listening to you, and instead, was simply humoring you while you went off on a tangent about your latest failed date. “It’s never been because of you, it’s them. They all suck, and unfortunately, you’re too caring to notice.”

You flinched a bit at his words, but your brow also furrowed in confusion. All these years, he had been watching you date around, but he had never sounded so… interested until now. 

“Ken, I don’t-“ You started, but your words died on your tongue as he set his video game down and sat forward on your bed, closing some of the distance between you.

“You have a poor taste in guys, but that really isn’t even entirely your fault. You see the best in others, and I see that as more of a pro than a con.” Amber eyes locked with yours, and you felt the air leave your lungs as you soaked in his words. The silence only spurred him on as he realized that he needed to tell you exactly how he felt because otherwise, he would never forgive himself.

“The guy that you just went out on a date with? He barely even paid attention to anything you were saying. He would ask for your opinion and then do the exact opposite. He was a douche bag.”

Your eyes widened slightly, but you didn’t say anything so he continued.

“The guy before that? He lied to you. I could tell by the twitch of his eyebrow anytime you would ask him about the other girls in his life. I wanted to tell you before you found out on your own, but I didn’t have the proof to back it up at the time. But that twitch was a tell and I’m only sorry that I didn’t realize it in time.”

Your expression softened, and your heart raced in your chest as Kenma’s eyes fell to the comforter between you, his face turning a light pink as he continued verbalizing all of his observations. Little things mostly. Things that had either seemed so small at the time, or ones that he noticed and you were oblivious to. You were shocked at how much he saw when you thought that he was simply playing his video games. 

Kenma couldn’t tell by the look on your face when he had finished what you were thinking, but the confidence he had felt before had dissipated. He didn’t want you to be mad at him. He just wanted you to understand that he saw you for who you were and you deserved someone who could do just that.

“I never realized,” you murmured after several moments of intense silence. Slowly, Kenma raised his gaze once again so that it could meet yours hesitantly.

“Realized what?” The smile on your lips grew at his question.

“That I’ve been searching for that one special guy who understands me, and he’s been in front of me the entire time.”

Kenma didn’t even pretend to care that he seemed to have found himself in the middle of a romcom cliche as a blossom of hope bloomed in his chest. Your smile grew wider as the recognition settled into his features, and you leaned into him, your forehead coming to rest against his own.

“Nobody else fit quite right because you’ve been here the entire time.”

Kenma is the type of guy best friend that falls in love with his best friend and he doesn’t have a single regret about it. 

[theflyindutchwoman]

Love reading your Anatomy of scenes and responses to questions. Thank you for those and your photo sets, I'm so appreciative for you and anyone else giving new content! Have you ever talked about Tim's reaction to the five player trade and the resolution between Tim and Lucy on the issue? Might be an unpopular opinion, but I get Tim's reaction and think he had the right to be upset. I did also love Lucy acknowledging Tim's feelings, but saying she was sorry, not sorry (and Tim's little smile, he's so gone for her!).

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read my analyses - and sending me this. If my little ramblings and photo sets help make this hiatus more tolerable for you, then my job is done. ღ

To answer your question : no, I haven't written about it yet - only the second part of the scene, when Tim gives Lucy his Valentine's Day present. I mean, I may have commented about it here and there, just not a full-on post, sorry. To be honest, I have some mixed feelings about this storyline so that's why I have been avoiding it for the moment. I haven't rewatched season 5 though (only a couple of episodes), so I'm hoping that once I get to it, it might inspire me more.

Tim's feelings were valid, I agree with you… Personally, I didn't mind that he was upset at first. My issue is that we didn't really explore what these feelings were. They barely got the chance to talk about it in the shop or in his office. That last scene implied that it was because Lucy went behind his back, which I found fair. Except he pretty much did the same thing : when he went to see Grey to move out of her chain of command, he didn't discuss it with her first. He only informed her once it was a done deal. Granted, he confessed immediately, instead of hiding it like she did - although she would have found out the next day regardless. But she didn't get upset with him. She actually appreciated what he did. We didn't get to see this from him and that's the part that has been missing, at least for me. I guess I saw her gesture as a nice departure from Rachel, who wanted him to start over in New-York and Ashley, who was trying to convince him to retire. And here was Lucy, who not only was ready to move to another station so he could stay in patrol, but also tried to create an opening for him, so he could get a job that he would find just as rewarding. He was finally with someone who was fighting for him. Someone who has always fought for him. I suppose, I wanted to see that acknowledged. A bit like how Tim recognised how she helped him for the sergeant's exam. In the end, this just felt a bit too contrived, you know what I mean? It stayed superficial, like the writers wanted a conflict, but didn't have time to delve into it.

That said, I absolutely loved that she stood her ground, explained why she did it while acknowledging his feelings as well. And his little smile too - he's so far gone, you're absolutely right. Even the way he was quick to forgive and forget was sweet. I just needed more substance. Hence my mixed feelings on the matter. But that's just my perspective of course :) It also doesn't help that the last time the five-player trade was mentionned, it was to suggest that Lucy might lose her chance of promotion for this… So that may have soured me on the whole plot. I definitely need to rewatch the episode, with a set of fresh eyes. This is why I love these little discussions!

[meffuyu]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ... 

It's all set! You're getting married to Tanjiro and you couldn't be happier. Though, how will everyone else react upon receiving an invitation to your wedding? 

Manga spoilers (post-Muzan's defeat) , a sprinkle of angst on Yushiro's end ,

[…] = after some (brief) time 

tanjiro k. x reader (mentioned) 

sanemi s., giyuu t., uzui t., & yushiro y. 

a/n :: I often feel discouraged for writing so long, I have so many drafts I would like to post. 🤕

𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐖𝐀 

The village was busy. It was so early in the morning that it was only now that stores and food carts were beginning to open.  

None of that interested you, because you were looking for a specific man that roamed the streets. 

At the corner of your eye, you caught a rough-looking man stopping by a store that sold  herbs for tea. 

It was none other than Sanemi Shinazugawa.

[…] 

"So, I'm invited?" A confused man voiced his conclusion, quite unsure if it was legit. Sanemi had never been to a special event such as this before, so he wanted to be absolutely sure he was allowed to come on the day it took place. 

You nodded in agreement. Of course he would be invited, you pondered briefly on why that would even be a question.

For the past few days, word spread around about your engagement with Tanjiro. 

It was expected, considering Tanjiro was well known to the townspeople, they couldn't forget a brave swordsman such as he. 

Sanemi hadn't really interacted much with you. Of course you had high respect for him as the former Wind Pillar, but you couldn't help but notice his change of attitude. He was a lot more nonchalant whenever he spoke with either you, or Nezuko. 

"I'll be honest with you, the only wedding I ever wanted to attend was my brother’s. But, if it’s yours,  I'll be there. I do want to at least congratulate the two of you on your engagement. I wish nothing but the best for you and that guy." He sighed lightly, as he took the piece of paper that you handed to him.

It had only been long since he felt whole again.

Sanemi smiled genuinely, before he turned right around and walked on his merry way. He didn't want to miss this, so he needed to prepare himself for what was to come. 

"I appreciate it, [Name]." 

𝐆𝐈𝐘𝐔𝐔 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐎𝐊𝐀 

You spotted a familiar raven headed man walking down from a steep hill. He was on his occasional nature walk, often bidding his silent farewells to the Pillars that died in battle, as well as friends that were also under Urokodaki's mentorship. 

The pathway he descended from had symbolic stone statues around the perimeter to signify the remembrance of his comrades. 

The pathway that led up to their graves. 

It wasn't a great idea to interrupt him; however, before you could turn a 180 degrees, he saw you and instantly a smile grew on his face. 

"[Name], what brings you here? Tanjiro isn't with me." He informed you, but you only shook your head to dismiss his assumption. 

The relationship between Tanjiro and Giyuu was a unique one. You often heard about how long they've known each other from your fiancé himself. Even Inosuke admired Giyuu, followed by Nezuko; upon realizing he was the first Hashira to spare her life after learning little to nothing about her. 

Although Giyuu was not related to the Kamados, they say blood is thicker than water and that anyone could be family. Related or not.

You solely believed Giyuu should attend, especially since it really wouldn't feel like a welcoming ceremony without him.

[…]

"Hm, a wedding? You and Tanjiro are getting married? Is that so …" He paused, as the tips of his fingers grazed the invitation's parchment paper. 

"I offer my congratulations. Some part of me felt like the two of you have a very close connection." He continued. 

You lit up with joy, seeing that he not only agreed to be an attendee, but approved of your relationship. Such validation, made you return a smile. 

Giyuu rolled the invitation carefully, and hid it away somewhere in his garment. 

He then bowed, yes, bowed to you. 

"I am grateful, for you both. I hope the preparations run smoothly."

Somehow, your act of generosity reminded him of his sister. 

𝐔𝐙𝐔𝐈 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐍 

"Let's talk further inside, I believe the others will be quite joyous like I am." A young woman told you. 

Hinatsuru led you inside of the humble home she shared with three other people. Loud noises of ruckus could be heard throughout the halls. You for one were concerned, while the woman in front of you wasn't fazed by any of it; it was all so normalized for her. 

You inspected the hallway, as you took note of various paintings and photos hung on the wall. 

One of the photos captured something you didn't not expect so soon to happen, but it was only natural. 

Suma was pregnant. 

It intrigued you that Tengen had already got one of his wives pregnant, but it made perfect sense to have one carry a child at a time. 

"Please watch your step, there may be knitting material all over the floor. We decided to have a hobby to pass the time." Hinatsuru explained, as her hand met the corner of the tatami sliding door. 

Once she slid the door aside, you were greeted with three pairs of eyes, staring at you. 

You slowly waved to the dwellers of the home, and at first they were speechless by your  arrival. However it did not last long as Makio stood up quickly to greet you.

"[Name]? What are you doing here? This is so unexpected, it's been awhile hasn't it?" She pulled your frame into a tight embrace, it had been forever since you visited. 

"I missed you so much you had no idea! You disappeared on me, why did you do that? You didn't pay us any visits for so long!" Suma whined, which sounded like cries of despair. 

"Hey don't go blaming her now, we went on a few trips out of town with Giyuu, remember? Though, it's a surprise you came to our home like this, a flashy entrance!" Tengen exclaimed.

"Settle down everyone, [Name] has something to tell us, gather quickly." Hinatsuru motioned you to sit down on the tatami mat, as Makio accompanied Suma so that she was able to hold onto something while she moved. 

Tengen allowed the women to circle you, after all, he didn't want to push himself in the way. 

[…] 

"What!?" Three voices screeched at the same time in disbelief. 

"I always knew you would get married! You're too beautiful to stay single! I'm so proud of you, oh, the tears won't stop!" Again, Suma was shaken by the news of your engagement. Globs of water fell like rivers down her cheeks, as her snot was smeared across her face. 

Hinatsuru tried dabbing her nose with a spare cloth, but the woman wouldn't stop moving all about. 

"Suma stay still, you're making a mess of yourself." 

"Hina, our [Name] ..." Suma hiccups. "Is getting married, I'm so happy she won't die alone!" She cried in response. 

You nervously smiled, actually you weren't sure how you were supposed to feel about that. 

Did she think you'd end up alone this entire time? 

Makio and Tengen were strangely quiet. They didn't say a thing until she approached you, placing her palm on your shoulder. 

"If that boy Tanjiro hurts you or anything. Don't be afraid to show him who runs the town! And Suma! Shut up, you're so loud! I can't even hear myself!" The partly blonde woman yelled angrily at the tearful woman. 

"Makio is so mean to me! You're such a meanie, I'm always nice to you!" Suma cried in horror. 

Tengen sighed, because once again the household was painfully destroying his eardrums. 

Giving some advice would benefit you, so he began enlightening you about marriage. 

"What can I say, I'm happy for you two, you're finally making that extra leap in life. Marriage. It's something that finalizes the bond of love you share with another person. Your wedding day is about to be the happiest day of your life."

The three wives altogether quieted down, listening attentively as their husband gave a small lecture about marriage. They say speeches like this are saved for the wedding, but Tengen couldn't help but want to reflect on his own experience with marriage, so that you could understand what it's like being married. 

It was kind. 

"You gain a new priority. Someone you're concerned about, worried about, someone who makes your days brighter than what they are." 

You heard Suma hiccup, and Makio adjusted her sitting position. 

"But one thing you'll feel the need to do, is protect them. Because without them, you wouldn't be who you are today. That's why marriage is so special." He continued, raising his finger to point at you with the only hand he had.

Hinatsuru glanced your way, with a grin.

"Your ceremony better be the flashiest I'll ever see, okay [Name]?! Get married flamboyantly!" He chortled proudly. 

It was sweet. You had so much support and you felt emotional.

"Tengen …" Suma whispered. 

"Lord Tengen …" Makio joined in. 

Hinatsuru's eyes had widened, and before you knew it, all three of them had shuffled over and threw themselves on top of him. 

"We love you too!" They chanted all at once. Tengen laughed fondly, as love surely was in the air. 

So this is what marriage is like.

𝐘𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎 𝐘𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐎

Mugs of oil-based pigment ranged in quantity, being scattered all over the room. Straw brushes with different colors staining the tips laid on a wooden desk. 

There was a huge lamp set on the corner of the table, needed to light the vision of a particular someone who was practicing the skill of art. 

He was in the middle of constructing the basic sketch of a female body. Starting with the shoulders, waist, and hips. Using a piece of graphite, he was now drawing the folds of a kimono. 

There was no intensity in his gaze, only love for the person he was drawing. 

Yushiro always, always saved the head for last. He wanted to make her look stunning, just like he remembered.  

Others grieve differently. For him, it was a mix between grief and acceptance. But who says you should forget about the one you cherished even after they've died? Such a rule, Yushiro refused to follow, for he couldn't dare to forget about Miss Tamayo. 

He often went flower picking because if there was anything that reminded him of that woman even more would be the flowers situated around his home. Flowers like lilacs, orchids, and peonies often made Yushiro believe that she did not entirely leave him. 

Like she was still here … 

                                                Meow!

Abruptly, a healthy cat jumped onto his lap, awaiting the pats the kitten ever so desired from the man. Another thing that Miss Tamayo left behind was her trustee assistant; only second to him of course. 

But what was this? Some parchment paper rolled up, and tucked into the small backpack that the cat had on.

Yushiro was reluctant, but took the tiny piece of paper anyway; it was a letter, no, an invitation. 

He read the invitation carefully and his eyes widened in realization. Soon, Yushiro was no longer drawing, instead his attention was on the growing plants by his windowsill. 

"Tanjiro and [Name], I pray that you will receive many blessings and abundance." Yushiro was so cheerful by the news, he couldn’t wait. 

It was a wedding between two people that were close to him, the same way they were close to Miss Tamayo. 

Yushiro then noticed something else. 

"Oh? … the white roses finally bloomed." 

[crackedpumpkin]

Tbh i sometimes use ur stories for motivation to continue writing whenever I have writers block so I got to ask, how do you know what happens next?

Sometimes I let my imagination take the lead but sometimes I write a summarised plot down. But i need more advice sigh.

awwww thats so sweet of you!! im honoured that my writing is motication for you to continue, it brings me so much joy to see that what i write impacts people in some way im crying

also in terms of writers block, i suffer from it 24/7 to be honest ! but what i find that helps me a lot...

1. relaxation. stress always makes me even more unmotivated to finish, and recently ive been finding the joy in writing again, without the stress of constantly thinking of updating all my fics etc

2. always go back to the source material. whenever im stuck on a character decision or i just cant think of how to progress, i go back to the show or movie and rewatch it. it helps let the floodgates of your imagination open^^

3. i think of their dynamic a lot. for example, my character dynamics are mainly filled with banter between the two, and i think being sarcastic or finding inspiration from shows with a sinilar dynamic helps me with dialogue which in turn gives me ideas for scenarios

4. dont forget to love what you're writing^^ circling back to point 1, i constantly found myself putting off writing because i just dont feel motivated or happy to write it. its completely normal to feel this way!! to me, its just a sign that i need to relax a little more and allow the creative juices to flow.

5. find what works best for you. i tend to come ul with more fully fleshed out plot ideas when i bounce them off someone, and @theblindhag and i always end up talking about one of my fics and ideas on what to do next whenever we call. it's inevitable. the other day, we literally spent over an hour on the backstory and plot of an upcoming fic im already writing for sokka lmao

6. reacj out whenever you need help! sometimes a fresh set of eyes is what you need. perspective matters. are the nuances that you're trying to incorporate into the story evident enough? is the angst building up well? getting feedback is so important and whenever i see a comment or reblog on my fics im on cloud nine. hearing what others think about my writing brings me so much happiness

ps. please comment more on my fics u guys i need validation that im doing well and what yall wanna see :)

i hope these tips help, and feel free to drop an ask anytime ^^

[captainaikus]

Helloo, may i ask for some match up? ( if youre still taking request).

I'm a sucker for mystery/detective stories. Such as sherlock holmes, knives out, kindaichi, etc. Hanging out with me consist going to escape room at least once in two weeks. This is embarassing, but i live for the academic validation. It almost unhealty to be honest. Years ago, I once cried for one week straight just because i got B minus on my math class. Its quite funny to me now.

Im good at baking pastry and cakes and also a decent home cook. I love sweet teeth-rooting stuff. Mcflurries is my comfort food.

People often say that i look unaproachable at a glance but once they know me more, suprisingly im very easy to talk to. Its very easy for me to like, but hard to really love someone. But again, people say that suprisingly im a hopeless romantic. Who would do anything for someone that i love and i takes a lot of time for me to move on.

Im fine with either nsfw or sfw, anything comes up into your mind its fine. Thank you so muvh, Congrats for the 2k.

Hm... Honestly, this was giving me Ego vibes but with the validation for academics, I think you need a matchup who is easy going and won't be so hard on you. (ego will just straight up harass you for a b minus. as if this man has never stumbled or failed even once in his life smh)

I match you with - Julien Loki!

Vibes i get from this relationship - pressure free and comforting. To begin with, he is a really good mentor - so clear head and clear concepts. He is strict but easy going at the same time, so he isn't a pain to work with (Even Rin respects him and tries not get on his last nerve cause when Julian snaps, it gets really bad.) He is also really polite, sticks in his own orbit but if he has to work with you in some way, he makes sure that you feel comfortable and not awkward around him. So even if you look unapproachable, he isn't afraid to approach you and this man doesn't put labels on anything or anyone except when is in a relationship. "Let's call a spade a spade." is something he would say with a smile rather than being serious about it. "What are you upto?" a voice came from behind you. Turning behind you watched as Julien sat on the table behind you, setting his coat on the side of the chair, hands crossed under his chin, eyes having a twinkling at the sight of you with your oven gloves on. "Trying a new recipe..." you trailed, hearing the ping of the oven. Taking out the tray of the new chocolate oatmeal brownies, you set them on the counter, taking them out and arranging them on the plate. Taking out two separately, you placed the plate in front of him. "Is this on the house?" he asked, giving you a small smile. "Pretty sure you could buy the entire place and whatever else comes along with it, but sure. It's on the house." you said, taking the oven gloves off and throwing down them down on the counter, your words making him chuckle. Taking a piece off the plate, he bit into it, savoring the taste of it slowly before taking more bites and licking it off his fingers. "Seems like Julien Loki enjoyed it." you sighed. Taking the other piece he held it up to your mouth. "Julien Loki did enjoy it." he smiled as you took a bite. Chewing into the new recipe, you could feel the sweet and saltiness of the dessert dance on your taste buds. Leaning in close he kissed you, making you moan as his lips moved against yours in a slow and sensual rhythm. Giving a playful bite on your lower lip, he pulled away staring at your lips; his gaze then shifting up your eyes. "I was just getting a crumb. Couldn't let the new recipe go to waste now, could I ?"

[guideoftime]

@sapientiiae For once the princess hadn’t shown up unannounced and uninvited. Of course she had the key that Sheik had given her quite some time ago, but they’d actually had plans today and decided that it would be easier for Zelda to meet him in Kakariko rather than have Sheik go all the way to the castle only for them to have to backtrack. Everything should have been fine. It should have gone like any other day. The problem, however, was that Zelda had been particularly restless last night. After laying in bed for over an hour tossing and turning, she’d given up on the idea of sleep and instead returned to her study, hoping some time amongst her books would do her some good — throwing yourself amongst endless lines of text could bring anyone to the edge of slumber if given enough time. But that was not the case for Zelda. In fact, the royal had unintentionally made that impossible for herself. She now sat at the table in Sheik’s kitchen, earning several narrowed looks from the Sheikah as he seemed to mull over a question or two in his head, which was valid given her behavior that morning. She was almost certain she looked sleep-deprived, but what was worse was the way she nearly avoided all eye-contact, kept unusually to herself, and seemed to be fumbling over her words all morning — as if her mind were somewhere else. It is only once she feels she can no longer endure his piercing stare that she finally musters the courage to speak, her voice soft as she keeps her gaze pointed to the table before her. “I…think I did it, Sheik. I think I finally translated what you told me that day.” And if she was wrong? Gave him an incorrect translation he found absurd? Then she may be too mortified to ever face him again.

   He doesn’t–trust this, whatever this is. Whatever time this is. She’s not entirely awake yet, his hair’s unbraided and an absolute unruly mess behind his head. He hadn’t slept well, though that’s not new, and he was completely exhausted. Breakfast was on the stove, half cooking while he tried his best to stay awake. 

   And the Princess is here, far too early here. He needs a good nap to understand what this is and what's going on. He shakes his head at the other and turns back to the stove, flipping the eggs over in the pan and cooking the other side. He gives a small sigh and listens as the Princess finally speaks, giving part of what was in her mind. The words are enough to make him pause, watching the eggs cooking in the pan.

   “Am I feeding you?”

   He asks instead, grabbing a plate from the dishrack and setting it down off to the side. He had toast cooking over the fire, he could give her a simple breakfast of eggs and toast with some milk. It wasn’t exactly what the Castle fed her but it was something to sate the hunger in her stomach. Since he’s assuming she didn’t eat anything before coming over here. Given the way she let herself into the house while Sheik was still asleep.

    He wasn’t exactly ignoring what she said, just also setting it far off to the side. He’ll be honest in saying he hadn’t expected her to translate what he said. Learning a new language is hard enough, translating a language you don’t know with nothing to help? Even harder.

[thecameronchronicles]

The Debt~Part Ten

TW: Language and smut; dominance and submission, derogatory language and mentions of alcohol and drugs (all overage, however). I do not own any characters but ask that you do not publish this fanfiction without my permission on any other platform. Please and thank you. 

SUMMARY: You decided to call on some ‘old friends’ for some help to take down Ward, only to uncover that the one who needs the most convincing will take a special kind of persuasion…

Word Count: 3200

The Debt: Part Ten

“Absolutely not…” John B’s voice was firm yet kind, even still, your attempts to remain polite did nothing to keep your expression from forming into a scowl. 

“Come on!” You began to whine, “You owe me…” You intrigued him with your answer, a scoff leaving his full lips, as your words also managed to pull the attention of two other pogues, Kiara and Pope, who hesitated the construction of their s’mores to offer their undivided attention to you. 

“You’re comparing being the getaway driver for a weed run to blackmailing one of the most dangerous people in all of the outer banks?” He reminded you, seemingly speaking the words aloud more to question your sanity than for validation for himself. As you answered with a nod, you couldn’t help but notice JJ climb out of the hot tub stationed just out of view to where you had positioned yourself, his hat spun backwards to keep his golden trusses from his face while he pulled a beer to his lips, remaining amused by the entire interaction. 

“Ward deserves this for everything he’s done!” The passion came through more desperately than what you had intended, yet you remained unapologetic through your outburst as you were aware you were well warranted for what you had to endure just on this night alone. 

“I think you’ve been drinking a bit too much of the ‘kook juice’...” JJ attempted to lighten the clearly dense mood while Kiara shot him a look of disagreement before leaning forward to you with her elbows supported on the bends of her knees. 

“What exactly IS your plan?” She questioned, immediately skeptical. 

“That’s what I kind of need some help with. But I know I just need to get into his office alone for a bit…find something to use against him. I’m sure the narcissist keeps some ledger or something-maybe a file on his computer…”

“So what exactly do you want from us? We don’t really run in the same crowds…” Pope interjected, toying with the torn fringe of his chair while awaiting your answer. 

“Because JJ has worked almost every place between The Cut and Figure Eight…Kiara can walk around unnoticed, and Pope-well, let’s be honest, he’s smarter than all of us put together…And John B, you have a way of convincing people…being a distraction maybe…”

“Well now you’re just flirting, cupcake…” JJ winked as the  sound of ruffled terrain at your back sent your expression to shift once realizing Rafe was now behind you. You didn’t even have to run for confirmation as their reactions in accompaniment to his strong cologne had done this for you.

“What the hell is HE doing here?!” John B summoned an answer from you as everyone now stood on their feet as if either prepared to run or defend their homestead, all while you pulled your own hands up in surrender. 

“We need your help-”

“WE?” JJ was not only surprised by this confession but also clearly upset, maybe even a tad jealous as he scowled at Rafe, who was almost sheepishly at your back before being rivaled. He would mend his insecurity by wrapping his arm around the curve of your back, as if staking some sort of claim, as this simple touch managed to set you on fire. His shamelessness in such an innocuous touch was somehow erotic as he was unabashed to possess you in every and any way he could-finding peace in your presence. 

“I really thought you were smarter than this…” Pope critiqued with guilt, retiring into The Chateau, followed by Kiara, as both of them looked back to you one final time as if to verify what was witnessed between you and Rafe. Although easy on the eyes as a unified couple, you could not be any more different; oil and vinegar that somehow managed to make it work-or at least were naive enough to believe you could. 

“Come on, baby…” Rafe attempted to pull you back to the direction of his waiting truck as you fought his grip and remained in place. 

“Look…I know how this sounds okay and I’m not stupid to ignore the risk. But people like Ward deserve this-'' JJ's eyes flashed to Rafe as if silently referencing him by the use of your own words-to which he was ignored by you as you continued your rant. 

“He got you fired from every job after you dated Sarah in high school-” You looked to John B, who still pined for the middle Cameron sibling, a torch burning synonymous to the fire behind his eyes at the mere mention of her name. 

“And he was the reason your dad couldn’t get a job anywhere in either of the Carolinas-” You explained to JJ, who turned his head away to conceal how your words affected him. 

“He got Hayward’s blacklisted from every party after Pope beat Sarah out of being Valedictorian and went out of his way to tarnish The Wreck, almost making them go bankrupt, after Kiara stood up against him for being hypocritical and an ‘environmental sadist’, if I can remember her words correctly…” The entire group silenced as they took in the depth of your words. 

“And that is what he’s done in public!” Your chest clenched at the thoughts regarding Rafe, fueling your ambition once again. 

“He has this influence over too many people-I’ve seen it for years and just thought it was because his name was behind half of the businesses and buildings, but it’s because everyone is terrified of him! But if we do this…You took a step closer to the remaining pogues as you continued, “We could ask for ANYTHING…No more shitty shifts for Kie…no more college for Pope-”

“Come on, we all know he’s thriving there.” JJ muttered as he was ignored once again as you looked back to John B. 

“No more side jobs just to make ends meet, no more being stuck here, no more being controlled by him and people like him.” Rafe shuffled uncomfortably, well aware he was among those you spoke of, yet he was silent as he understood it was well deserved to have this spoken about him. 

“Even IF we considered it…I don’t trust HIM-” John B responded as Rafe let out a heavy exhale, hands folding in his pockets. 

“Maybe you should wait back in the car?” You hinted towards him as he wouldn’t even allow you to finish your request before he challenged you. 

“I’m not leaving you here with THEM…” 

“Don’t worry, we’d take REAL good care of her.” JJ spoke somewhere between coquettish and vulgar, pushing for Rafe to reveal his true feelings of those from the wrong side of the tracks.

 “Maybe she’s trading up-” His consistent need to be borderline flirtatious, even seductive, is simply what made JJ Maybank who he was. It was the same way Pope was academic, Kiara was motivated in rebellion, and John B was the voice of reason behind the majority of their plans. But now, his expression was darker than how you’d usually witness-almost protective…

“Enough! Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’?” JJ looked at you with annoyed confusion as John B bowed his head into a slow nod. 

“What the hell does that mean?” JJ pushed for a further definition as you released a fatigued breath. 

“We have something in common…a hatred for him…But we need your help.” John B and JJ looked between one another before looking back at you, teetering on that line between being convinced and being indifferent. 

“He has hurt everyone at one point or another and I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to do it again, okay? This is our chance to make him accountable for it…”

“By being as bad as him?” Kiara suddenly returned, a shadow now wrapped around what was once a bikini clad molasses hued physique. 

“If not for the morale of it…then how about a cut?” Rafe narrowed his eyes at your back with the comment of a detail not discussed between the two of you. 

“One million each?” The space was made silent by your offer. The hot tub bubbling in abandon, the string lights sporadic through the trees above, even the bugs harmonizing beneath the untrimmed grass wasn’t enough of a distraction to your words. But Rafe’s voice would be the one to speak first as he lowered towards your ear. 

“How much are you planning to ask for exactly?”

“Ten.” You answered, dividing it unfairly between the group while offering you and Rafe a larger portion as you had no alternatives where Pope had his academia and Kiara had her family. You and Rafe only had each other and you needed a fresh start away from Ward to be able to remain that way. 

“There IS a lot of student debt…” Pope added, emerging from the shadows. 

“No more shifts at the wreck…a LOT of charities that could be put towards…” Both Pope and Kiara now looked to the remaining two who had yet to comment. 

“No more charters…”

“No more fixing kook’s cars for half the pay…” JJ remarked, slowly nodding his head. 

“I’m in.” Everyone now looked at him in disbelief with your expression lying as the exception while your lips curved to a grin of approval. 

“I’ve seen him make shady ass dealings at the club and arguments with people who I haven't seen since…so…to get him out of my hair AND the benefit of a bit of-'' He began to rub his fingers together to symbolize cash. 

“It WOULD mean my parents wouldn't have to worry about spring break season being their best out of the year…” Kiara continued aloud as Pope would finalize his idea, “Like I said…no student debt…” They now all looked to John B. 

“Well then…” He spoke your name with a soft tone of annoyance that was synonymous between siblings, as he lifted his beer in initiation. 

“I suppose we better talk strategy-Any ideas?” The space drew quiet.

“I can make a distraction…” JJ spoke proudly while playing with his lighter as Kiara quickly forced it closed as if acting the part of a parent he was perpetually denied, even in his early twenties. 

“If my dad sees anyone of you, he’s going to know something is going on-” Rafe added, the cool timbre of his tone sending volts of electricity down your spine as it allowed you a sense of serenity to be reminded of how he stood in support at your back, despite how crazy this all seemed. 

“What if I distracted him?” Kiara offered as JJ winced. 

“Not a chance in hell, Kie.”

“What if I did?” The words left your lips before you could stop them as Rafe was suddenly at your side, your wrist in his grasp. 

“Fuck no!”

“If anyone else tries to get close to him, he’ll know-you just said it-”

“YOU’RE not an option.” You paused for a moment, touched by his worry, but deciding the lesser of two evils was the way to go for an overall success of this loose forming plan. 

“The jerk from tonight said it…he is going to let everyone have a chance with me-” The pogues looked at one another in cold silence, exchanging glances that validated their reasons for helping you. 

“Not happening!” Rafe chimed, shaking his head and carrying his fingers to his temples for half a second, before returning his grip to you. 

“This was a mistake…get your ass in the truck-” Before you could even attempt a rebuttal, he was already slipping into the driver’s side of the vehicle, waiting for you. 

“Whatever we can do to help, we will…” John B added as you had been abandoned by Rafe, feeling his eyes blazing into you from only a few meters that somehow felt contradicting in both breathing down your neck and being completely out of sight. 

“But we all have to be on the same page for this to work-no loose ends…And Rafe…he’s dangerous-”

“I know. But…if you can’t do it for him…”

“We’ve got you.” JJ validated. “But he gives one crooked look and-” JJ suddenly produced a gun as Kiara quickly corrected his recklessness as you moved into the direction of the truck and they made their way inside the chateau. 

“Rafe-” You began, prepared to either grovel or scream at him if it would get him to see your point as your freedom was so close you could nearly taste it. 

“Don’t-don’t give me those fucking puppy dog eyes, okay?” He looked at you for the first time in pure anger, nothing soft lightening those usual sapphire irises. 

“I mean it! This isn’t some game or some joke! I shouldn't have agreed to it for even a second! We’re leaving-” But with the attempt he made to draw the stick shift in reverse, you collected the keys in your palm. The shift of any compassion on his face draining to your thievery, you spoke before he could further his aggression towards you. 

“I want a life with you, Rafe…Or at least a chance at one…You know we can never have that. You are his son, he isn’t going to just let you leave-”

“You’d be surprised.” He muttered as you reached for him, only to feel him pull away from you. It was then that you realized you wouldn’t persuade him with words. Instead, you knew what was needed to lead him into further convincing. 

“Rafe…” You leaned into his side, hand riding up his thigh, as his eyes collected towards you with attention but remaining annoyance. But even in your name spoken beneath his breathless warning, you were too devoted in your own task to care of the repercussions of disobeying him or the eyes of any nearby. 

“This is how it could be…” You teased, “All these little moments we’d have…Without having to be at dinners and fundraisers…So much time that I could make you feel good…” His hand wrapped dominantly around your wrist. 

“Not likely, sweetheart. Not even those naughtly little hands can-”

“I wasn’t thinking about my hands…” Your fingers gingerly pulled him from his pants, exposing his erection to the unkind air around you. 

“You didn't get enough earlier?” He countered, eyes darting to your lips as you wrapped your hand slowly around him, bringing the sensation of skin-to-skin to set him alight with a breath interrupted by your touch. 

“I never do…” His hand suddenly took hold of your hair, wrapping it as it knew well with his makeshift ponytail made of his thick fingers. 

“If you do this right now…I don’t care who the fuck sees you, yeah? You’re gonna keep going until you make me come-” You slowly nodded as his second hand moved to your jaw. “And you don’t get to…no touching yourself or writhing in your seat,” He pulled your hair back further, thumb now brushing your bottom lip until returning to this hold. 

“You only get to come when I touch you-”

“Yes.” You released your agreement on your exhale. 

“Then convince me, baby…” His eyes followed you as your gaze remained as locked as you could before your angle made this impossible. But in what was lost for sight was mended by feel as you captivated him within your mouth at a tender pace. You took time to romanticize his cock, adorning each inch concealing every vein, until you would choke on his extension. 

“Take it.” He ordered as you nodded, relaxing your throat once being familiarized with him once again, pushing beyond your limit. Once you were comfortable enough with your nails eating into his bare thighs, orchestrated by his grip in your hair that needed little guidance from you having learned precisely how he liked to be pleased, you bobbed in the perfect combination of sucking and teasing while twisting his base.

“So good.” he praised between clenched teeth before you began to lower to his full extensions of his groin, toying with him. 

“Deeper.” He commanded, raising his hips as he chuckled once feeling your tears dampen his thigh. 

“Crying already, baby?” You were silent but thoroughly motivated as his fingers wrapped within your hair intensified once again, this time holding you in your gag, before finally lifting you for a breath. 

“You look so fucking pretty around my cock…”

“I want you to come, Rafe…I want to make you come-” His eyes danced over your expression for a moment, taking in the details he was responsible for; the gloss over your swollen lips, the tears on your cheeks, the desperation of fresh air. It was as if you were a new wonder of the world revealed just for him. 

“I want to make you feel good-” But suddenly, he left the vehicle, leaving you to watch him round to your side of the car. Without the chance to question him, you were pulled to the ground and bent over the seat. 

“I thought you said-”

“I need to know you want me-” His hands were frenzied over your clothes, removing only what was necessary for penetration, before he teased his dripping cock throughout your soaked folds. 

“I always want you…” You groaned as you felt him smirk over your shoulder. 

“Prove it to me again, sweetheart.” Immediately thrusting his depth into you, you clutched the seat before you, a victim to his relentless thrusts. The way his fingers ate into your hips was euphoric in accompaniment to the moans that only endorsed you to ignore the pain caused by him having stretched you out once again.

“Come with me-”

“But you said-'' You tried for clarification as he pulled you against him enough to where one hand came beneath your shirt, shameless to your pebbled nipple as the other slipped over your clit. 

“Don’t fucking question me or I won’t let you come.” You bit the insides of your lips to keep them sealed. 

“I don’t care if Maybank or anyone else from here to Figure Eight hears you, I want everyone- JJ, John B, Pope-the asshole from tonight to know…I just want to come inside you-” The fear of what this could potentially mean in terms of negligent contraception, a larger portion of your mind craved to please him. With the pill already scheduled to be taken the next morning, you nodded in agreement. 

“I want you to-”

“To WHAT?” He probed your lower lips, now lifting his secondary hand to your neck to hold you in place. 

“I want you to come inside me, Rafe!”

“Louder baby, I can’t hear you over my own pulse-”

“Fuck!” You only managed to utter at the cusp of your orgasm as he folded you back over the seat, continuing to fondle your sensitive clit through your climax as he found his own a few seconds later. 

“Shit baby, you’re gonna make me come!” The sporadic jolts expelling him into you, sent him in a mix of grunts, groans,and curses, before he turned you to face him. 

“Okay…” He spoke with lust blown eyes that held the ability to hold the grounds of convincing you for a ‘round two’, technical round three if totaled for the night, as you heaved before him, pleasantly numb in your over-stimulation of your husband yet again. 

“But we do this MY way…”

Part 11 Coming soon! Be sure to tell me what you think and let me know if you want to be on the taglist! Hope you enjoyed!

Taglist: @hopebaker​

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi, just wanted to say that your post about Bridgerton influencing HR publishing was really eye opening to me. BR was what got me into the genre but after reading tons of HR- new and old- before s2 came out (and after watching it) really kind of showed me how Bridgerton wasn’t the best out there and that the world of HR was vast and so much more than what they were offering. I also hate the “meets Bridgerton” thing that is happening in HR is detrimental to the genre as an aspiring author who watches from afar. I feel bad for authors who are trying to break into the publishing world and are stuck in the trap and it’s definitely tiring seeing it in shelves at mainstream stores. Now I mostly read niche, older HR that I spend hours tracking down on Goodreads and instagram lol. Love your blog!! Sorry for the ramble

Thank you, it's not a ramble at all and I think you're making great points.

I imagine Bridgerton got a lot of people into historical romance (not nearly as many as I think the industry was expecting, though), and if people want that kind of HR, that's totally valid. But I don't think a lot of the subgenre's strongest, most boundary-pushing books historically (haha) really match with the "Bridgerton-type" HR. And that's not even really a comment about the books so much as it is about the show.

And like, it's not that there isn't a place for funny, more lighthearted historical romances... I love Tessa Dare, and I think she's amazing at that. Julie Anne Long, too. But one thing I think the show loses (and the books, for me, often don't really hit) is the core love story being super compelling, and the emotionality having stakes. To me, that's what sets HR apart. That's why you write HR over a contemporary romcom. You're infusing an extra level of stakes in the story that just doesn't exist in contemporary. In a lighthearted contemporary, the stakes can be inconveniencing but not life-altering. In even a lighthearted HR (if it's done WELL) you still have to deal with issues of class, the pressure to marry, the sexual politics, etc.

I read a lot of new releases, and I'll be honest; there haven't been *that many* new traditionally published HR authors lately, and some of those I have read have just felt very like... Tame. Toeing the line, feeling like they're being super careful to not ruffle any feathers. Basically, putting a *light* contemporary story in ball gowns. I don't refer to historical accuracy, I don't give a fuck about that, but like the genre conventions of HR that I've always loved--the opportunity for adventure, the edge of danger, the inability to just say what you're thinking due to cultural norms, the hero being a part of the patriarchy and being forced to submit emotionally to the heroine, is just... not really there. And that's just not for me. It's fine if it's for other people, but like... I don't know, if that's the future of HR then I kinda don't know where I fit as a writer there lmao. There are definitely active authors who are keeping up the great work, but not as many debuts that excite me, personally.

And I mean, I think that this is also a publishing issue that's affecting many subgenres as self publishing and trad work through some growing pains. Imo, trad is sort of going "well, we don't need to publish books that are perhaps more subversive and romance/sex-heavy because authors can always self pub" but a lot of authors do not know how to self pub successfully and even if they do... there's never a guarantee that it'll work. Trad is becoming more homogenous, and self is exciting but it's also very very intimidating and becoming more saturated, of course.

But imo, we're probably going to see more and more authors who want to publish more unconventional books--historical romances with kidnapping and lady bandits and good rep, paranormal romances with blood and guts--move into self publishing, which is where dark romance writers have been sitting for quite some time. It's just gonna take a while. And as an author, it's a bit confusing because I never really thought I'd try self publishing first... But I don't know. I'll try to traditionally publish what I'm working on, but it can't be marketed as "Bridgerton meets" fuck all lol. So I'm not sure where I'd belong as a debut.

[yoiku]

Just feeling like unpacking and sorting out some thoughts on this wonderfully rainy morning (begone, roadside dust!!)

Now, I've always been the type to post new art the moment it's done. Posting stuff only on Patreon has still proven easier than I expected. Perhaps since i am still posting stuff -somewhere- it doesn't feel as weird, even though I do miss the interaction from posting on socials. But that'll be back once I have a buffer big enough to keep Patreon relevant. It's also getting easier on letting posting on social wait as time goes by, lol. Actually thought that what if I make the publish gap with the comic even bigger, like several months between Patreon/other sites. But aaaah, I really do want to get it out. It might create more of a gap with time anyway. And the best way to get new people interested in my Patreon is to have interesting stuff out there in the wild. And I'll be honest, it feels validating af to see even a few people willing to spend money to access my Patreon.

It's still conflicting sometimes, because I would really want to keep my stuff available to everyone without paywalls. Art in general is meant to be shared and should be accessible to everyone, this is something I feel on a larger scale. Things like commissioned, unique pieces are luxurious though. They are after all often personal as well. Artists don't live on grants and stipends, hell, even those are usually available for artists who have already made a name for themselves on a larger scale/are well connected. Majority I know struggle with part time jobs, unemployment, studying or are disabled, barely scraping by what they can get in terms of welfare etc. I'm no different. I'm on welfare due to health reasons + in debt, so basically I don't have any "extra" money at the end of each month left for nice things™. And if I do, it usually goes to paying a larger portion of debt away. Sometimes I spend and always regret it later, lol. But if you -never- get to treat yourself even a little, life starts to feel quite depressing. I know so many people are in the same kind of position, where it's just not possible to pay for more than 1-2 subscription services monthly, or none. So having my art behind a Patreon paywall of any kind feels bad, knowing I would likely not be able to afford it myself, lol. Will it ever be easy to combine the thought of art + money without having dreadful crapitalism thoughts creep in? Probably not.

I still want to do my best to pick up some commissions as well, I need to create some sort of hidden stash of money now that I have the cat. Because when (inevitably at some point) a trip to the vet happens, that's going to be at least a hundo no matter what. And when the last trip to the vet arrives, that's gonna be closer to 300-400 with all the cheapest options. (hopefully not anytime soon, but something i have to take into account) I am currently working on a painting comm and might have another one coming up as well, which is giving me much joy. Watercolours are a lot of work, but they're less taxing in the sense that there's only so much detail you can do compared to digital, and tradi allows the happy little accidents with the medium. So it's easier to feel like I did my best wihtout having the thought "ah... i should've kept fixing it"(without asking for more money bc I gotta do better ad infinitum) So I'm really happy peeps have shown interest in tradi comms, even though I'm not very well versed in techniques with those. Learning tho!

My head's been in a relatively good place for a good while now, all things considered. But I have to pull the brakes on myself every now and then because I know it only takes one hard hit in the old mental health for all of it going to shit in the blink of an eye. So I'm trying to tread carefully, prep and plan while keeping the bar set low enough.

Mom has moved to hospice care, which also means that getting the phonecall about her passing can also be any day now. I feel like I've made my peace with it, but even if it doesn't initially hit hard, I'm pretty sure it will bring some mental struggle later. And there will be the whole episode of handling her stuff afterwards. Thankfully there won't be any wealth to distribute, so likely all the mandatory/legal expenses will be handled by welfare. How dreadful that even in that, money is the first thing to have to worry about, huh.

At least the sun has returned from the winter jail, bright days lighten the mind.

[loststarphounix]

Pretend to be Tonight - Chapter 5/16

Pretending to be Tonight - chapter 5/16

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham, Soda Kazuichi/Hinata Hajime (speculated)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Cannon Divergence, No Game Spoilers, Slow Burn, Angst, Miscommunication, Pinning, Hooking Up Via Dreams

Summary: Island Time. Gundham wins the Key of Love from the Monomono and begins to have dreams involving Kazuichi. Slow burn.

Read on Ao3

Chapter Summary: A friends day in. Also, the Rule of Three.

Author Note: As I promised, there is smut in this chapter which I kinda struggled with why is it hard sometime and not others lol If you want to skip the smut (valid honestly), it starts at 'He knew he had teleported back into the den of debauchery' and ends at '- and Gundham allowed himself to fall into the darkness.'

Warning(s): Angst, Awkward crush talk (its cringe lol), Dry Humping, Oral Sex

Please be mindful of tags and warnings as they pop up! Enjoy!

Continuing the charade of having a heatstroke was easy - his poliosis and aversion to showing his melanin deficiency has resulted in his constitution to be…less than ideal for tropical weather. That combined with his preferred attire, it was bound to happen at some point or another.

This wasn’t his first time suffering heatstroke, but this one felt a bit different than the others.

Probably due to my current plight, He mused, inhaling sharply as he moved to lean against the headboard.

 Why Hope’s Peak even allowed them an unsupervised tropical getaway towards the end of summer - admittedly, the most hottest point of the season- Gundham couldn’t fathom.

A hand reached out and hovered over his shoulder as Sonia placed the medicine bottle back onto the bedside table. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly.

“Better. As I have previously stated already.” He muttered, huffing quietly as Kazuichi chuckled from the end of the bed.

“Who knew you were such a cranky patentient, Hamster-chan?” The other jokes, his attention preoccupied with the contents of the breeder’s cabin.

Gundham’s ears tinted pink as he covered his lower face with his comforter.

He had tried to remove Kazuichi and Sonia from his cabin to no avail. Despite his insistence that he was alright and could very well take care of himself now that he has rested, Sonia and Kazuichi insisted on being close by in case his condition worsened. Their concerns were touching, but Gundham found their lack of faith in his word grating and continued to campaign that he was indeed well and could take care of himself. It would not be the first time and it certainly would not be the last.

However, after being assaulted by not one but two sets of puppy dog eyes, he soon found himself on the losing side. It was unfair that the mechanic’s eyes were so expressive. They were too powerful on their own, but combined with Sonia’s earnest gaze, the battle was lost before he could even enter the battle. 

If he was honest, he fought against their hoovering mostly due to how he did not want the mechanic to see him in such a lackluster state. He was without his makeup and contact lens and his hair was falling into his eyes. Surely, he thought, Kazuichi would be unable to stop himself from making some kind of comment.

No words of teasing or fumbled jeering came. Aside from the mechanic giving him a slow, considering look; cheeks slightly tinted as his mouth opened and closed as if he were saying a silent incantation. Aside from that and a soft grunt when Sonia nudged an elbow into his side, Kazuichi’s response to his natural features was…very lackluster. Near insulting.

Gundham refused to dwell on the thought any longer than needed. He was very much out of sorts if something as one holding their tongue made him react this way. Sonia merely gave him a secretive glance as she set to open his blinds to let light in.

So he watched, albeit a bit sullenly, as the two discussed the medicine’s time window of effectiveness and setting alarms as well as giving the young nurse updates on his condition. Sonia made sure he took the medicine Mikan prescribed him and took the bowl from his hands when he was finished with it - an act that he silently thanked her for. He didn’t think he could handle the mechanic touching him again so soon. 

At the moment, Kazuichi was occupied with looking around his room, staying clear of the more obstinate looking relics but still looking around curiously. He had seemed to be unable to help himself, after he gawked at the breeder for a moment before Sonia loudly coughed. In which he then made an off-handed comment about Gundham’s eyes before scurrying away. It made the goth scowl as his ears became warm and the princess quietly giggled beside him. 

To distract himself, he watched as the mechanic gave the cabin a critical eye. Gundham swallowed. Kazuichi’s snooping had Gundham on edge, but aside from a sucking of teeth at the ritual symbols hanging on his wall and the dubious glance at his altar, the mechanic didn’t disturb anything. It was as good as it would probably get and after a moment he forced himself to recline back against his pillows.

Gundham had nothing to hide, but having another person who was not Sonia invade his private space felt…strange. Almost like he was sharing his most private thoughts. And for Kazuichi to be the one who was looking but not touching - even out of irrational fear - and showing respect and mild interest, made the breeder feel exposed. 

He had nothing to hide - he was proud of his talents and interest to even think of secreting them away to appease phantoms. Still, that assurance couldn’t prevent the small prickling at the back of his neck; the aborted gesture of his fingers spasming against the bedding or the way he bit into his cheek.

It still felt like he was being inspected and judged. The key in his pocket felt like a heavy weight at his side. Not for the first time since he awoke to them hovering over him, he was immensely grateful that he cleaned his cottage earlier.

Fearing for the worst, the black and gray haired teen felt his spine stiffen as the other finally turned to look at him after a beat of silence. He had to force himself to not squirm in the face of Kazuichi’s contemplative gaze. 

Here it comes, he thought darkly. The comments, the horrible insults, the-

But Kazuichi's mouth split into a giant grin as he excitedly gestured to the whole of the building. “You did all of this? This is a sweet set up you got for the Devas’ here, bro!”

A sigh left his lungs in a quiet hiss as his body released the tension he didn’t even know was there. To his immense relief, it seemed that Kazuichi’s interest was primarily on the hamster construct. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was the most ideal.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sonia’s aborted attempt to smother her amusement as she daintily coughed into her first. Giving the mirthful princess a sideways glare, Gundham quickly turned to address the mechanic, chest puffed up in pride.

“Though I shouldn’t be, I find myself surprised that you notice my Devas’ magnificently constructed domain!” 

Kazuichi seemed to vibrate in place as his grin grew into a brilliant smile. A fluttering sensation erupting in his stomach as the mechanic came closer. His reaction seemed to be contagious, as he felt glee bubble up his chest as the teen nodded.

Sonia looked pleased as she looked across the room. “I must agree with Gundham. From past conversations, I had thought your interests lay only in mechanical machinery?” She inquired, genuine interest coloring her tone.

Gundham’s lips twitched into a small smile as he watched them. In the wake of their forced parley, the breeder had noticed that the two had seemed to come to their own accord as well. Kazuichi’s affection for the blond princess was still somewhat present, but it seemed to have lessened from the obsessive to a more respectable appreciation. He still had moments of error - for what are mortals but beings of error?- but he still took strides to treat her as she wanted. 

More than once, he found them together discussing certain topics he couldn’t follow, such as machines, computer programs and the like. They also seemed to have a shared fondness for action movies, a thing that made Gundham chuckle in amazement. 

It was honestly humorous at times to see them debat - the occult princess who was well articulant and could speak several languages stumbling through slang terms being described by a man who only knew three but could seamlessly switch and match her for passion when he’s well verse on the topic at hand. The sight for a riveting afternoon of observing two stubborn individuals weigh the merits and benefits of hybrid steel for environmental purposes or the best way to solder a microchip into a completely stripped motherboard. 

Most of their class had stayed close to ensure nothing untoward would happen, as was warranted due to their first interactions. But after a while they were left to their own devices, with their closest companions joining them. Not for the first time, Gundham wondered what had caused this sudden turn for them, but secretly, he was glad for it as it meant that the two could now be, if not friends yet, then at the very least growing closer to it.

“Of course, dude! I’m a metal guy -obviously- but this is still cool! Anything that requires tools and blueprints are my thing. Especially something that obviously takes a lot of precision and attention to detail.” He glanced up at the breeder, his admiration seeming to grow. “I can’t believe you set this all up! It must’ve taken you hours but we’ve only been here barely a month!” 

Scoffing, Gundham gave a cocky grin, “The trails of Chronos mean very little, for my Dark Gods of Destruction deserve nothing but the very best!” After that, he deflated a bit as he bashfully looked away. “Unfortunately, I do not deserve your praise of my architectural prowess. Though I did indeed draft their temporary realm, Hope’s Peak constructed my Devas’ domain, following my meticulous instructions prior to our arrival.”

“It is still impressive that the school took your inquiry to heart!” Sonia insisted, eyes bright as she beamed at her flustered friend. “The Devas’ health and happiness are testament alone to your skills as an Ultimate. They would be fools to not listen!”

Kazuichi shrugged, his excitement tamed but still present in his voice as he spoke. “Yeah, who cares who built it? This whole thing is still sick as hell man! Is all of the material custom made?”

The encouragement made the pale teen straighten up again as he looked towards his Devas’ playing within their den with a little smile. “But of course!” He boasted, sitting up straight so he could wave an arm in the air. “I want nor expect nothing but the best for my Devas’!”

He looked over towards Kazuichi, who stared at him with sparkling eyes. There seemed to be a glint of something - contemplative and complex and warm - in those pools of rose pools that made warmth twist in his lower gut. It made Gundham blink and balk slightly in embarrassment as the warmth spread. As he subtly tried to shift his discomfort, Kazuichi finally broke eye contact.

“So cool.” The other breathed, voice revenant. The low tone made the breeder blush as the other’s eyes flicked from one corner of the ceiling to the other. “If you want…I can come over sometime to fix some of this?” 

Gundham blinked, shock coursing down his spine. 

Kazuichi was asking to come into Gundham’s cabin.

Alone?

His shock must have been obvious, as the other began to backpedal. “Don’t get me wrong - this is totally cool and all,  but I think I could improve the design a bit. Maybe reinforce the structure a bit so it’s more sturdy.”

Gundham watched as the teen sputtered, cheeks flushed as he fiddled with the lone braid he always seemed to have plaited. After a moment he sighed, looking down at his fingers as he muttered something too low for even his hearing to pick up. He opened his mouth - to protest or agree he does not know, before Sonia suddenly spoke up.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea!” The smile that stretched across Sonia’s face was blinding in its sincerity, one not aware would be pressed to find the see the edge of slyness that curled at the corners of her lips. It made Gundham’s own narrow in suspicion.

“She-Cat-”

Sonia positioned herself in a defiant stance as she spoke, arm out as if to stop an invisible foe from approaching further. The breeder knew that this was her go to stance when she wanted to get a point across. It meant that she was going to be stubborn about the situation. But he could be just as stubborn when he wanted as well. 

“We were sent here to foster relations that will surpass our schooling. Therefore, you two can use this opportunity to become better acquainted. I shall not take no for an answer!” 

Gundham shook his head. “Nevertheless, at the moment the Devas’ temporary realm has no need for such ‘improvements’. On top of that, we will not be here long enough to even warrant such upgrades before we are spirited back to the realm of education.” 

His declaration was met with silence as the mechanic seemed to deflate before him, and that sight made him inhale a weary sigh before continuing. “However, if you do not mind…assisting in structural repairs - and if they so appear before our time here has completed -, then I would not refuse aid.”

“Really?” The mechanic perked up, pink eyes glittering like rose quartz as he stared at the breeder in awe and honestly it made the fluttering that was timidly nested in Gundham’s chest, pulsate and move to his lower stomach.

He raised the comforter until the soft material touched his nose. “A-as long as you continue to respect your Overlord’s domain, I do not see much harm in allowing a mortal such as you into my private re-realm.”

The smile he got from that nearly sent his heart galloping as he found himself giving a timid one in return which resulted in Kazuichi’s growing to near comical proportions. Warmth filled him and settled in a pool along with the wings that fluttered in his stomach and it made the smile drop from Gundham’s lips.  

This felt wrong somehow - to be excited over something so trivial as having a friend privately visit him in his room. It was like he was some kind of degenerate. 

What was wrong with him?

A dainty hand presses into his shoulder and it makes him jump as Sonia’s face appears, a small frown pulling her lips. She tilted her head slightly and he gave a minute shake. Her eyes tracked his momentarily flickering over to the third and she nodded, removing her hand.

“With that settled we have a new obstacle to overcome.” Sonia said, coming around the bed to stand next to the mechanic who jumped at the sound of her voice. “You have taken your medicine and though rest would be idle for you at the moment, I sense that you will not want to do so. However, leaving the bed is not an option for you at the moment. Perhaps a suitable arrangement can be made. Maybe a movie?”

They both turned to Gundham and he flushed at the sudden attention.

He coughed, eyes flickering to the side. “That would be…acceptable.” 

“Excellent!” Sonia turned to Kazuichi. “Do you have any title suggestions?” 

Something pricked the back of the pale teens neck, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as the mechanic fiddled with his braid as he seemed to genuinely consider the question. 

“I got a couple movies on my laptop; some are pretty new too. We can look them all over and vote on it?” 

“Splendid! Could you please go and get it? I’ll stay to ensure Gundham does not go anywhere.”

Wickedly sharp canines dug into his bottom lip as Kazuichi’s eyes flickered from the back and forth between the princess and the bed-ridden breeder before nodding. He headed for the door, calling that he would be back before they knew it. The two watched him exit the cabin and Sonia turned to him as soon as the door was firmly shut and he quietly groaned at the look she was giving him.

He grumbled, covering his burning face. “I humbly request that you do not invoke what is obviously on your mind, Dark Queen.”

“Nope!” She happily chirped, making herself comfortable sitting on the edge of the bed. Her green-blue eyes bore into him and it took every ounce of his will to not squirm in place. He already had too many moments of weakness today. “You have been acting oddly all day.”

Gundham stubbornly looked away, making the girl sigh before smoothing her skirt. She considered him for a moment, before looking away.

“Does this have anything to do with your affections towards Kazuichi?”

Though he braced for it, hearing the words still made the goth jerk away. He stared at Sonia, gray eyes blown with abject horror as he sputtered to reply.

“Affections?” He repeated, tone incredulous as his blush darkened to a near brilliant red tint. When she nodded, he tripped over his words. “S-such foolishness-”

Seaglass colored eyes hardened into cold chips, silencing any protests that still clung to his lips. As she straightened her posture and set her shoulders back - neck stiff as he regarded him in a slow, considering look - Gundham watched a little weary as his first and dearest friend, became the unbending, determined princess and heir to a kingdom that she was hoping to shed during her school years abroad. He flicked his eyes meekly down as she spoke.

“Do not take me for a fool, Gundham Tanaka. I had not been sure in the beginning, I must admit. But it wasn’t until you called him succubus and hesitated to take the soup from him earlier, that I could truly put the pieces together. You were always within his general vicinity whenever you were able to. And let us be frank, shall we?” Her hard gaze warmed slightly so that they glittered with smug amusement, “Most teenagers would find inspecting and exploring a giant, decommissioned airplane boring- watching someone climb and inspect it for nearly three hours? Even less.”

Gundham clenched the sheets in stunned silence, bone visibly stretching across the skin of his fingers. Horror filled him as he sank further into the bedding. He looked as he haltingly whispered, “...Was I really that obvious?” 

Long blond strands fluttered in the air as Sonia shook her head, a contemplative look scrunching her face. “Most of our class is…unobservant outside their own problems.” Which was the kind way of saying they were self centered to a degree.

Gundham sighed, shame coloring the apple of his cheeks as the key pressed into his hip.

“In the beginning…I had watched him simply because he was the most interesting to look upon. A pink haired boy in a jumpsuit and brilliant, sharp teeth are not what one comes across on a daily basis.”

Sonia tilted her head in silent agreement and that eased something in his chest to continue.

“But then…he became enamored with you, Dark Queen and I found myself disgusted at him and his actions…but also in myself. How could I be so taken by one's physical appearance so easily? To be immediately swept away by superficial surfaces! Mortals are beneath such a powerful Overlord as myself! They are not fit companions for a half demon! I had never needed one since-”

He cut himself before saying the words and Sonia hummed as she reached out to squeeze his hand in solidarity. After taking a moment to regain, he haltingly continued.

“All that aside…I still found myself drawn to him. He has lately begun to plague my astral walking! I do not understand how I can still be this way? It's madness.”

“Oh Gundham.” Sonia sighed, patting his hand before dropping it to the bed. “It is perfectly normal to have developed feelings for someone.”

He clenched it, tears prickling the back of his eyes as he shook his head. The two were quiet for a moment, with Sonia looking out the window as a way to give the breeder a moment to wipe away the stray tears. 

The mighty Demon Overlord of Ice, quietly sniffling over what? Overwhelming emotions?

This was the cursed key's fault. He thought darkly, eyes narrowing as the object of his disdain pressed snugly against him.

Once he was completely composed he sighed, turning to look at the princess as she returned her attention to him. “Are you…upset? Regarding my…affections?”

“What?!” Sonia gasped, her eyes widening. “Do not be foolish! I would never be upset about who you love!”

“Agh-! L-lov- That may be a bit much, Sonia!” He choked, his entire face pinkening.

Ignoring his sputtering, Sonia gathered his hands in hers, her hold tight as she leaned forward. “If you had admitted these feelings before our reconciliation, I would have shown concern for you being used by Kazuichi to become closer to me. But now, after seeing you both I can rest assured that is not what will happen! I am just happy that you will be -whats the word? Led by your hose!”

“I believe you mean nose, She-cat.” Gundham chuckled, shoulders sagging in relief that his friend was not acting negatively towards him.

“Yes!” She smiled, giggling as she pulled their joined hands back and forth.

He let her, chuckling quietly as he rocked with her movements. It had felt good to share this with her - even if he himself was not yet ready to completely admit what he felt for Kazuichi. For the moment, ‘affections’ was much more acceptable than love. 

A demon could not love. It was as simple as claiming the sky was blue. But he did not voice this, for he knew his friend would jump to his unneeded defense. He sat there, letting the glow of her acceptance cover him like armor, before he fully registered her words.

“Dark Queen, your words earlier made no sense. What do you mean when you said seeing us both made you change your mind?”

The rocking jerked to a stop and his friend looked up at him with exaggerated wide eyed innocence. “Hm? I do not believe I understand the question.” 

Rolling his eyes fondly, he opened his mouth to repeat himself when she suddenly let go and sat up. “Oh! I do believe I hear Kazuichi returning!”

“She-Cat.” He glared, tone leaving no room for joking as Sonia stood up and moved to the front door.

“We will discuss a formal plan of action in making Kazuichi fall for you another time. For now, I have just the thing! For now, just stay in bed.” She excitedly proclaimed, nearly skipping towards the door as the familiar sounds of someone approaching from the outside.

Gundham sputtered, mouth hanging open she hummed. “What?! S-Sonia-!”

But his protest fell on deaf ears, as the princess opened the door and let the mechanic back in. His arms were loaded with a laptop bag and - wires? He walked over to the table that held the Devas’ primary cage and gingerly placed the laptop bag on it. She took the cord of cables from under his arm and he gave her a grateful smile.

“Thanks!” He huffed, chest heaving as if he had been running. “Didn’t mean to take so long, hope you guys weren’t waiting long.”

“Not at all! We were just discussing a spellbook I had wanted to read and -”

The conversation washed over him as watched his two friends set everything up. Once Kazuichi had the cables connected to the laptop, he brought it over to the bed so that the three of them could pick a movie. The mechanic had been lying about his selection of movies. It seemed the other had all the latest releases of that year and the previous as well.

Sonia made contemplative noises as they went through the extensive list. “How can we choose just one? There are just so many!”

“Well…how about we make a day of it? Or late afternoon,” Kazuichi corrected, eyeing the sky's gradual gradient shift from yellow to orange. “Hell. If we wanted to, we could make it into a sleepover or something.”

“Really!?” Sonia gasps, her smile beaming. “I have never been to a sleepover before!”

Kazuichi blinked, shock slacking his features. “Seriously?”

She nodded, a melancholy look in her eyes. “Most children my age were intimidated by status, or did nothing but fawn over me as a way to win my favor because their parents pressured them to. I was invited to many, but they were from children whose parents my family found…distasteful.”

Kazuichi frowned, but after a moment he nodded before looking at Gundham. It didn’t shame him to admit something so trivial, so he shrugged and simply concurred that he too, was never invited to spend the night in another's home. If possible, Kazuichi looked even more flustered after that admission and looked away as he scratched his nose.

“Well - I guess we’re all kinda in the same boat then? But it's just staying up late - playing games, watching movies and eating tons of junk food.”

“That sounds delightful! Let us have this sleepover!” The princess declared, turning back to the laptop before skimming her eyes towards the mechanic. “Will you be alright if I pick a horror movie? I know how you are about this genre.”

“O-oh. Uh…” Kazuichi worried his lip and caught Gundham’s eyes. They stared at one another for a moment before he turned towards her, chest puffed up and smirking with false bravado. “I’m sure I can take it! And if not, I have you and Gundham with me. Just…nothing too gorey, ok?”

The low giggle that Sonia emitted was downright ominous and Gundham snickered as Kazuichi paled slightly as she made her selections. After they all had made their picks, the blond informed them to set up everything as she went to get snacks from the hotel dining hall. Kazuichi set to work connecting the laptop with the sleek, flat screen that dominated the opposite wall and got Gundham to take another dose of his medicine and go to the bathroom. 

By the time Sonia returned, the two boys had scattered the pillows and grabbed a second blanket from the closet as a way to make things more comfortable. Setting the chips and drinks on the bedside table and floor, Sonia removed her heels so that she could lay comfortably on the bed. She took the Gundham’s right side and Kazuichi took his left, a small remote control in his hand. The breeder valiantly stared ahead as the other boy squirmed and brushed against him as he got comfortable.

“Are we ready?” Sonia asked, leaning against a pillow.

Kazuichi nodded, a genuine smile stretching his lips and showing off his fangs. “Let’s get this sleepover started!”

They both gave a little cheer and Gundham couldn’t help but laugh at his friend's antics. Kazuichi looked at his direction with a smaller, private grin, cheeks flushed with excitement, before turning to hit play. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and screams - mostly from Kazuichi. As the evening turned to night, Gundham found himself fighting sleep. He tried to stay awake, but the press of a warm body that was surely not there in the beginning of the movie marathon against his side and the low tones of conversation soon lulled him to sleep.

He knew he had teleported back into the den of debauchery, the moment he slowly blinked into awareness. Gundham sat up from the floor with a defeated sigh, dropping his head into his hands. Soft footfalls grow closer before large hands - calloused yet still remarkably soft- cup around his own. Resigned, he shoots a weary glare at the Kazuichi double pulls and lifts him up to a standing position so that they would be eye level to one another. Sparks of warmth tickled up his arms and he let out a frustrated breath.

“Hey.” The specter greeted.

“Greetings...” He jerked his hands out of the other’s hold, cursing the tingles of warmth where their skin made contact. Not seeing any point in delaying the inevitable, he pointed an accusatory finger and demanded, “Why have I returned to this infernal place?”

The doppelganger blinked, obviously taken aback at the hostile tone. “Eh? You forgot already? I’m here because of you -”

Anger coursed through his veins and he doesn’t reign it in as he crowds and slams the other against a wall. The yelp that passes the other’s lips is satisfying and the breeder looks down menacingly as the double braces himself with his hands on Gundham’s chest. The breeder didn't let himself pause to think. Instead, he let his impulses be unleashed.

“Dude what the fuck?!” He screams, but Gundham merely silences him with a hand against his mouth.

“This is thrice now that I have been transported into this taboo realm. Thrice you have invaded my dreams,” he began a growl punctuating the words as he presses closer against the squirming body. “Tell me, Succubus: do you know the meaning of the power of three?”

Now the space between them was being existent - their noses barely brushing. The warm puffs of air that came from the doppelganger's panicked breaths sent a dark thrill. He waited for the other to stop the half hearted attempts at struggling before he sagged his body weight against the wall behind him. 

Rose colored eyes looked at him with untempered hunger and the sparks of warmth became a liquid pool of desire. It made him roll his hips harder and the succubus let out a pathetic whimper as he shifted under him. Without thinking, he pivoted and dipped his hips so that he grinded against the demon’s groin. The responding jolt and moan he received emboldened him to slowly thrust next to the growing hardness.

“Well?” When it was obvious that he would get no answer, he sucked his teeth in a tsk. That made the other groan around his hand and removed it, moving it to cup a flushed cheek while drawing closer.

The succubus merely blinked at him, lips parted slightly as he panted from the breeder’s tortuous pace. He moaned as the fingers dug into the flesh of his cheeks, making his tongue peek out from between long, seemingly sharp canines. A rumble vibrated up his chest as he leant down to lick down the length of one. If possible, Succubus moaned louder, his own long appendage leaving a small wet patch when the breeder retreated.

Gundham moved away long enough to shrug his long jacket off his shoulders, before quickly moving back to crowd the other. His tone was almost conversational if not for the ravenous growl underneath it. “The law of three rules is one of the oldest, yet most prolific and most integrated into not only our day to day, but in our very universe. It is the supernatural indicator when, you come across the same circumstances or come into contact with something three times within a certain time frame, that means that it was meant to be.

“And you, Doppelganger,” he growled, thrusting forward to rub his erection into the soft v of the other's groin, making the shorter man gasp as he continued. “Have invoked its ancient incantations. And now, I must act accordingly.” He purred, leaning down and nosing the pink column of flesh.

“Gundham!” Succubus moaned, throwing his head back so that it hit the wall after a particular thrust jerked him hard. Strong fingers tangled in his hair kept him in place as the taller man began to press burning kisses against his neck. Hands scrambled and gripped his white tee shirt, sharp nails dragging down his back as he groaned. “Gundham please-”

Gritting his teeth, Gundham leans down and bites down on the demon’s neck, making him cry out. He continued to rut against the other, his dick straining against his pants as he sped up in his desperation. The lustful tones that the other emitted in Kazuichi’s voice began to drive him mad. He suddenly has the strange urge to kiss the demon, but refrains. Instead he licks at the bruise that was forming from his ministrations and the Succubus skin erupts in goosebumps as he shudders.

This Succubus may look like Kazuichi, but he isn’t him. It was nothing more than an inferior copy created from the perverse marriage of the cursed key and his own desires. A tool to vent his overwhelming emotions and nothing more. He was a fool to think that he could run away from where his path had decided to set him on. 

So why not use that to his advantage?

Pushing away, he watches as the doppelganger scrambles for purchase against the smooth wall before he gives up and collapses onto his knees; chest heaving as he tries to regain his breathing now that the breeder wasn’t dry humping his pelvis.

He opened his mouth, but any protests died in his throat as Gundham stepped over him and unbuckled his pants and unzipped his pants, pulling out his cock.

Those pink gems had darkened to near garnet as he stared up at Gundham. It appeared that he was practically drooling as he stared at Gundham’s long length and it made the breeder puff out his chest a bit as the other reached out with a shaky hand to steady himself on his thigh.

“You can use your mouth, can’t you Succubus? It should be near childs play for the likes of you.” he sneered and the demon let out a wanton sound as he scooted closer.

“Could’ve just asked me to suck you off, dude.”

Nimble fingers slid up his calves and Gundham inhaled sharply as they slowly wrapped around his length. “Do not test my patients more than you already have.” He growled and gave a low moan as the hand jerked a bit too roughly.

“Wouldn’t want to anger His Majesty.” Succubus sneered, though he continued to stroke the breeder’s cock with a near reverent expression. 

Gundham moaned, forcing himself to not let his head fall back as the image of Kazuichi slowly jerking him off was one he wanted to savor. Even if it was only a dream, he still wanted the image to remain in his mind. For his part, Succubus was enjoying himself just as much, experimenting with the pace and grip until he seemed to find a good rhythm. The demon rolled his thumb over the redden head and licked his lips at the string of pre that dribbled out. 

“Fuck you’re so big dude!”

It shouldn’t have brought another wave of ego, but hearing Kazuichi’s breathless voice talking about his dick did things to him. He sunk a hand into pink strands and pulled the other closer, silently ordering him to get it over with. He was given an exasperated look in return, but the demon merely allowed himself to be manhandled with a near erratic energy. The demon stared up at him, pupils blown and cheek pressed against the other's dick. Plush lips parted and Gundham felt the drag of sharp teeth and hissed.

“Mind your teeth.” Dream or not, teeth were still a worry - especially ones as beastly as the mechanic’s.

Succubus snorted, giving the breeder a few more strokes before guiding the head of his cock into his mouth. The near euphoria of the wet cavern alone almost sent him tumbling towards his climax. Inch by inch he was engulfed in wet heat and Gundham threw his head back when he felt a hand encase the base of him. He bit into his bottom lip, letting the pain ground him as a warm tongue drag along the trail of his vein. He tightened his hand and the demon moaned, the sound vibrating up his cock before he started to pull away.

Before Gundham could even think about chasing after him, he slammed forward, cheeks hollowing as he sucked. The room soon filled with the sounds of wet smacking and harsh panting as the Succubus seemed to be trying to suck the breeder’s soul out of his body. 

He lapped and licked at the cock head with the coyness of a predator before pushing his lips down half the length and backing off with a loud pop each time. Each time he did so, the hand that had fisted the rest of the length would stroke him just a little fast and it took his breath away. Sperm and saliva coated his lips as worked to drive Gundham mad. A hand had circled his around and was now messaging his ass, groping it whenever the breeder lost control and thrusted into the other’s mouth. 

Whimpers gurgled out around his cock as Succubus let Gundham use his mouth. The sensation of the sounds traveled through Gundham, who grunted and groaned out his pleasure as he chased his pleasure. He titled his head down and just stared at the demon on his knees before him - eyes closed in perverted pleasure as a string of moans fell from his throat. He looked so close to finishing - so close to ruining his clothing with his seed - and yet he wasn’t even touching himself -

That image of Kazuichi so far gone in his pleasure, that Gundham came with a cut off scream, holding the other’s head in place as his hips spasmed and jerked as his climax went down the dream mechanic’s throat. His ears rang, but he could distantly hear a smothered moan as the Succubus’ jaw slackened around his cock. Gundham’s hand tightened around the other’s hand as he felt the shudder that coursed through his body.

Gundham stayed like that for a moment, abstantly petting the demon’s hair as he tried to regain his composure but seemed unable to. Letting out a shaky breath, the breeder took a fortifying breath before he removed his hold on the other. The demon gasped for air as Gundham stepped back, coughing. Gundham went to inquire if he was alright, when his legs buckled from under him, too weak to keep him standing a moment longer. He felt someone catch him just before he hit the ground and Gundham continued to float in post euphoric ecstasy as Succubus maneuvered him to lay with his back on the floor, the plush rug cushioning him from the hard floor. 

All too soon, a warm body slid next to his and he subconsciously turned to run a hand down the length of the other's tone body. The corresponding hum and stretch that elicited it was nice and he sleepily allowed the demon to rest his head in the crook of his neck.

“Will you still be here?” He croaked, his exhausted mind already pulling him under.

Though anger had clouded him in the start of their tryst, he did not want to leave just yet. Not when holding Kazuichi like this felt nice. He doubted that their bodies were still shoulder to shoulder in the waking realm.

“For as long as you want me.” Came a soft reply and Gundham allowed himself to fall into the darkness.

Something soft tickled his nose and Gundham awoke with a quiet groan. Early morning rays stretched across his room, bathing it in a soft, almost ethereal light. The tickling sensation continued and the teen blinked to clear his foggy vision. He looked down and was encountered with vibrant pink hair. Looking down, he froze. 

Kazuichi was pressed to his side, his arm and leg slung around the breeder’s chest and legs. Soft snoring was disrupted with a cut of whine as the smaller teen cuddled impossibly closer to his body. Hot breath caressed his neck and made goosebumps erupt in their wake. 

The interaction with the Succubus was still blurry in his mind, but he shook it away like a cobweb in a spring breeze - an easy feat when his mind was still groggy and full of the sweet cotton of sleep's embrace. Nothing could compare to this - the quiet and very warmth of the other curled into his side. This moment was the only thing that mattered. 

Without thinking, he shifted so that the arm underneath Kazuichi wrapped around his shoulders, drawing his head closer to his neck. A soft moan left Kazuichi at the movement and Gundham shivered as he tipped his nose to bury it in Kazuichi’s hair. 

The faint scent of prevailing motor oil and the unmistakable smell of something sweet and floral invaded his nostrils and Gundham greedily drank it in, a blush creeping up his neck as he prayed that the other didn’t decide to wake at that moment. But Kazuichi continued to snore and his body began to relax again as sleep pulled it back into its embrace.

When he next awoke, it was to Sonia gently shaking him awake, Mikan hovering at her shoulder so that she could begin checking on him with.

And Kazuichi was nowhere in sight.

[that-60s-jazz-song]

Chapter 1 of this funky story I'm writing :)

(This fic is inspired by the headcanons me and my friend @marstonsluv on tiktok had, gO FOLLOW HER SHES SO COOL OMG!!!! Also this is like, a modern AU of red dead redemption 2, so yeah. If any of my friends are reading this hi how are you you can use this as blackmail i pinkie promise)

The sun was just starting to rise, and it peeked over the buildings. Javier’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and he let out a quiet sigh. After a few long moments of staring at the ceiling, he got out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom. It was the same every morning. Wake up, (lonely.) go to the bathroom and get ready, (while lonely.) and leave for work after saying good bye to his only friend in his small apartment. A royal blue beta fish named Squishy. 

Today, however, Javier was feeling especially.. Different. Special? He didn’t really know. But there was a little voice in his head that told him to quit his job and start an Instagram account. Except it wasn’t a little voice. That voice’s name was–

“Arthur! Leave the man alone. Maybe he likes being by himself, no offense to you Javier, with no woman to keep him company.” The familiar whine of Bill’s voice was something that Javier simultaneously hated but also had to appreciate in this moment. All he had heard for the previous 45 minutes was Arthur going on about Tinder and Instagram. 

But to be honest, he made a few valid points. Just a few.

Arthur’s response to Bill was a simple glance, then a chuckle and a shake of his head. He continued on, “But, yeah, Tinder’s great. There’s some nice women on there, if you’re lucky.” Javier just let out a sigh, followed by a slight chuckle, “If I have to hear this rant one more time I think I might shoot you.” 

About an hour passed, and Arthur’s beat up pickup truck finally pulled into the driveway of John’s ranch. Normally, Javier would be at his job at the local coffee shop, but he decided to take today off. Supposedly, John wound up in trouble again and was now on house arrest for the time being. Meaning, other people had to come and work on his ranch for him. Honestly, it just felt like free labor for John. Javier didn’t buy the house arrest story.

Charles waved from afar, and Arthur waved back, “Well there’s Charles. Wonder where John is.” Bill simply shrugged, then immediately wandered over to the porch, sitting down on a rocking chair and leaning back as if he owned the place, “I’m not sure where he is. You guys call me if you need anything.” Javier and Arthur watched as he proceeded to pull his phone out then put it on silent. “Yeah, sure. Lazy ass.” Javier glanced between Arthur and Bill, then smirked and walked over to Charles.

Charles came over, a small smile resting on his face. “Hey, Arthur. Javier.” “Charles. You seem especially happy today.” Javier greeted, slightly nodding towards Charles' almost smug look. Charles dismissed Javier’s comment with a shrug, then pointed to certain parts of the ranch. “I need you guys to go work over there. I think Dutch, Hosea and Lenny are gonna come up pretty soon. I’ll have them join you.” Arthur nodded, then glanced around, “We gonna get there by horse or ATV or somethin’ else? Do ya want me to drive up?” Charles’ eyebrows furrowed slightly in thought, “Yeah, by horse. I’ll go ahead and get Taima and Old Boy saddled up. For right now, go ahead and start walking over there to the goat pasture.” Before he walked off he paused, “Oh and, do not, under any circumstance, let them out of that pasture. John won’t let you back here in a million years if you set any of them loose.”

[heavenforblog1111]

First of all, I would like to tell you that everything I say here has been said before. So, what I am going to tell you is something that I have been told to by someone else. You can refer to speakers like Aaron Doughty, Whitney Uland, Leo Gura etc. The key to gaining magnetism is authenticity. It is about being yourself unapologetically. It is about being true to who you are, what your values are and what you stand by, your beliefs and not changing according to the environment you are placed in. As a kid who was not confident about himself, I often tried to fit in with other people and ended up being a people pleaser. Luckily, I never did huge favors because I was selfish in terms of money(Lol to be honest). However, I did change certain aspects of my personality to fit in with other people. Having faced rejection and abandonment as a kid, I often felt that something was inherently wrong with me. Maybe, there was some sort of shame hidden in my character because of which I felt like I needed to cover up. What we forget is that other people have their own flaws. We are not here to gain their approval. We are here to be ourselves as freely as possible. When you become your authentic self, when you express yourself freely, when you don't care for other people's approval, when you realize that other people are further drawn to you. Also, you don't care if other people like you or hate you, because you are good either way. So, its a win win from all sides. People who are magnetic are those who don't care if other people like them or not. They are not seeking validation or approval from others to know how good they are. They feel good about themselves naturally and have principles that they abide by. Unfortunately, a lot of people confuse this with being an asshole. There is a fine line between being an asshole and being a confident person who knows what is good and what is not. It is a good thing to set boundaries and not do unnecessary favors. As long as you are not harming anyone, you are absolutely fine in the eyes of God. Remember, be true to yourself and be authentic. That is the key to gaining magnetism. That is how you become attractive. Pic: Manafest's song : Edge of my life.

[castle-dominion]

castle 7x8 kill switch

the esposito train bomb episode liveblog

Heehee I'm so excited for this!

I tried to kms today so I got the day off from school after getting home from the hospital. I'm not going to spend much time doing homework tho I'm going to watch castle instead I think after a cide attempt I deserve to watch some Castle.

Married <3

RC: We’re like Nick and Nora Charles. KB: Ooh, like McMillan and Wife. RC: Hart to Hart. KB: Turner and Hooch. RC: Turner and Hooch aren’t even married. KB: Yeah, but you still remind me a little of Hooch.

Yay samebrain moments but give me ryan & esposito being smart too not just becks & sometimes castle. Oh no I just remembered this episode. Forget my wish.

My man the guest star has nice eyes.

Sounds like money laundering to me Healthcare fraud, I mean tbh Canada has pretty bad healthcare in comparison to some places, it is only good compared to the usa.

whose desk is castle at? whose family photo?

RC: I feel the heavy hand of conspiracy. KB: Yeah, well, what else is new? "skullduggery" the federal teat RC: No. But I will once you identify who met Paul at the park. XD Talks to both, hands to becks

Ran the image past tense *is running it now* RC & me: Jared Stone, misdemeanor computer trespassing? TE: Otherwise known as hacking.

KR: You have to admit, Castle’s theory is surprisingly logical. *RC nods* KB: Yes. And it’s conveniently unburdened by evidence. btw where esposito? Oh there Craigslist???? srs?

YAY CAR SCENE MY GUYS JUST CATCHING UP

Espt's face! Bro u'r already a dad, what about tommy & joey? KR: Well, you know, the thing of it is, is you know what it’s like not having a father. You’d make sure your kid never felt that way. JE: Maybe I’m ready for more than that. Coming from mr fear of commitment! Also does anyone else remember the episode in s8? {the sonjia ruiz episode?} JE: Did you hear that? That sound? KR: No. What sound? *looks around the car* JE: That’s my biological clock ticking. Tick, tock. Tick, to-- *Laughs* KR: We were having a genuine, honest moment here. And you had to-- ruin it! by,, being a jackass!, W--

JE: Hold on hold on slow down slow down Me: Again from the top now again from the top now & tell me everything tell me everything?

"hang tight" love the diction yay train station finally new york Lost him XD Earbud phone call Holding it like youre playing President His voice sounds cracky & dry

JE: Hey, bro. (listens) Yeah, followed him down into the subway. I’m looking for him now. KR: What, you lost him? JE: No, I didn’t lose him. I just … don’t have visual contact. KR: That’s kind of splitting hairs, isn’t it? Look, I’ll head down there and I’ll – JE: No, you stay there. I’ll – wait, I see him. He’s at my 12. He’s moving fast. He’s scared, like someone’s after him. "my 12" I love clock directions

YOU are the one following him!

Ryan's probably hella afraid rn w his partner on the train

lol acab. Do that tag babey.

Her gun would NOT be set up to shoot. There is no bullet in the chamber & the safety is on. This is a semi automatic so you don't need to cock in between each shot, but you do need to pull once once to get the bullet in the chamber.

People have taken their guns all the time, like I think the ninja ep or the hong kong ep, obv 3xk, & several times to beckett. But why does SHE have a weapon? Is this was USA cops are like? I thought that just la police nationale had guns for cheap cops who report people for silly graffiti.

His own hand is on his gun now. If it was good for the plot Esposito would have shot him already probably. Esposito itchy trgger finger rn. But aren't new yorkers used to this they just don't pay attention to guns pulled on the subway?

Is that REALLY how the brakes work? all the sparks like that? Where is the engineer? Do the lights do that?

Say ok & do it SLOWLY & remove the ammunition bro

Ooh intense. Love this all. Phones & guns & blunt instruments & acab wow jared so valid bestie. But also these people are trying to get to work.

It's just a phone bro but yeah good job everyone

Why are you yelling at him NOW of all times? I thought it would be best to keep things quiet on your end, radio silence. Seaking of radios why aren't you on the radio already & are you recording the phone call? (& why is Ryan's contact jjust "Ryan" not his full name? Oh wait I just realized, Ryan was silent until now for radio silence purposes & now he's yelling bc "javi"'s phone has been taken away.

title card & I have been watching this for like four hours or smth. No probably closer to two. Granted I've also been doing a million other things.

Bella & Ty my beloved. But be quiet & let the captor think. Grant also my beloved.

Apologize bro.

Evacuating because the brake was pulled duh or wait no they SHOULD wait for the intercom & THEN leave. Yeah. Except espt was phone ryan. yes PLEASE hit redial.

Nobody was talking bro! Except.. they were

Girl these three get their weapons taken All the time

Marisa Aragon & Javier Esposito. First names babes.

Love Grant. What a man.

JS: I think you’ll get your chance. ... (so good)

My bonvolio chorus here from VG: I’ve just been informed that Jared Stone, a person of interest in the Paul Reeves case, drew a gun on a subway and took hostages, including Detective Esposito. *KB is SHOCKED* At this point, it’s not clear why Jared Stone … VG: Right now, our sole priority is to gather any and all information on Jared Stone so the hostage rescue team will know who we’re dealing with. All intel comes to me so I can forward it directly to HRT. They should be on the scene right now.

Captain Bigalow/Bigelow depending on the transcipr or the captions & Detective Ryan. Sir he's a hack-- *I pause it to liveblog*

Solid <3

KR: Hey, Beckett. I’m sorry. KB: Kevin, no one could have seen this coming. (first names <3) KR: No, no. He’s my partner. I should have never let him go in there alone. KB: We’ve gotta focus on getting Javi out of there. So once you brief HRT just head over to Stone’s apartment. (First names <3) KR: .? Leave the scene? (Aaaah) KB: Look, there’s nothing that you can do that HRT isn’t already doing. And if we want to help Javi out, then the best thing that we can do is find out who Jared Stone is and why he is doing this. And some of those answers might be at his apartment. It’s the last thing KR wants to do. KR: Okay. I’ll check it out and let you know. KB hangs up.

Idk how much I want to clip I just want to clip So Much

Lanie!

Can't they remontely access people's phones? grave disruption of trust & privacy?

Ooh I love becks' voice rn. Good for the plot to have a cam tho ig. love it.

Wow. yay. another cop.

Love Jared playing classical music to either get him happy, calm him down, or get him pumped for killin. Or calm himself down. (Fic idea: esposito like music to calm down. vent fic.) She is like me, doesn't rly know what's going on but still rly skilled & aware. I kind of haate Aragon but I also kinda like her.

JE: I might need you to back me up. Can you do that? (Back me up, great words.) She nods. MA: What’s your play? JS’S condition is getting worse. He’s jerky and nervous and keeps taking hits off his inhaler. JE: Talk to him. Try to get him see the light, then disarm him if I get the chance. (Cheers ig) MA: I should talk to him. (JE does a double take which I sadly will not clip) I’m the one wearing the Kevlar. (tru) JE: Yeah, but I’ve already got a rapport with the guy, so… (Also true) MA: A bad rapport. (She isn't wrong) MA: I know what this is. I’m just a transit cop. (Or he trusts himself more since he has training in this???) MA: You gold shield guys always acting like you’re better than us. JE: We are better than you. (Asshole) (But he's right in the sense that he has more training & experience relevant to this. probably.) He smirks. She glares at him. He ignores her. JE: Mr. Stone! (JS takes his earbuds out) Permission to speak? (polite. smart.) JS: (gestures With His Gun) Go ahead.

wdym not here?

just *has a bomb* like ok

Ooh a dead man switch, interesting...

Plot twist!

Good point, 1% does not take the subway. Heck even the 2 & 3 %ers don't take subway.

he remembers which phone is espt's?

Julian & LT XD remove your shoes so valid bro

Wealth management. obv lol. You know I lost some people close to me & inherited a little over a thousand canadian since watching this the first time & now I actually need to know how to manage wealth. Some of tha advice my grandpapa's money guy told us was like,, 20-50 years out of date, or weird (like "if you teach your 30 ppl you do good but if you make 3 people teach 30 pl each for you then you get 90 people for the work of only doing 3" & I'm like 'what so the three original ppl I taught don't get paid for teaching 30 ppl? that isn't meritocracy (what ppl think

Wealth management. obv lol. You know I lost some people close to me & inherited a little over a thousand canadian since watching this the first time & now I actually need to know how to manage wealth. Some of tha advice my grandpapa's money guy told us was like,, 20-50 years out of date, or weird (like "if you teach your 30 ppl you do good but if you make 3 people teach 30 pl each for you then you get 90 people for the work of only doing 3" & I'm like 'what so the three original ppl I taught don't get paid for teaching 30 ppl? that isn't meritocracy (what ppl think capitalism is), that is employee abuse & a pyramid scheme' but go off) but a lot of it is also good & smart! You know the math where you smoke a cigarette a day (except sundays) & it's $10/pack & there are 12 in a pack & so you do the math & could afford a house if you didn't smoke? Yeah well you don't smoke so why don't you have a car? Pretend you smoke. Put away five dollars every week, & then it eventually adds up. They say "& one day you can put away $10/week or $50" but that is partially only if you start getting paid more, which these days often doesn't happen. (Ofc you can increase it some ways by like being aware of your costs & then you will find you have that extra to put away but the big numbers? You need a better paying job.) Oh & one of the worst pieces of advice: "For five years I didn't see my friends at all, I missed all their weddings, & now I'm rich. Now I'm rich I only work an hour & a half a day & it's a job I like (talking to people & doin money math) & my friends all hate me" like girl of course they hate you. You could have been almost as rich as you are now but have better relationships. Ofc he does have friends who are also wealthy so like good for him but still man. You deserve to see your friend's wedding. You deserve to say "No, I am NOT working this day" because your boss values you. Your boss should value you enough to let you have days off; your boss should NOT value you BECAUSE you never request days off. Also, not everyone wants to be a rich business owner (who does So Much work genuinely, at least in the first few years,) & then retire. Most people Like working! He said so himself! He likes his job talking to people & doing math! His son in law still has a job because he likes being occupied! My mom is a volunteer coordinator, volunteers exist! People want to work! We just don't want to work until we break & then retire & do nothing but golf (ew). The cognitively disabled factory worker who likes repetitive tasks & is highly trainable but not necessarily a good individual thinker or problem sovler still deserves to live without breaking their body & still deserves to retire or cut their hours if they ever want.

Sorry, just. Wealth management. Yeah heheh. ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED NOT FIFTEEN HUNDRED

Maldives? (btw I like tory's standing desk.)

VG/HRT: What kind of pizza does Esposito like? mkes me insane. but what if he likes plain cheese? KB: Uh .. pineapple, olives, and double jalapeños, sir. Makes me Even More InSane

the point of a shredder is to destroy important documents. Acab. (why make lt hold it why not just put it down on the side??

btw they have everyone sitting on normal seats now not just the floor

They literally just went to your address & saw you board a train bro Me & JE: What’s White Knight?

bOB <:( I like Jared. He's like "Yeah I'm fine. They're fine. I want them to not be hungry. My goal is not to hurt these people, let's get them some food." But he forgot to give his demands until prompted. Arin Wilson released from prison! I love captions btw. JS: "Erin Wilson" but RC: "Aaron Wilson" btw his eye contact with the camera sooo good. & I like gates' necklace btw. He is looking not-ok tho, progressively getting worse at such a pace I barely notice it

RC: So she’s a hacker, too? Me: So she’s a hacker too!! RC: It’s a non-extradition country. Ohhhh RYAN IS BACK MY MAN someone should give him a hug. Him & Parish Yay background characters

Yeah they know that girl shut up

"soul mate" tbh that's cute. I like jared minus the fact he's holding a train car hostage JE: Well, why didn’t you give Bob more to go on so he knew who you were talking about? true JS: I want to keep him off balance. Maintain control. valid ig? JE: You get that tip off the internet? ‘Cause it’s not a very good one. bro not a good thing to say JE: What’s White Knight? Doesn't tell us anything (good for the plot) JS: You. The husband. Go. Get the food. I know you’ll come back. He's right ig, but what if he doesn't

My adhd would NOT let me hold that thing

I love him & his free erin wilson website wow white knight we have a word now. I bet it is paul reeves but that wouldn't make sense

Oh no don't make ppl give birth in the middle of this {Wait after seeing this a second time, she Knows what it's like to be preggo} JSDHFKLASDJH PIZZA but hm, did they get everyone else's pizza orders? why does espt look so shocked but aragon also knew she'd get a specific order? I mean they KNOW espt is there of COURSE they;d give him his fave Lol aragon I love her

that is a crappily made pizza but at least it has a lot of toppings. Tbh it was probably made by a teenaged line cook. Also it does not look like it has been cut...

YAY STUFF IS HAPENING

VG: HRT thinks the Erin Wilson demand is a ruse. Why? Why do they think that?

HOLD ON SHE'S AT THE 54TH Making convo lol fuck the military acab & these poor guys holy shit fuck the military. They're designed to be the same person tho. POC, quit the military, became a cop, 54th, kinda pissy but also in a straight-backed sort of way (lol miliraty)... they are the same person. I like espt's voice when it goes low & soft like that.

JE: Hey, why did you become a cop? MA: (shrugs) Got out of the Army. It’s what made the most sense. JE: Me too. You miss the service? MA: Some parts. Not others. JE: Married? Kids? MA: No. Don’t do this, okay? Don’t try to take my mind off of what’s coming. I don’t need anyone holding my hand. JE: You know, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder the size of Stonehenge. I was just trying to get to know you a little bit.

THAT'S what they meant by flicker!?!?

Be quiet aragon.

Lil bro: what if they just killed Esposito? Me: That'd be one way to get a different actor...

They don't know you have a dead man switch Jared... You have never said you have a bomb... Except I mean at the very start they knew espt was on the phone with another cop He has experience using a gun? His aim is good enough? He had a gun? in his back pocket? with the safety off? Good way to lose a buttcheek

Ok Lanie she actually likes him cool cool but what about ryan? What about Esposito's mom? I mean I wouldn't call Esposito's mom until he's actually dead...

True! We're so focused on stone now that we have forgotten about paul reeves! Like Lightbulb Len!

Lanie smart moments?

Beckett just mentioned the flu virus & now I suddenly remember what Lanie noticed.

I remember WHY he was instructed to stall for time JE: He passes out and releases that switch we’re all dead. Yeah legit

Girl why don't you have your shoelace ALREADY out? you said NEXT PUFF what if he took the next puff BEFORE you got your shoelace out?? Hold on a sec, her shoes are NOT cop approved. At least his are steel toed & black. JS: Don’t worry, everyone. It’s almost over. See? He actually cares about these people sort of. Or at least he doesn't WANT to hurt them.

I'd be hella careful y'all... She knows what to do itiod. But watching it slowed down to see things my deaf ass had trouble reading his lips & then I noticed: why do they kick him down first?

Yay ryan!

h5n1 I remember that. We were talking abt it in my martial arts class when one of our instructors was a doctor & she was giving us info at the start of covid.

One person terrorizing you to espt terrorizing you lol.

Lethal? Yeah don't y'all remember the influenza epidemic when they had interviews with ppl & over the course of like a 40 minute interview they would go from perfectly fine to dead? & now we get shots for it every year & the majority of people (those at the top of the bell-curve or one end of it; abled, not old, etc) don't die from it.

VG: There is a vaccine Lil bro: but it's one million dollars. Castle, pay up. & even if it is lethal, that doesn't mean it is going to kill everyone, it is just ABLE to kill you!

JS: You’re not the priest. KB: No, but I can take your confession. Good line

Jared was just a patsy, a scapegoat, a pawn to be sacrificed. A fall guy. He doesn't WANT to get others sick!

RC: The lab from which the virus went missing, Latham Pharmaceuticals? They’re the same company that makes the vaccine Sounds legit, sadly.

Ooh I like Beckett's outfit!

I can't believe her job is literally to investigate government scams & she's doing this

"I didn't think ppl would get killed, they could just buy the vaccine & that's how I get rich!" Poor people exist, anti-vaxxers exist, people who are really slow at doing stuff (like me) exist!

Is he just... shoving his gun into his pocket? At the hospital? I went to the hospital yesterday bc I wanted to kms & they had to confiscate my razor (I forgot I had multiple & ended up bringing one with me by accident-- also kept my ethnic knife (which my instructor called a mezzaluna when it is actually an ulu bc I may not be inuit but I sure as hell am native) which, oops, but I didn't want to not get it back; I wanted to still have it) anyway they don't let you have guns or ammunition in hospitals wo why does esposito have his gun here??

Aragon wearing normal clothes!

JE: You did all right down there. I don’t care what they say about transit cops. MA: Mmm. What they say about gold shields is even worse, mostly because it’s true. lol acab

JE: We make a tight team. MA: Bonds forged in the heat of battle. You know how it is. JE: Yeah. Fuck the military, I’m so sorry for you MA: I wasn’t straight with you. I have a five year old son. He’s confused. (What's that zoom about?) JE: Uh … you said that you didn’t have a family. Why hide that? (Ye, y) MA: I didn’t want you worried about me being a mom down there. (Oh. Valid JE: (scoffs) You are a piece of work, Marisa. MA: Who’s Lenny? He is confused. MA: Or is it Lanie? (Thinks it’s a man’s name at first, She totally clocked him.) He freezes. JE: How do you know about her? MA: On my last tour an IED blew out my eardrum. I got pretty good at reading lips. You were saying her name before you took down Stone. (I’m hoh in one ear & I’m adhd so I watch ppl’s lips but I struggled to see what he was saying. I actually thought it was “I love you lanie I lov–” yk?) JE: Yeah, I don’t … I don’t remember that. (Lying bc he likes marisa– until she revealed she has a kid & is possibly married? Or he actually doesn’t remember?) MA: Who you think of in that moment? It has weight. Don’t trade what’s real for something that isn’t. (Valid but Lanie is happy where she is. Or at least she was but now she’s cryin watching javi in the train) MA: I’ll see you around, Javi.

What's that music?

Lil bro: When esposito starts a company selling air Me: (Like in the Lorax?) Lil bro: Javi-Air

The person who sits by beckett is Det Sch (I can't see the rest)

Yay he's back@ He ruins it by being a jackass again

Lanie!!!

I thought this was where the line "we both deserve something more" came from & i was "is he proposing or breaking up I can't tell" but ig I was wrong

Yay drinks

CASTLE DAD MOMENTS XD XD XD

In the TWO DAYS I've had off school I've only managed one castle. I just love them too much & do other work. I should go back to giving myself a 1.5 hour limit. That was back when I had recently seen the ep tho. Tbh this was worth $100 & a trip to the ER. I got some time to bleach my bones, sleep in, watch castle, make a soup... Now all I need to do is shower, see my doctor, catch up on chores, catch up on homework, & do everything else I need to do before I go back to school. Ugh.